March 28, 2024, 03:58:21 AM

Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - Toppa

Pages: 1 [2] 3
31
Cricket Anyone / Ramdin captain over Sarwan?
« on: March 15, 2009, 01:07:40 AM »
How come?  ???

32
Jermaine Pennant has priced himself out of an incredible move to Real Madrid as his wage demands forced a £3.5million transfer to collapse last night.

Madrid were expecting to announce the unlikely signing today after agreeing a fee with Liverpool for their reserve right winger, who has started only two Barclays Premier League matches this season.

Instead Pennant, who asked for £60,000 a week — almost double what was being offered by the Spanish giants — will now have to decide whether to accept a loan offer from Wigan or Stoke.
At the JJB Stadium he would be able to play for Steve Bruce again. He will then be a free agent in the summer when he believes he can command a better salary.

Although the salary demand is not remarkable in the modern game, Madrid —  who have just spent £20million on Lassana Diarra from Portsmouth — set a ceiling on their pay offer.

At 6pm last night, Sportsmail believed the deal was close to conclusion, only for it to break down two hours later when Pennant’s demands emerged. Madrid will not negotiate on their basic salary offer of £1.5m-a-year.

Liverpool and Real, who meet in the last 16 of the Champions League at the end of February, thrashed out a transfer after Real’s first-choice target, Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon, was out of their price range.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp made it clear he does not want to sell Lennon.

Former Spurs manager Juande Ramos, now in charge at Madrid until the end of the season, wants to add pace to his team and told transfer go-betweens that 25-year-old Pennant’s ability to run at defenders made him a worthwhile gamble.

While the Real boss could not guarantee a first-team place, he planned to use Pennant as an ‘impact sub’.

Still, the deal would have been a remarkable chance for Pennant to transform his career after an indifferent season in which he has fallen out of favour with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.

The winger was even pictured guzzling Jack Daniel’s whiskey from a bottle outside an Essex nightclub last month.

Pennant was offered to Stoke and Blackburn in the summer. Neither would meet his wage demands and so both deals collapsed.

Pennant’s deal at Anfield is worth around £30,000-a-week. Pennant, who has not
played for England at senior level, could not understand why a move to Madrid would benefit his career.

A friend said: ‘Why would he go there when the chances of playing in the first team are remote? He has had enough of that from his time at Anfield. He wants first-team football and the chance of a regular run in the team.’

Pennant, who started his career at Notts County, has played for Arsenal, Watford, Leeds and Birmingham in a chequered career.

He signed for Arsenal as a 15-year-old for £2million and later cost Liverpool £6.7million from Bruce’s Birmingham, where he showed glimpses of his exciting talent.

He gained notoriety in 2005 when he had to play wearing an electronic tag following a
drink-driving conviction.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1101105/EXCLUSIVE-Real-mess--Greedy-Pennant-blows-dream-Madrid--hes-set-Wigan.html

33
Football / *AHEM* Real Madrid v. Zenit
« on: December 10, 2008, 03:43:34 PM »
3-0 Madrid

Commanding performance.

Barcelona...ye be warned. Things don't look as rosy for you now as they once did.

Metzelder finally played today second half; he did quite well.

Robben was very good, as was Raul and Higuain...actually, the whole team played well!

34
Football / Real Marid v. Bate
« on: November 25, 2008, 01:36:03 PM »
 :beermug:

Although I think I'd enjoy the Villarreal - ManU game more.

35
Football / Juventus v Real Madrid!! Tuesday, 21st
« on: October 20, 2008, 05:00:35 PM »
They both started the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League with fixtures against two sides making their debut in Europe's premier club competition. Now Juventus and Real Madrid CF will consider that the challenge for the qualifying places in Group H is about to get serious as the two former winners come face to face in Turin.

• The meeting renews a rivalry between two teams who between them have lifted this trophy four times since the onset of the UEFA Champions League with seven appearances in the final. They have been paired together six times in UEFA competition, the Italian side holding the recent upper hand with an aggregate victory in the first knockout round during the 2004/05 edition of this competition. Nevertheless, it could be the Madrid club who approach the game with greater confidence after their Matchday 2 win put them two points ahead of Juve.

• The Turin club earned a 2-2 draw at FC BATE Borisov but even a point looked beyond them after 23 minutes when they trailed 2-0. Goals by Sergei Kryvets and Igor Stasevich had rewarded a whirlwind start by Viktor Goncharenko's side, who were anxious to mark the first home appearance by a Belarussian club in the group stage in the most positive fashion. Then Vincenzo Iaquinta, in for the injured David Trezeguet, got to work and his header, followed by a low shot, earned the visitors a draw. It left Claudio Ranieri's men on four points from ttwo games after they narrowly edged out FC Zenit St. Petersburg on 17 September thanks to Alessandro Del Piero's long-range free-kick.

• When these teams met in 2004/05, Juve's 2-0 home win saw them through after the first leg had ended 1-0 to Madrid. Trezeguet wiped out the deficit with Marcelo Zalayeta scoring the winner four minutes from the end of extra time.

• The lineups for that second-leg match on 9 March 2005 were:
Juventus: Gianluigi Buffon, Gianluca Pessotto (Alessio Tacchinardi), Emerson, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Alessandro Del Piero (David Trezeguet), Mauro Camoranesi, Gianluca Zambrotta, Lilian Thuram, Marcelo Zalayeta (Ruben Olivera), Jonathan Zebina, Fabio Cannavaro.
Madrid: Iker Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Zinédine Zidane (Guti), Iván Helguera, Raúl González (Michael Owen), Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Raúl Bravo, Thomas Gravesen, Walter Samuel, David Beckham (Santiago Solari).

