After Opening Day; O's Lose 6-2

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles;! March, 31, 2008

Anyhow, I got home about two hours ago, and it was very weird to see the plethora of open seating around Camden Yards today. Now, the game was advertised as a sellout with 46,807 in attendance; however, I'd venture to say that there were 33-35,000 because there were a lot of green seats open.

The weather might have sucked with rain and temps in the 40's, but it was it just not a few years ago that there was a packed house when there were flurries?

Well, Jeremy Guthrie seemed to wilt after 5 innings; however, the bullpen looked solid -- Albers shut the Rays down, and Buress pitched one scoreless inning.

In the end, the Orioles looked aggressive on the base paths, and with their lineup, they'll definitely need to manufacture runs and their margin of error will be razor thin. The pitching needs to come together and the offense will need to garner the most of their opportunities, because right I don't see! anyone aside from Markakis or Huff (an outside chance) even h! itting 2 0 home runs.

Outside the park, I was speaking to a member of the media and he alerted me that Aubrey Huff more or less admitted he made a mistake with his comments on the "Bubba the Love Sponge Show" in the off-season, and if he were a fan, he'd boo as well.

Trust me, if you were in attendance, let's just say I'd never heard booing that bad towards one player -- ever.

One more thing -- this is the year the Rays do not finish last. After looking at their lineup and everything else, these guys are no wallflowers.

'Wild' Bill To Be Honored on Tuesday...

Tomorrow night at Camden Yards, the Baltimore Orioles will honor 'Wild' Bill Hagy with a T-Shirt promotion (adorned with the number #34 on the front and back -- for the section he did his cheer in -- they will be given out to the first 10,000 fans), and will give fans a chance to remember a part of the Baltimore sports lexicon.

From the Orioles Press Release: ... on Tuesday, June 17, the first 10,000 fans 15 & over attending the 7:05 p.m. game against the Houston Astros! will receive a Wild Bill Hagy t-shirt in honor of the late Orioles superfan. June 17 marks the anniversary of Hagy's birthday, and Hagy's friends and supporters will join the Orioles in honoring him throughout the game. The shirt will feature the number 34, which was the number of the section in the upper deck at Memorial Stadium from which Hagy led "O-R-I-O-L-E-S" cheers.

As we all know, he lead the famous O-R-I-O-L-E-S chant, by not only screaming it out, but doing gyrations with his body the best he could to spell out the letters. He lead crowds during the late 70's to mid-80's, and would whip the crowd into a frenzy.

I was fairly young during this phenomenon, so I can't recall any great stories or what not; however, I did get to meet him a handful of times at events, and once at a game. He seemed like an everyman and almost a quiet guy -- but no doubt a true fan as everyone just seemed to gravitate towards him.

To be remembered for any! thing is special, and it is nice that the Baltimore Orioles fr! anchise have taken out a day to give thanks to a fellow that embodied 'Oriole Magic' way back when...

John McCain on SNL (Via Saturday Night Live...)

I missed Saturday Night Live -- a show that has not been on my radar for a long time -- that is until the election...

Anyhow, Ian from Sox and Dawgs has a video of Presidental nominee John McCain on this week's edition of the long running comedy show.

I don't know if I enjoyed McCain as much as Palin, but anytime someone as important as he can go on that type of broadcast and have some fun, we're all better for it.

Mr. McCain is good American; however, after what I heard from Ms. Palin tonight, it will be a cold day in hell before I ever vote for that ticket.

McCain Palin
Uploaded by beisbolct

Merry Christmas and the Blog Is Moving...

Merry Christmas, and hope everyone is having a Happy Holiday! Hope everyone is happy and safe with family, friends, or whomever is special in your life.

Anyhow, starting tomorrow, this blog will be migrating to the Bloguin network, and you can simply access the blog at http://oriolepost.com.

I'll still have posts appearing on Blogger -- however, they'll be more in a preview format to direct you to the new platform.

Manny Ramirez Rejects One Year, $25 Million Deal From the Dodgers. He's Insane.

Well, in spite of many Americans struggling with their finances, and losing their 401Ks, homes, and whatever else, there are some people completely insulated from reality.

Manny Ramirez is one of those people.

Despite the business of baseball changing in tandem with the economy, he just doesn't get it.

Just hours after the Dodgers offered him a one-year, $25 million contract that would have made him the second-highest paid player in baseball and the highest-paid outfielder in baseball history, Ramirez and agent Scott Boras informed the team late Monday night that they'd rejected that offer.
>>> Read More

The Orioles Giving Out Free Tickets For Your Birthday...

When Ian from Sox and Dawgs, and a cast of others emailed me this afternoon working about the Orioles giving out free birthday tickets, I thought it was a joke. However, after seeing it on pretty much every sports website, MASN Sports, and the Baltimore Sun, I guess I was reading the truth.

From the Baltimore Sun: The Orioles today announced a ticket promotion that will give fans a chance to celebrate their birthdays with a free ticket to a game at Camden Yards, according to a news release.

Fans who register at orioles.com/birthdays will receive a voucher for one complimentary upper-reserve ticket to any non-prime game in their birthday month. Fans with birthdays from January t! hrough March will receive a voucher to an April game, and those with October through December birthdays will be eligible to attend a complimentary game in September.

>>> Read More

Orioles Start off Their Series With the Jays in the Win Column

What started off as a lovely Memorial Day with the sun out and warm ended as a grey, damp, soggy afternoon; however, the Orioles overcame the poor conditions out and defeated the Blue Jays, 4-1, to kick off the three game set at Camden Yards. Honestly, I thought the game was going to sent into a rain delay, but for some reason, the umpires decided to make a go of it, and both teams did complete the game.

Jeremy Guthrie had to endure some horrific conditions on the mound -- specifically towards the end of the game -- to earn his fourth win of the season. He performed like a trooper as he went seven innings and only yielded a single run -- via a RBI single by Vernon Wells in the first inning. Meanwhile, Guthrie's opponent on the mound -- Brian Tallet -- went si! x innings and gave up two runs in a solid performance, but took the loss. George Sherill got the save -- his 10th.

>>> Read More

Rays End 11-Game Skin; Hernandez Ineffective -- Again; Matusz Shut Down, '10 Schedule Out...

Last night, the Tampa Bay Rays – who fell out of the playoff hunt with an 11-game losing streak – came into Baltimore with David Price on the mound to somehow themselves again.

Tampa did as they jumped on starter David Hernandez and the Rays ended up with an 8-4 win over the Orioles. Tampa ended an 11-game losing streak; however, the larger story may be the struggles of Hernandez. Baltimore was actually up 4-1 at one point thanks to hammering starting pitcher David Price for Tampa to the tune of four runs – all on singles during the opening frame, but he would shut them down for the rest of game.

Hernandez looked so promising, when he came up, but now it's a different story. If you want to read a sobering piece of reality, here's what Dan Connolly wrote in the sun about the hurler:

"It was the second consecutive outing in which Hernandez failed to get at least 10 outs, and the third straight in which he has allowed at least five runs.

In his first 13 big league starts, Hernandez (4-8) had yielded five runs! or more on only three occasions.

Despite Monday's short outing -- he was lifted after allowing a homer and a walk to start the fourth -- Hernandez, 24, officially eclipsed his career high in innings pitched for a season. And it's showing. He's now 1-6 with a 7.86 ERA in his last nine games."

I'm sure most people who saw the game know what happened, the Rays jumped on Hernandez in the fourth with four runs when Baltimore had the lead, 4-2. A two-run homer by Reid Brignac and a B.J. Upton solo shot put the Rays up 5-4 when the frame end; thereafter, in the fifth inning, Tampa Bay scored three times thanks to inept fielding by Baltimore due to a Nolan Reimold error that sailed over home plate, followed by a! errant toss by Brian Bass to third.