• That re-established Juve's dominance over Spanish opponents in Turin after RC Deportivo La Coruña had recorded only the second victory by Liga visitors there in 17 UEFA competition matches in the 2003/04 first knockout round. The Bianconeri's previous defeat came against Madrid in the 1961/62 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final. To date, Juve have won eleven, drawn five and lost two of 18 home matches against Spanish teams.

• One of the Italian club's most important successes against Madrid came in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League semi-final as goals from Trezeguet, Del Piero and Pavel Nedvěd helped overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first game in the Spanish capital. That contest had also featured a Trezeguet goal which helped to set the Italian side up for their overall success. In the final, the Bianconeri drew 0-0 with AC Milan after extra time and a 3-2 loss on penalties denied Juve the chance to add to their 1996 crown.

• Bernd Schuster's Madrid team were also forced to pull out all the stops three weeks ago as they faced durable opponents in Zenit. An own goal by Tomáš Hubočan put the visitors on their way to a 2-1 victory. When Danny levelled, though, it appeared Zenit were building enough momentum to seize the lead. Instead it was the three-time UEFA Champions League winners who got their noses in front again as Ruud van Nistelrooy took advantage of more defensive uncertainty. After that, the visitors were able to withstand Zenit's strong efforts to find a second reply and their defensive efforts ensured them maximum points after two games. They began with a 2-0 victory against BATE in Madrid with Sergio Ramos and Van Nistelrooy on the scoresheet.

• Madrid have visited Italy 25 times, winning four, drawing five and losing 16. Three of those four wins have come in their last eight trips including a 3-0 defeat of AS Roma in the 2004/05 group stage when Luís Figo scored twice.

• In 1998, Juventus and Madrid met in the UEFA Champions League final in Amsterdam when a Predrag Mijatović goal ended Los Merengues' 32-year wait to win their seventh European Champion Clubs' Cup title. The two sides also met in the 1995/96 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with Madrid winning 1-0 at home and Juve 2-0 in Turin. The Italian side went on to win the competition 4-2 on penalties against AFC Ajax following a 1-1 draw in Rome.

• The teams also locked horns in the second round of the 1986/87 European Cup when Madrid won on penalties after both teams triumphed 1-0 at home. Madrid advanced to the semi-finals before losing out to FC Bayern München, the eventual beaten finalists. The teams first met in that 1961/62 quarter-final and after both legs went to the away side 1-0, Madrid won the replay in Paris 3-1. The Spanish giants went on to lose to defending champions SL Benfica in the final at Amsterdam's Olympisch Stadium.

• Madrid centre-back Fabio Cannavaro spent two seasons with Juve between 2004 and 2006.

• Juventus players Olof Mellberg (Real Racing Club), Mohamed Sissoko (Valencia CF) and Christian Poulsen (Sevilla FC) have all played club football in Spain.

• Juve coach Ranieri had a short spell in charge at Madrid's city rivals Club Atlético de Madrid between 1999 and 2000 in additions to two stints as coach of Valencia (1997-99 and 2004/05).

• Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Del Piero and Mauro Camoranesi all appeared for Italy against Spain in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-final. Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos were in the opposing team.

• The other game in the group is between Zenit and BATE.

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/fixturesresults/round=15276/match=302736/report=mb.html

36
Football / El Clasico! Real Madrid vs Barcelona
« on: May 06, 2008, 06:45:12 AM »
Date: Wednesday 7th May 2008
Time: 21:00 GMT






Should be a great match despite all the injuries and suspensions.

Barca are trying to hang on for 2nd place and Real don't want to lose to Barca at the Bernabeu.

Barca aim to spoil title party with Bernabeu trip
MADRID, May 5 (Reuters) - Barcelona will have to ignore the taunts and celebrations going on around them when they visit newly crowned champions Real Madrid on Wednesday, seeking to secure automatic Champions League qualification.

Frank Rijkaard's side will be required to applaud their arch-rivals on to the pitch at the Bernabeu after Real secured their 31st league title with a 2-1 victory away at Osasuna on Sunday.


The Catalans are four points adrift of second-placed Villarreal with three games left to play and still have work to do to avoid playing a qualifier to make Europe's elite club competition. They were knocked out of the semi-finals of this season's tournament by Manchester United last week.

They need to build on Sunday's 6-0 hammering of Valencia if they are to play the role of party-poopers and maintain hopes of overhauling Manuel Pellegrini's team.

'Securing a win like this gives us a morale boost and is the best preparation for a trip to the Bernabeu,' Barca's Lionel Messi said after the demolition of Valencia.

'There aren't many games left and we are already thinking about next season. When you don't win anything you are keen for the next campaign to start.'

Barca will travel without striker Samuel Eto'o and midfielder Deco who are suspended, while Real will also be deprived of a key figure in centre back Fabio Cannavaro, who was sent off in Pamplona.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=532054&cc=5739

37
Football / Pele: Drug-Cheat Maradona Should Have Medals Stripped
« on: April 21, 2008, 08:01:28 AM »
Brazilian great Pele has hit out at his archenemy Diego Maradona in a controversial interview, saying that the Argentine legend was not a complete player, and stating that he should have his medals stripped for drug offences.