>>> Read More

Top 10 Penalty Box Moments

Bruins Fan Steals Kovalev's Stick During Game!

Also found these images posted @ Hockey-Fights.com:



In the second image you can clearly see that the fan got the stick!

NHL Salary Cap To Stay Around $56M

According to Larry Brooks:

The NHL players union has voted to trigger the 5-percent escalator on the 2009-10 salary cap, The Post has learned.

This means that the 2009-10 cap will remain within a couple of hundred thousand dollars of last season's figure of $56.7 million.

NHL revenues decreased by approximately 5 percent in 2008-09, with the decline owed primarily to the dip in Canadian currency. The vote of the 30 player reps was close, The Post was told.

Those voting against the bump were concerned with the immediate impact on escrow deductions.

Well it's about time there was some type of news regarding the salary cap for next season. At least there is a ball park figure. Is it just me, or is it absolutely ridiculous that we're heading into one of the busiest trade days of the NHL season (historically 2nd beh! ind the Trade Deadline) and the GMs don't know how much salary they can have on their roster for next season? At least if this report is accurate, GMs will have a rough idea on how much salary they can take on, or how much they have to clear.

Updated 6/26 2:50pm

H/T Kukla's Korner

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed Friday that next year's cap will go up by $100,000 to $56.8-million in 2009-10.

Rangers National TV Schedule for 2009-10

The NHL today released the television schedule for the entire 2009-10 regular season.

The Rangers will be on Versus eight times during the regular season, with only the game against New Jersey being on the road:

Mon Oct 5, 2009 @ Devils
Mon Oct 19, 2009 vs Sharks
Tue Nov 17, 2009 vs Washington
Mon Jan 4, 2010 vs Boston
Tue Jan 12, 2010 vs Devils
Tue Jan 19, 2010 vs Tampa
Mon Jan 25, 2010 vs Penguins
Tue Mar 16, 2010 vs Montreal

There are no scheduled Rangers games on NBC, which is very unusual, but the NBC schedule often changes as the season winds down and playoff races become clearer. So, despite the fact the Rangers aren't scheduled to be on NBC, doesn't mean they won't be on NBC.

Check out the Full 2009-10 NHL regular season schedule here, which allows you to sort the chart by team, network, etc.

I also recommend checking out ! Puck The Media - which has excellent coverage as usual and has all of the major network's press releases (Versus, NBC, CBC).

Weekend ratings predictions.

Friday night ratings up 6%.

The ratings game.

Big names.

Media miscellany.

Big names.

NHL ratings jump on NBC.

Big drop for Suns/Spurs. (UPDATED)

Men's National Championship numbers game.

Idle notes.

Vick presser gets big time coverage.

Versus has its most-viewed NHL opening night ever (UPDATED)

Roaring good start for NFL on FOX

Info Sepakbola | Juara Piala UEFA 2009

Pertandingan final yang berlangsung di stadion Sukru Saracoglu (Turki) ini Shakhtar Donetsk mencatat sejarah sebagai tim asal Ukraina pertama yang menjadi Juara Piala UEFA. Absennya Diego Ribas di kubu Werder Bremen mampu dimanfaatkan oleh para pemain Shakhtar Donetsk yang sangat kental dengan pemain asal Brasil. Pada menit ke 25 Shakhtar Donetsk unggul terlebih dahulu lewat gol Luiz Adriano, berawal dari umpan...... Razvan Rat Adriano dapat mengelabuhi dua bek Bremen d! an mengangkat bola melewati kiper Tim Wiese yang telah meninggalkan gawang. Namun 10 menit kemudian pemain belakang Bremen Naldo mampu menyamakan kedudukan menjadi 1-1. Kedudukan ini bertahan hingga menit ke 90 waktu normal. Gol kemenangan Shakhtar Donetsk diciptakan oleh Jadson pada babak tambahan. Sukses Shakhtar Donetsk ini juga memantapkan mitos bahwa tim yang tampil sebagai juara adalah tim yang mampu mencetak gol terlebih dahulu.