A favourite debate among football fans has always been who was greater out of Pele and Maradona.

This topic has had extra spice due to the fact that the pair do not get on, and indeed have been at loggerheads for many years.

Both have attacked each other in the press in the past, with Pele often criticising Maradona on moral grounds, while the Argentine has hit out at the Brazilian for being part of FIFA’s “political” family.

Pele has now surely begun another war of words between the two.

"Maradona was an excellent player,” ‘The King’ told Brazilian newspaper ‘O Estado de Sao Paulo’. 

“However he could not dribble with his right foot, he couldn’t head the ball. He was not a complete player. 

“I liked very much his compatriot Alfredo Di Stefano. He was better than Maradona. He was more complete, he was faster, and he scored more goals.”

Pele once again hit out at Maradona’s drug abuse, and controversially stated that he should have all the medals he won stripped away from him.

"Why did so many Olympic athletes lose their medals when they were found guilty of doping, but not Maradona?” Pele controversially asked.

Maradona had a well-known addiction to cocaine, however he never took performance-enhancing drugs.

Anthony Sormani

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=667318

38
Cricket Anyone / 3rd ODI Who say White-Wash???
« on: April 15, 2008, 12:44:05 PM »
Or rather...Black and Brown wash?  :D

39
Cricket Anyone / 2nd ODI WI vs SRI
« on: April 12, 2008, 07:47:35 AM »
First things first. Anybody has links???

 ???

WI bowling first.

40
Football / Top earners in football
« on: April 02, 2008, 07:12:07 PM »
Ronaldo Lags As Kaka Tops Wage Table

AC Milan's Ricardo Kaka is the highest paid footballer in the world, with Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo in 8th-place. There are also a few notable inclusions and omissions as Goal.com takes a peek at the top-50 earners...

World Player of the Year front-runner Cristiano Ronaldo might be setting Europe alight this season, but he only ranks eighth in a list of the world’s most lavishly paid players.

A photocopied list of the top 50 earners is doing the rounds at present, compiled by inside sources, allowing for some interesting wage comparisons.

Milan’s Ricardo Kaka tops the pile – raking in £143,438 per week, or just under £7.5m a year - with second-placed Barcelona ace Ronaldinho making similar money.

As one would expect, big-spending Chelsea’s presence in the top ten hints at their astronomical wage bill. Frank Lampard and John Terry are third and fourth, with Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack also in the top seven.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is sandwiched between his Blues rivals in fifth place, while Barca’s Thierry Henry and Reds’ skipper Steven Gerrard complete the top ten.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, then, is 36-goal Manchester United winger Ronaldo, who earns £20,000 less than Kaka - £122,400 per week. However, an oft-proposed move to La Liga would surely put his earnings into the stratosphere.

There are a few surprising names on the list. Portsmouth's Sol Campbell earns more than £105,000 a week in 15th, while Tottenham's Darren Bent’s salary is put at £94,669 and Liverpool's injury-plagued midfielder Harry Kewell ranks 39th.

England cap centurion David Beckham, meanwhile, is on £71,000 per week with LA Galaxy. However, his position in 44th is slightly misleading, as his MLS contract is structured in such a way that his pay would rise significantly over the coming years.

Still, it’s quite a drop form the reported £120,000 per week he received during his spell at Real Madrid.

The Top Ten

1. Ricardo Kaka
2. Ronaldinho
3. Frank Lampard
4. John terry
5. Fernando Torres
6. Andriy Shevchenko
7. Michael Ballack
8. Cristiano Ronaldo
9. Thierry Henry
10. Steven Gerrard

Other notable mentions include Michael Owen 14, Robinho 23, Zlatan Ibrahimovic 29 and Samuel Eto’o 32. Meanwhile, there are no Arsenal players on the list.

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=644283

41
Football / Which friendly alyuh watching?
« on: March 26, 2008, 01:43:56 PM »
There're so many that I'm tisic.  :o

Right now I have USA - Poland

And Argentina-Egypt 1-0 ARG

Ah waiting on Brasil Sweden to start.

42
Football / Will Serie A Sell Its Soul Like The English?
« on: March 21, 2008, 08:34:28 AM »
The English Premiership is now the strongest league in the world, I will not deny that, but there is a simple reason for this, and that is ‘money’.   

Over the past few years we have seen the English Premiership invaded by foreign investors, who have pumped millions-and-millions of pounds into clubs. Three of the top four English teams have had this fate bestowed upon them. Manchester United are owned by the American Glazer-family, Liverpool by fellow Yanks Tom Hicks and George Gillett (pictured above), while Chelsea of course have the Russian billionaire oil magnate Roman Abramovich funding them.   

Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Manchester City, West Ham, and Derby County have all sold-up to filthy-rich foreign businessmen, while even teams in the divisions below, such as Championship-side Queens Park Rangers are following suit.   

That’s right – English football really has sold its soul.   

I accept that in footballing terms, Serie A has now fallen slightly behind the English Premiership. The peninsula just cannot compete financially with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, and as a result the best players in the world move to Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford, rather than San Siro or the Stadio Olimpico.   

However if there is one thing you can say about Serie A (or even La Liga for that matter), it is that its national identity and its soul is still intact. The clubs are owned and run by Italians, the majority of the players in Serie A, barring Inter, are home-grown, while there is still some kind of identity between fans and the club.   