Hasil Pertandingan | Kualifikasi Pilala Dunia 2009/2 010 | Brasil Ditekuk Bolivia

Brasil menelan kekalahan setelah ditaklukkan oleh tuan rumah Bolivia 2-1. Namun hasil tersebut sudah tidak mempengaruhi langkah Brasil ke Afrika Selatan tahun depan.

Brasil merupakan negara pertama yang meraih tiket dari zona Conmebol. Sedangkan hasil pertandingan di La Paz, Senin (12/10/2009) dinihari WI! B, juga tidak membuat Bolivia bisa lolos ke Afsel.

Bolivia sejak awal pertandingan beberapa kali mencoba mengancam gawang pertahanan Brasil. Sedangkan Brasil yang mengandalkan Adriano dan Nilmar di lini serangan belum mampu melakukan ancaman yang berarti

Bolvia akhirnya unggul lebih dulu di menit ke-10 lewat gol Edgar Olivares. Gelandang Bolivia ini menyambut sebuah sepak pojok dengan tandukan kepalanya memantulkan bola ke gawang kiper Brasil Julio Cesar.

Meski dalam tekanan namun Brasil masih mampu membuat peluang yaitu di menit ke-19. Namun sayang tendangan kaki kanan Diego Souza masih melenceng di samping gawang tuan rumah.

Sedangkan Adriano yang sudah berdiri bebas, tak mampu menjangkau bola dengan sundulannya di menit ke-23. Pada menit ke-25, gol Brasil dianulir karena lebih dulu terjadi pelanggaran kepada kiper Bolivia.

Sementara Bolivia lewat Wilder Zabala mencoba menga! ncam gawang Brasil lewat tendangan kerasnya dari jarak jauh. N! amun kip er Julio Cesar cukup sigap untuk menahanan bla tersebut

Pada menit ke-30, Marcelo Moreno membuat Bolivia unggul 2-0 lewat tendangan bebas kaki kanannya yang cantik. Sedangkan kiper Julio Cesar hanya terperangah melihat bola melambung masuk gawangnya.

Brasil sempat memiliki peluang untuk membalasnya namun tendangan Dani Alves mengenai tiang gawang. Sedangkan Adriano gagal memanfaatkan bola pantul tersebut karena tembakannya melenceng.

Adriano sempat diboyong keluar setelah merasakan sakit pada kakinya. Namun dia dapat kembali masuk ke lapangan. Meski demikian hasil 2-0 bagi Bolivia bertahan hingga turun minum.

Di awal babak kedua sempat terjadi insiden dimana seorang penonton membawa poster masuk ke tengah lapangan. Namun petugas dengan sigap mengamankan suporter nakal yang bertumbuh gempal tersebut.

Pada menit ke-55, Olivares kembali mengancam gawang Brasil tapi sundulannya kali ini melenceng. Namun Brasil akhirnya mampu! memperkecil ketertinggalanya menjadi 1-2 di menit ke-69.

Berawal dari sebuah serangan balik yang cepat bola akhirnya Maicon memberikan umpan crossing ke depan gawang. Nilmar lolos di sela-sela pemain lawan dan menyundul bola tersebut ke gawang lawan.

Pertandingan yang berlangsung di ketinggian 3.637 meter di atas permukaan laut itu berakhir dengan skor 2-1. Bagi Bolivia, kemenangan itu menjadi hiburan bagi pendukungnya karena mereka sudah tak dapat lolos ke Afsel.

Asta e regola rose

Direi di continuare con i sondaggi: quando possiamo fare l'asta?

Per la regola dell'allargamento rose vi segnalo qualche dato che vi aiuta a votare:
In un fanta normale con otto partecipanti si vincolano 24 calciatori ciascuno per un totale di 192 calciatori.

L'anno scorso noi abbiamo vincolato 27 calciatori (di cui 3 primavera) e dato che siamo dieci partecipanti in totale abbiamo vincolato 270 giocatori.