This is not the case in England. Roman Abramovich has never given a press conference in the five years he has been at Chelsea, Hicks and Gillett are universally detested by Liverpool fans, so much so that a group of supporters have today created their own club, AFC Liverpool. A selection of Manchester United fans already created their own team, FC United, due to their opposition to the Glazer family.   

One has to ask – was this all worth it in order to create the best league in the world?   

The answer most certainly is no.   

Speculation is growing in Italy that Roma are set to be taken over by an American billionaire, John Joseph Fisher.   

With the Giallorossi’s parent company, Italpetroli, having accumulated debts in the region of €370 million, Fisher would be able to write off this overdue amount, and pump his €1.6 billion fortune into the club.

With Fisher at the helm, Roma would be able to compete financially with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, and there is every chance they would become the dominant force in Italian football.   

Personally I cannot see this takeover happening, and I strongly pray that it does not. To put it simply, Italians are very nationalistic people, and they do not take kindly to foreigners coming into their country and trying to tell them what to do. If push came to shove, I am sure everything, and I mean everything, would be done to scare away foreign investors. The famous Godfather line of “I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse” is probably relevant here.   

It is also important to note that most of the presidents of Italian clubs have the wider interest of the Italian game at heart whenever they make decisions. The top clubs, excluding Inter, all stress the importance of having at least half of their first-team consisting of Italians. Berlusconi is notorious for his nationalism, while Juventus scrapped their Calciopoli appeal, allegedly because they didn’t want to see the Azzurri banned from Euro 2008.   

Numerous other examples of patriotism exist. Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini has campaigned vigorously against Amauri being called up by Italy because the striker’s blood is “100 per cent Brazilian”, while who can forget former Perugia President Luciano Gaucci, who sacked South Korean forward Ahn Jung-Hwan after the player scored the golden goal that knocked the Azzurri out of the 2002 World Cup.   

The current owners of English clubs, being mostly foreign, couldn’t care less about the England national team. With most of the managers being foreign as well, this results in the Premiership being totally dominated by overseas players. Thus English footballers fail to come through, and consequently the Three Lions didn’t even qualify for Euro 2008.

At the rate that the Premiership is going, the England squad in 10 years time is going to be like today’s Wales and Northern Ireland teams, whereby the manager will be forced to pick players from the lower divisions. This may be a far-fetched assessment, but look at the number of English footballers playing at the top teams, and the evidence speaks for itself.   

If Italy wants to avoid going down this depressing path, they simply must resist foreign investors.   

What are your views on this topic? Will Serie A Sell It’s Soul Like The English? Would foreign investment help Italian clubs compete with the likes of Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool on a financial level? Would it damage the Italian game, particularly the national team? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think   

Carlo Garganese

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=627635

43
Football / Real Madrid vs Roma
« on: March 05, 2008, 01:02:41 PM »
First leg in Rome was 2-1 to Roma

For this leg Robinho and Pepe have returned but RvN, Robben, Sergio Ramos, Guti (maybe) will be out. As well as the other injured ones like Marcelo, Sneijder, etc.

Goal.com predicts a 2-1 victory to Roma, but of course I can't suport that.

Hala Madrid!

44
Football / Kaka Officially Wins Ballon d’ Or
« on: December 02, 2007, 07:30:44 AM »
Kaka of AC Milan (pictured) has won the 2007 Ballon d'Or after picking up 444 points in the final stage of voting.

The Brazilian attacking midfielder has been rumoured for weeks to be a shoe-in for the prestigious World Player of the Year award, but only now is it official that he has done so.

The 25 year old racked up over 150 voting points more than his closest competitor, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, while Lionel Messi finished not too far behind in third place.

For this edition of the award, 96 journalists voted for their five top players in order of decreasing preference, with five points for their first pick, four for their second choice, and so on to one point.

Only 53 of the journalists were European, giving the France Football award a distinctly international flavour.

European clubs dominated the voting, but Kaka himself is the third Brazilian to win in the past six years, and AC Milan's first winner since Andriy Shevchenko won the award in 2004.

Last year's winner Fabio Cannavaro finished joint 20th with 5 points.

The results in full:
KAKA (AC Milan, Brazil) - 444 points

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal) - 277 points

Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina) - 255 points

Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Côte d'Ivoire) - 108 points

Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan, Italy) - 41 points

Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid, Netherlands) - 39 points

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Internazionale, Sweden) - 31 points

Francesc 'Cesc' Fabregas (Arsenal, Spain) - 27 points

Robinho (Real Madrid, Brazil) - 24 points

Francesco Totti (AS Roma, Italy) - 21 points

Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla, Mali) - 19 points

Ronaldinho (Barcelona, Brazil) - 18 points

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England) - 17 points

Juan Roman Riquelme (Villarreal/Boca Juniors, Argentina) - 15 points

Daniel Alves (Sevilla, Brazil) - 14 points

Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan, Italy) - 12 points

Franck Ribery (Marseille/Bayern Munich, France) - 10 points

Paolo Maldini (AC Milan, Italy) - 8 points

Gianluigi Buffon, Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy) Petr Cech (Chelsea, Czech Republic), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan, Italy), Thierry Henry (Arsenal/Barcelona, France) and Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan, Netherlands) - 7 points

Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid, Italy) and Michael Essien (Chelsea, Ghana) - 5 points

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England) - 4 points

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain) and Rogerio Ceni (Sao Paulo, Brazil) - 3 points

Younis Mahmoud (Al-Gharafa, Iraq) - 2 points

Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham Hotspur, Bulgaria), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Cameroon), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United, Wales), Guillermo Ochoa (Club America, Mexico), Carlos Tevez (West Ham United/Manchester United, Argentina) and Robin van Persie (Arsenal, Netherlands) - 1 point

Eric Abidal (Lyon/Barcelona, France), David Beckham (Real Madrid/Los Angeles Galaxy, England), Deco (Barcelona, Portugal), Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid, Mali), Diego (Werder Bremen, Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen/Bayern Munich, Germany), Florent Malouda (Lyon/Chelsea, France), Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic, Japan), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto, Portugal), Raul (Real Madrid, Spain), Paul Scholes (Manchester United, England), Luca Toni (Fiorentina/Bayern Munich, Italy), Kolo Toure (Arsenal, Côte d'Ivoire), José Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid/Liverpool, Spain) et David Villa (Valencia, Spain) - 0 points.

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=500130

45
Football / RM - 4 Greek bastards - 2
« on: October 24, 2007, 02:43:40 PM »
Robinho had a phenomenal game and it should have been 5-2 but Ruud skied a penalty.

RM scored early on through Raul, the Olympiakos equalised soon after.

Then Olympiakos scored and it was 2-1 for the longest.

Things started to look desperate for us but then Robinho scored a sweet header.

Then he did about ten pedalas on a defender, got into the box and was then fouled.

Penalty

Ruud took it - skied it over the bar - shocking.

Then Robinho scored a golaso

Then Casillas pulled off a heroic save to stop OLY from equalising.

Finally, on the counter-attack Robinho ran the length of the filed, passed the ball in the box to an open Balboa who kept a cool head, turned around and shot over the keeper.

4-2

 :D

46
Football / Barca - Stuggart
« on: October 02, 2007, 01:35:03 PM »
Hard luck Stuggart...that miss was a nightmare.   :o :o

0-0 half time and Stuggart had a few good breaks.

47
Football / Mexico vs Brasil!
« on: September 11, 2007, 07:19:48 PM »
Tomorrow at...sometime in the afternoon!  :-[

Will Mexico fare better than the US did?

Will Brasil play with a vengeance?

I'm predicting...2-0 to Brasil.


48
Football / Marriage Changed Beckham, Says Sir Alex
« on: September 05, 2007, 07:02:39 PM »
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has explained that he feels that star pupil David Beckham only became a problem at Old Trafford once he got married to Spice Girl Victoria.
 
Ferguson described Beckkham as "a fantastic young lad" before he married Victoria in 1999, which led him to become engulfed in a world of showbiz and media interest.

Ferguson said: "Beckham was never a problem until he got married. He used to go into work with the academy coaches at night time and he was a fantastic young lad. But getting married into that entertainment scene was a difficult thing and from that moment his life was never going to be the same. He is such a big celebrity, football is only a small part. The big part is his persona".

Beckham's relationship with Ferguson deteriorated before he left for Real Madrid in 2003, but the midfielder has now moved on to the Major League where he hopes to push football on the United States, but Ferguson is unconvinced.

He said: "In the late Seventies, I went to America with Aberdeen and there were guys like [Teofilo] Cubillas and Peter Shilton there. Before that there was Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer.

"But I don't know what kind of impact David can make because David Beckham himself can't change the whole country."
http://goal.com/en-us/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=405323

49
Football / Barca vs Inter Milan
« on: August 29, 2007, 02:09:59 PM »
Henry, Deco and Dos Santos start. I'll try and get the full line-up; the commentary in Italian so I an't understand it.

http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/wed29.8/Barcelona_Inter.html

50
Football / Arsenal vs Sparta Prague
« on: August 29, 2007, 01:31:08 PM »
Arsenal up 1-0 in the first half, Rosicky scored

51
Football / Spanish Super Cup 2nd Leg
« on: August 19, 2007, 04:01:21 PM »
Real Madrid 3 Svilla 5

 >:(

52
Football / Spanish Super-Cup Preview: Sevilla vs Real Madrid
« on: August 10, 2007, 10:27:23 PM »
Saturday 11th August

Real Madrid travel to Seville for the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, a game which will spill the beans on who stands where as we head towards the La Liga opener in two weeks' time.

Sevilla open their league campaign against Schuster's former club Getafe - whom they beat in the Copa del Rey final in late June in order to earn their spot in the Super Cup. Madrid, meanwhile, meet fierce city rivals Atletico in a delicious opener, and know they need to run into some good form soon.

Sevilla have admittedly been the more consistent of the two sides thus far, but this is the game Real Madrid have been building towards, by their own admission.

Bernd Schuster and Iker Casillas have both separately dismissed the significance of Thursday's 2-1 defeat to Deportivo, chosing to shift the attention towards this big clash.

That means this is a make or break game for Schuster, in particular - not in terms of his future at the club, but the faith he inspires amid the Madridistas.

The fans have chosen to back the club despite the eventually unpopular sacking of Capello, but quite a few have doubts about whether the German is the man to lead them forwards. For all the talk of playing touch football in keeping with the philosophies of the club, there has little in terms of real sizzle apart from that sparkling second half in the 5-2 win over Lokomotiv Moscow.

There might be no threat on Schuster's future, but there certainly is pressure. But then that goes with being a Real Madrid coach. The early signings of Pepe and Saviola lifted some of it, but some high profile failures in the transfer market and some forgettable pre-season results meant that the scrutineers were out in numbers.

The recent signing of Royston Drenthe has once again "elevated" the mood in and around the camp, and given the team some welcome breathing space. There is some positive energy to draw from despite Thursday's defeat.