Se inseriamo altri 3 calciatori avremo 30 calciatori a testa per un totale di 300 calciatori!!

Direi una cifra improponibile considerando che in serie A ci sono 20 squadre e quindi circa 220 titolari. Questa regola comporterebbe la totale ASSENZA di calciatori liberi da acquistare alle aste mensili. Quindi io rinnovo la mia bocciatura (a meno che non eliminiamo la primavera)

In sintesi la soluzione per evitare di giocare a 10 è una tra queste:
a. panchine a 8! invece di 7
b. eliminiamo la primavera e inseriamo un calciatore in più per ruolo

CRISTIANO RONALDO & SPANISH FOOTBALL WINS IN THE "FRANCE FOOTBALL GOLDEN BALL" AWARDS 2008

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/09 - ROUND 6 SATURDAY GAMES

BERBATOV PREFERS FC BARCELONA

CRISTIANO RONALDO THE REAL MADRID OBSESSION

ARJEN ROBBEN: HIS UNLUCKY SEASON

SPANISH CUP Q/FINALS 2008 - 1º LEG THURSDAY GAMES

R.C.D ESPANYOL SIGN TWO WORLD CLASS PLAYERS

UEFA CUP PREVIEW. POSSIBLE LINE - UPS OF SPANISH TEAMS

SPANISH FOOTBALL NEWS

JOSE ANTONIO REYES - FOR ATLETICO DE MADRID FOLLOWERS

FC BARCELONA NEWS & TRANSFER TALK

BASKETBALL. REAL MADRID ACB SPANISH BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS

HUMOUR FROM BARCELONA FOR REAL MADRID

WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFIERS: SPAIN DEFEATS 1-2 A BRAVE & WORTHY TURKEY (SEE VIDEO)

"I WILL FOLLOW RONALDO" - VIDEO WITH FOOTBALL ALL-STARS (SISTER ACT)

SPANISH 2º DIVISION: TENERIFE, REAL ZARAGOZA & XEREZ GO UP TO "LA LIGA" NEXT SEASON

REAL MADRID: FRANCK RIBERY ACITIVATED AGAIN?

FC BARCELONA: IBRAHIMOVIC DELIGHTED TO HAVE SCORED HIS FIRST "LIGA" GOAL

Laudrup Disappointed With Atlético Draw

Josemi To Leave Villarreal

Fernando Returns To Málaga

Player Ratings: Atlético 4-0 Schalke

La Liga Preview: Valladolid - Valencia

I Was Annoyed With Myself - Granero

Athletic Bilbao's Gurpegi Happy With 'Just' A Broken Nose

Abbondanzieri Furious About Getafe Transfer Games

Liverpool Midfielder Alonso Wants First Wembley Date

Ronaldo Talks Of Recovery A Year After His Horrific Knee Injury

Fed Chairman’s Comments In Line with NAMIC View of Systemic Risk Regulation

Serena voted WTA player of the year

Valencia receive loan boost

Casillas tired of Ronaldo talk

Third-seeded Sam Querrey upsets Santoro

Ronaldo 'nervous' of price tag

Luca Toni on FC Hollywood

Luca Toni on FC Hollywood





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Roger Federer Wins French Open

Roger Federer, The Tennis Master

Roger Federer gets the final v! ictory in Tennis French Open. Federer got the victory after beating Robin Soderling. This victory is Federer's 14th Grand Slam Title. Federer Needs one hour and 55 minutes to produce a near-faultless play and wrapped up a 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 and getting victory.

Jol May Go Dutch

By Jaymes Payten-Marsh
For THBN

Martin Jol is thought to be considering a swoop for Dutch center-back Khalid Boulahrouz.

The 21-year old knows Tottenham's head coach well from the time he spent under the supervision of Jol at Dutch club RKC Waalwijk.

Boulahrouz, currently plying his trade with Bundesliga side Hamburg, is thought to be very keen on joining up with Jol again.