The team can, thus, actually focus on the game while the media go after Drenthe, ahead of a game which could buy Schuster plenty of time, or put him right under the microscope. If his side can come good at the Sanchez Pizjuan, the general refrain will be: "See, he told you it was all in preparation for this game!" If not, it will probably be "Does he know what he is doing?"

Sevilla, in turn, have quietly hit their stride, thanks to a very solid tour of the US and some low profile work on form and fitness. In stark contrast to Real Madrid, they did the bulk of their summer business early and without much fuss.

The only real uncertainty at the moment is over the future of Daniel Alves. Though he will be a big big loss for the club, so were the likes of Jose Antonio Reyes, Sergio Ramos and Julio Baptista. Yet, the team went from strength to strength, making sure they made great money out of those sales, and invested it wisely.

Many neutrals fear that last season was their best chance to win the title, but they actually have a stronger squad now than they did back then. However, they are now in uncharted territory in that they must compete in the Champions League, something that can take plenty out of the best of teams even during the group stages.

The likes of Celta Vigo, Real Betis and Villarreal have all paid the price in recent years, and Juande Ramos will be wary. The test starts in the middle of next week when they take on AEK Athens in the first leg of the final qualifying round.

However, all that is for later. This is a chance for them to get an early trophy under their belt, and a strong home showing in the first leg will set it up perfectly. Juande Ramos will hold nothing back, but then again neither will Schuster, making for an absolute humdinger.

TEAM NEWS

Sevilla

The news is not very good in the Sevilla camp, as Juande Ramos will be without quite a few key players. Frederic Kanoute is injured, but also suspended after being sent of in the Copa del Rey final. That will see Luis Fabiano and Alexander Kerzhakov start up front.

De Sanctis still does not have an official clearance from the Italian federation, so Palop is certain to start in goal. In defence, Escude, De Mul and Boulahrouz are all carrying knocks. Boulahrouz is expected to be fit, De Mul is considered '60-40', and Escude almost certain to miss out. If neither of them makes it, Christian Poulsen will partner Ivica Dragutinovic, with Antonio Puerta on the left and Daniel Alves on the right.

The midfield will see Seydou Keita and Adriano start, with the remaining two likely to be Poulsen and De Mul.

Probable Line-Up: Palop - Alves, Boulahrouz, Dragutinovic, Puerta - Poulsen, Keita, De Mul, Adriano - Fabiano, Kerzhakov.

Real Madrid

Schuster will be without Gonzalo Higuain, Christoph Metzelder and Ruud van Nistelrooy, and is expected to go for a 4-5-1 formation (or a 4-2-3-1 depending on how you look at it).

Casillas will start at the back, with Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro and Torres forming what is pretty much Schuster's first choice defensive setup at the moment. Fernando Gago will be thrown into the middle alongside Diarra as Schuster reverts to a double pivot for an away game.

Robinho will start on the left, with Balboa having earned himself a spot on the right after some impressive displays. Guti will play just in front of Gago, and help link up the attack and the midfield, with Raul keeping Saviola on the bench.

Probable Line-Up: Casillas - Ramos, Cannavaro, Pepe, Torres - Balboa, Gago, Guti, Diarra, Robinho - Raul.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sevilla: Alexander Kerzhakov

The Russian international's power and pace will pose the sternest test yet for Pepe and Cannavaro, and how this particular contest goes could decide the tie.

Real Madrid: Balboa

I was tempted to choose Robinho, but it is the young right-winger whose performance will be crucial, particularly in light of whether or not he is ready for a regular first team role. The friendlies are one thing; this is the real test, agains a physical Sevilla side.

PREDICTION

It won't be a game of chess, that is for sure! Sevilla have certainly had the better of the pre-seasons, and Real Madrid have not yet looked assured at the back, so I fancy Juande Ramos' boys to put at least a couple past Madrid, with Robinho or substitute Saviola pulling one back to set up a very evenly balanced second leg. However, don't rule out even more goals!

Sevilla 2-1 Real Madrid

Abhishek Thakur

53
Football / Real Madrid stun Lokomotiv with a sensational comeback
« on: August 03, 2007, 01:25:51 PM »
5-2 putas

Bernd Schuster's boys looked dead and buried as they trailed Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0 at half time, but in a manner reminiscent of last season's La Liga triumph, they hit back with five second half goals to blitz their opponents.

Real Madrid produced a strong second-half comeback to come from two goals down at the break to chalk up a convincing scoreline against their Russian hosts in the Russian Railways Cup.

Guti scored twice while Gonzalo Higuaín, Javier Saviola and Javier Balboa all scored to lift confidence in los Merengues' camp and set up a final against PSV, after the Dutch outfit beat AC Milan on penalties.

Bernd Schuster's did not make the ideal start as they looked nervous and were made to pay for that early on when Lokomotiv took the lead after just three minutes when Marco Ivanovic headed home from a corner.

The central defensive partnership of Pepe and Christoph Metzelder looked uncertain, but the Russians netted a second following a mistake from one of Madrid's most reliable players in the 21st minute.

Iker Casillas looked to control a high ball with his knee, but after hitting the keeper it bounced away and Dramane Traoré stole in to tuck the ball into an empty net.

At the start of the second period, Schuster made a number of changes and they had an immediate affect on his new look side.

Guti forced the first goal in the 52nd minute and 60 seconds later the visitors were level when Higuaín beat Sergei Rhyzykov.

Despite the flurry of goals, clear chances were at a premium and it was not until Madrid's next meaningful attack that they forced Lokomotiv into another msitake.

Saviola attacked a low cross and was brought down in front of goal by Emir Spahic and won his team a penatlty, before standing up to tuck home his first goal for Madrid since joining the club FC Barcelona.

Lokotmoiv appeared to be ready to stetle for a draw as they maintained their defensive stance until the closing moments of the encounter when a sudden push forward saw them punished at the other end.

With all the home side's players pushed up for a corner, Guti was quick to exploit the space and he raced away on a counter-attack before dummying the keeper and defender and steering the ball inside the near post for Madrid's fourth.

Moments later, and with injury time looming, the visitors netted a fifth when Saviola exchanged passes and after the keeper had saved at the feet of the Argentinian, Blaboa raced in to score from the rebound.

LB
http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=372062

54
Football / Deco to Chelsea??? (Booooooo!)
« on: August 01, 2007, 01:05:05 AM »
Mourinho reunion 'appeals' to Barca's Deco

Barcelona midfielder Deco has admitted he would be tempted by a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

The Portuguese playmaker was the creative lynchpin of Mourinho's all-conquering Porto side before moving to the Nou Camp, where after a scintillating start to career in Spain he appears to have fallen out of favour.


Summer speculation has linked the 29-year-old with a move away from Catalonia, and Deco has revealed that a move to Stamford Bridge would be tempting.

'The idea of working with Jose again appeals to me,' the Brazilian-born player said in The Sun.

'He was a huge influence on my career and he did so much for me. I've worked with him before and it would be good to work with him again.'

He added: 'The Premier League is definitely on a par with La Liga - and playing there absolutely appeals to me.

'The English league is a possibility and it would definitely be somewhere I'd like to play.

'There's no doubt that you can compare Manchester United and Chelsea to Barcelona.

'They are both huge clubs and playing for clubs like that would always be an attractive proposition.'

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=448964&cc=5901

There's been a lot of specualtion about Barca wanting to off-load "unwanted" players and about Rijkaard and Deco's "rift" and the fact that Deco hasn't been starting in the pre-season games. So...we shall see.

55
Football / Brasil - Ecuador
« on: July 04, 2007, 06:32:57 PM »
 8)

56
Football / Brasil vs Korea Under 20
« on: July 03, 2007, 06:24:36 PM »
Brasil number 13 just score ah bess goal!! Beats through the whole defence.

Game showing on sopcast allyuh. 6001 Shanghai GSports

1-0

57
Football / Wenger talks pave way for Henry's move to Barca
« on: June 15, 2007, 02:12:37 PM »
Arsène Wenger appears to have signalled his willingness to sell Thierry Henry by entering into negotiations with Barcelona for the first time. The Arsenal manager met Ferran Soriano, the Spanish club’s financial director, in Paris this week for preliminary discussions, though both parties remain some distance from agreeing Henry’s transfer.

Wenger wants to sign Samuel Eto’o as part of the deal, but Barcelona are reluctant to allow the Cameroon striker to leave despite his problems at the club this season. Eto’o has fallen out with Frank Rijkaard, the coach, and Ronaldinho, his team-mate, but this week spoke of his desire to stay at the Nou Camp and play alongside Henry, whose arrival would represent a greater threat to the Brazil forward.

Eto’o is a close friend of Henry and the pair have spoken recently about the prospect of forming a new strike partnership. Even if Barcelona were willing to release Eto’o in order to secure Henry’s services, they would demand at least £10 million from Arsenal to complete the deal. AC Milan are also interested in Henry, but Barcelona would be his preferred destination.

Wenger’s surprising decision to speak to Barcelona stems from his realisation that he is running out of options, with Henry eager to take what many believe would be his final opportunity to move to Spain. Wenger may resolve to cash in on an unsettled player in any case, as he did when selling Patrick Vieira to Juventus two years ago.

Barcelona are expected to make a preliminary offer next week of £15 million and with Arsenal’s asking price £20 million, the parties are not too far apart. The negotiation of Henry’s personal terms may not prolong the process as Barcelona have prepared a three-year contract offer worth £6.7 million a year with an option for a further 12 months.

Henry was close to joining Barcelona last summer but changed his mind in the emotional aftermath of Arsenal’s march to the Champions League final in Paris, signing a new contract two days after their 2-1 defeat by the Spanish club. The 29-year-old had cause to regret his decision during a difficult season in which he made only 27 appearances because of various injuries as Arsenal finished fourth in the Barclays Premiership.

Barcelona sources were claiming last night that the transfer could be completed next week, though it may drag on for much of the summer. Henry is on holiday in the United States, watching his close friend, Tony Parker, compete for the San Antonio Spurs against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, and will want to talk to Wenger before making his decision.

The pair have had a close relationship since first working together at AS Monaco more than a decade ago and Henry retains a great attachment to Arsenal after spending eight successful years at the club, though his recent comments on his future have been ambivalent.

“At this moment I am an Arsenal player and in the same situation as I was last year,” he said this week. “Last season people were announcing all over the place that I was leaving. Some people wrote that it would happen for sure but at the end of the day I stayed at Arsenal. It could be the same this year.

“I’ve not taken any decision and my name is not up on any departures board. If something happens, I will tell everybody.”