The tall center-back said: "It would be a dream for me to play for Martin (Jol) again. He really helped me develop.

"It is my plan to one day play in the Premiership and in London," said Boulahrouz.

The Dutch defender impressed when Holland drew! 0-0 with England in an under-21 international game.

With Boulahrouz still under contract for another three years with the German team, Tottenham will have to meet the £4 million asking price before any deal can materialise.

Good Luck Robbie Keane

As you are probably aware, Robbie Keane has finally moved to Liverpool for £19 million, with a further £1.3 million to be paid in add-ons throughout his 4 year contract.

We would like to wish him good luck in the near future and would also like to thank him for the 6 entertaining years he gave us.

By the way Liverpool, did Robbie mention that he's also a die hard Celtic fan?

;-)

Signing needs time

For those that have been watching our new Russian striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko from close quarters recently, you would have noticed a change in his all-round game.

Roman is looking more assured and comfortable on the ball. The fear-factor that surrounded him during his first batch of games is all but gone. The goal he scored against Burnley last night proves how far he's come.

After being put through by Bale, Pavlyuchenko showed his strength by powering past Burnley defender, Clarke Carlisle to slot home. Carlisle tried to get close to Roman, but our Russian simply brushed him aside.

I believe that given more time, Pavlyuchenko will become an even better striker. Many of us forget that Roman has been playing non-stop since the February 2008. The Russian Premier League starts in March, but with pre-season training at Spartak Moscow starting 6 weeks prior to the seasons' commencement, our Russian star has been playing ! continuously for nearly a year now, not to mention the added bonus of the European Football Championships.

With his family now with him in London, he definitely seems more settled. Given a long rest during the off-season, I trust that Roman will come back refreshed and ready for action.

We will also get to see how his partnership with Defoe comes into play in the coming weeks and months. Expect to see a lot more action from our two strikers.

Desailly: Lego Kaka, Keputusan Tepat Milan

MILAN - Mantan bintang AC Milan Marcel Desailly mendukung penuh keputusan klub yang melepas bintangnya Ricardo Kaka ke Real Madrid. Menurutnya, Rossoneri takkan bisa mendapat uang sebanyak itu jika melepas Kaka pada musim depan.
Seperti diketahui, presiden klub Silvio Berlusconi dan wakilnya Adriano Galliani menjadi sasaran kemarahan Milanisti saat memutuskan melego Kaka ke Madrid dengan banderol 65 juta euro. Publik Milan mengklaim, kedua sosok itu lebih mementingkan uang ketimbang prestasi k! lub. Namun, keeputusan kedua sosok petinggi Milan itu justru mendapat dukungan penuh dari Desailly.
Mantan bek tangguh Il Diavolo itu menilai keputusan manajemen klub melepas Kaka ke Madrid merupakan langkah tepat, guna menjaga harga jual aset berharganya itu. "Milan telah melakukan yang terbaik (menjual Kaka). Ini merupakan realita yang pasti menimpa klub manapun di bursa transfer," papar Desailly seperti dikutip Il Corriere dello Sport, Senin (22/6/2009). "Mereka memang telah menjual pemain hebat.
Namun saya pikir, musim depan Kaka takkan mendapat banderol seperti yang didapatkannya sekarang," tambahnya. "Menurut saya, dengan ini klub bisa menginvestasikan dana untuk membangun skuad muda yang mampu menggaransi prestasi dalam kurun lima tahun ke depan," jelas mantan kapten timnas Prancis itu.
Dalam kesempatan ini, Desailly juga mendukung langkah Milan yang melepas pelatih Carlo Ancelotti ke Chelsea dan menggantikannya dengan Leonardo Araujo. Pria 40 tahun it! u menganggap, Milan membutuhkan warna baru setelah cukup lama ! ditangan i Carletto. "Saya pikir, Milan mengambil keputusan tepat dengan melepas Ancelotti yang telah delapan tahun menangani tim.
Logis memang, mengatakan memilih Leonardo sebagai suksesor merupakan hal yang berisiko. Namun saya rasa itu bisa juga membuat Milan menuju perubahan yang lebih baik. Kita lihat saja apa yang berhasil dilakukan Chelsea," tutupnya membandingkan keberhasilan Chelsea menjadi klub yang disegani meski tanpa pelatih yang cukup lama menangani klub.

Cissokho Ingin Kepastian

MILAN - Aly Cissokho nyaris bergabung bersama AC Milan dua minggu lalu dari FC Porto. Namun karena kendala kesehatan, ia tak jadi merumput di San Siro. Hal ini sedikit banyak membuat Aly Cissokho frustasi.
Kini, dia meminta kejelasan mengenai kelanjutan karirnya karena konon kabanya ada keinginan lain dari AC Milan dan klub lain. "Saya lelah menanggapi situasi ini. Saya mendengar dari salah satu pihak saya akan bermain untuk AC Milan, lalu ada yang mengatakan saya akan tetap di Porto, dan kemudian pindah ke klub lain. Saya ingin jawaban pasti," tegas Aly Cissokho kepad! a Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Porto tak ingin membicarakan masalah ini, tapi yang jadi masalah utama yang menghalangi saya pergi bukan mengenai masalah kesehatan saya. Dalam kasus ini, uang yang jadi problem utamanya," ujarnya lagi.

Milan Jadi Pengalaman Buruk Cissokho

MILAN - Bek kiri Prancis Aly Cissokho tak akan pernah melupakan kegagalan direkrut AC Milan hanya gara-gara persoalan gigi. Menurut Cissokho, itu merupakan pengalaman buruk yang pernah dialami dalam karir sepakbolanya.
"Ini pengalaman buruk saya," kata Cissokho yang bergabung dengan Lyon. Klub elit Ligue 1 Prancis ini membeli Cissokho dari Porto dengan harga €15 juta. Sama dengan yang pernah diajukan oleh Milan.
Cissokho menilai kegagalannya bergabung dengan Milan lebih disebabkan tidak ada dana cukup yang dimiliki oleh Rossoneri untuk membeli pemain. Bukan karena ! ia gagal tes medis. "Dalam sepakbola, persoalan yang muncul tidak jarang karena alasan ekonomi.
Tapi sudahlah, kini saya bermain untuk Lyon. Klub yang langsung saya setujui untuk bergabung," jawabnya.

Jangan Dulu Menilai Milan

MILAN - AC Milan meraih serangkaian hasil kurang memuaskan pada laga pra-musim yang telah dijalani. Namun demikian, Gianluca Zambrotta meminta jangan terlalu cepat menilai Rossoneri dari pertandingan ujicoba.
Di ajang pra-musim Milan belum juga menuai hasil positif. Il Diavolo Rosso tidak meraih sekalipun kemenangan dari lima pertandingan pemanasan yang mereka lakoni menghadapi tim-tim profesional.
Milan belum memiliki formasi paten yang bisa membunuh lawan. Skema 4-3-3 yang kerap diperagakan Le! onardo rupanya belum seampuh formasi 4-3-2-1 yang dulu biasa digunakan Carlo Ancelotti. Toh demikian, Zambrotta berkeyakinan bahwa ini bukan berarti kiamat.
Yang perlu dilakukan timnya adalah kembali ke pusat latihan dan membenahi segala kekurangan. "Saya tak berpikir pertandingan-pertandingan musim panas menunjukkan indikasi dari nilai tim ini.
Kami bermain melawan tim-tim yang lebih siap ketimbang kami dan kini kami memiliki banyak waktu di Milanello untuk membenahi diri," tandas bek 32 tahun ini kepada Sky Sports Italia. Leonardo sendiri tengah merencanakan untuk membeli beberapa pemain baru. Menurutnya, seorang striker dan bek baru akan cukup untuk membuat skuad Milan lebih kompetitif.