Jerome Anderson, Henry’s agent, has also said that he will sue France Football magazine after unsubstantiated claims that he met Txiki Beguiristáin, the Barcelona sporting director, to discuss a move.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/arsenal/article1934934.ece

Other sources:
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6925580

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=438432&cc=3888

http://www.clubcall.com/index.jsp?storyID=319741

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/15062007/4/wenger-opens-barca-talks-reports.html

http://www.goal.com/en-india/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=328037

58
Football / The Age-old argument: Country over Club or vice versa?
« on: June 15, 2007, 02:05:07 PM »
Yeah, so, as the La Liga season draws to a close with a thrilling climax, various players have been called up for international duty. Amongst them are Robinho and Diarra of Real Madrid and Kanoute of Sevilla. Brazil were adamant in their insistence that Robinho report to Brazil for the beginning of their two-week training session and only then would it be decided if they would allow him to go back to Madrid. On the other hand Diarra said from upfront that playing for his country meant more to him than playing in that final for Real Madrid. So FIFA stepped in and ordered both Brazil and Mali to release the La Liga players so Robinho never reported to Brazil and Diarra, who was already in Mali training, is on his way back, much to his ire. Under normal circumstances I would say country over club, but now...naaaaaaaah! Ah woulda rel ben if Robinho wasn't allowed to play. True...Real pull some strings n ting to make FIFA agree with them (especially since Sepp n all admit he is ah Real fan and want them to win the title) but...wha allyuh think. Diarra is very upset saying that FIFA's decision was "scandalous" and Robinho is insisting that Brazil should "understand" the situation. In his case, I can kinna empathise because it's just a training camp and as he said, he would still be training in Madrid. Buh Diarra wanted to play in a crucial African Cup of Nations match and it was very important to him to represent his country. So...meen know.

59
Football / Henry signs three yr contract with Barca???
« on: June 11, 2007, 11:40:58 AM »
Henry agrees terms with Barcelona, according to France Football

Madrid - Thierry Henry has agreed to sign a three-year contract with Spanish giants Barcelona, according to the digital version of France Football on Monday evening. According to France Football, Henry's representatives have just reached agreement with Barca sporting director Txiki Begiristain for a lucrative contract until June 2010.

Now Barcelona - keen to rebuild their squad after a disappointing season - will have to negotiate with Arsenal, Henry's club.

The digital version claims that Barca are prepared to pay around 25 million euros for the Frenchman, who will be 30 in August.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/71594.html

Report: Henry signs three year deal with Barcelona
We might know where Arsenal's Thierry Henry is going after all. France Football is reporting that Henry has signed a three-year deal to play at Camp Nou.

According to France Football, the Arsenal striker's representatives have just reached agreement with Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain for a contract that would extend through June 2010.

Now the Catalan club will begin the process of negotiating the star's release from Arsenal. That price promises to be steep, but Barcelona appears ready to pay it.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_soccerblog/2007/06/report_henry_si.html
Article in France Football
http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2007/20070611_153137Dev.html

60
Football / Messi's "Hand of God"
« on: June 10, 2007, 08:42:44 PM »
The night God handed justice to cheating Lionel Messi and Barcelona


Messi's outrageous fisted goal against Espanyol seemed to have set up Barca for another La Liga title. But unlike Maradona in the 1986 World Cup, this time there was payback for the Argentinian conman.
Maradona called it the Hand of God. I’m not sure how Lionel Messi would describe his equaliser for Barcelona against city rivals Espanyol at the Nou Camp on Saturday night - but the flying fist with which the latest Argie cheat beat keeper Carlos Kameni was just as outrageous as dirty Diego’s World Cup antics against England in 1986.

With Real Madrid losing at Zaragoza and the race for the Spanish League title moving towards its climax, it seemed reigning champs Barca were about to edge their arch-rivals off the top. That became a near certainty when Messi’s second goal - this time a legitimate one - put them 2-1 ahead with Madrid still trailing.

Barca, it seemed were about to soar three points clear of Real with one game to go. Then, wonder of wonders, the good Lord looked down, realised that sinners should never be winners - and put everything right. Well, almost.

First, Ruud van Nistelrooy pounced with a late Madrid equalise. Then, just 20 seconds later, wonder of wonders, Espanyol’s Raul Tamudo raced through to snaffle a last-gasp equaliser in Barcelona and stun the Nou Camp to silence.

It’s no consolation to Peter Shilton or England’s 1986 veterans but at least I now know there is a God after all. It’s a pity he was asleep when fatty Maradona was conning the world in Mexico City.

Sky Sport’s Spanish football experts seemed to think there was nothing particularly outrageous about Messi’s con trick. He got away with it, so good luck to him, seemed to be the general opinion.

A far cry from the cacophony of outrage that would have exploded had the same thing happened in a Premiership game.

The logical answer is, of course, the introduction of video technology, which would have seen the goal wiped out and Messi booked - if not red-carded. But until the game’s doddering rulers are dragged screaming out of the 19th century, that’s not going to happen.

Messi won’t of course be disciplined for cheating. But then once could hardly expect him to rush to the ref and plead: ‘’Please don’t give the goal - I scored it with my fist, not my head.’’

I suspect that would have got him into 100 times more trouble with his club. But he’s certainly lost brownie points with He who matters.

Or maybe God only hands out gifts to Argentinians - not justice.
http://www.sportingo.com/football/the-night-god-handed-justice-to-cheating-lionel-messi-and-barcelona/1001,3656

Pages: 1 [2] 3
1]; } ?>