Ancelotti Ingin Jumpa Milan di Final LC

LONDON - Carlo Ancelotti masih menyimpan hati kepada AC Milan. Carletto mengharapkan Milan bisa menembus final Liga Champions dan menantang Chelsea. Akhir musim lalu, Ancelotti memutuskan untuk hijrah ke London dan menangani The Blues.
Dia meninggalkan Rossoneri yang sudah dibesutnya sejak 2001 lalu. Kini, Ancelotti ingin bereuni dengan mantan klubnya tersebut, tentu saja di ajang Liga Champions. Kompetisi yang memungkinkan kedua tim beda liga ini saling bersua. "Saya selalu mengikuti Serie! A, sangat menariuk untuk disaksikan. Saya tidak ingin memprediksi siapa yang menjadi juara.
Tapi, saya bisa katakan Juventus, Milan dan Inter adalah yang terkuat," jelas Ancelotti. "Saya juga memberikan ekspektasi tinggi buat Palermo dan Napoli. Mereka selalu membuat kejutan di Serie A," lanjut mantan pelatih Juventus ini. Berbicara Liga Champions, Ancelotti berharap tim Italia bisa mendobrak dominasi Inggris dan Spanyol yang menguasai Eropa di dua musim terakhir.
"Sejujurnya, saya selalu memberikan semangat kepada Milan. Saya akan sangat senang bila mencapai final Liga Champions dan bersua Rossoneri. Chelsea melawan Milan di Santiago Bernabeu. Itu adalah pertandingan yang spektakuler," tutup mantan pemain AS Roma ini.

Luis Suarez Disodorkan Ke AC Milan & Inter Milan

MILAN - Luis Suarez telah berkembang menjadi salah satu striker terbaik di Eredivisie Belanda musim ini. Striker Ajax Amsterdam itu tampil garang di depan gawang lawan. Penampilan bagusnya membuat pelatih Ajax Martin Jol tak pelit membagi pujiannya.
Menurutnya Luis Suarez sudah pantas bermain untuk klub yang jauh lebih besar dari Ajax, seperti AC Milan dan Inter Milan. "Luis Suarez adalah adalah striker terbaik untuk sekarang ini, tapi aku tak yakin ia memiliki persyaratan menjadi striker terbaik di dunia.
Ia adalah tipe ! penyerang yang tidak mengharapkan sesuatu datang secara tiba-tiba. Malah ia bukan pemain dengan karakter seorang striker," kata Jol kepada Sportweek. "Ia dalam penampilan terbaiknya sebagai striker kedua. Kami belum menemukan posisi yang pas untuknya di Ajax, tapi aku rasa ia akan tampil bagus bersama Marko Pantelic. Luis dan Marko akan menjadi duo striker hebat kami.
"Suarez masih bisa tampil lebih bagus sebagai seorang pemain. Pengalaman sebagai pemain kunci di Ajax akan membuatnya makin berkembang. Tidak ada klub besar yang mengejarnya musim panas ini, karena Luis menyatakan tak tertarik meninggalkan klub."
"Akan tetapi, tak mungkin bagi Ajax mempertahankan pemain sekelas dia. Ia akan bergabung dengan klub seperti AC Milan, Inter atau Olympique Lyon di musim panas 2010. Klub-klub itu memainkan formasi 4-4-2 yang pas untuknya. Klub yang derajatnya lebih rendah tak akan mampu membelinya," ungkap Jol.

Terancam Didepak, Leonardo Fokus LC

MILAN - Leonardo tidak cemas bila suatu hari nanti dirinya terpaksa harus meninggalkan Milan. Menurut pelatih AC Milan itu, pemecatan merupakan bagian dari karier pelatih.
Pria asal Brasil ini memang tengah mengalami tekanan besar. Rossoneri terseok-seok sejak awal musim Serie A 2009/2010 bergulir. Hasil imbang tanpa gol melawan Bari, awal pekan ini, memperparah situasi klub. Milan terlempar dari peringkat 10 besar klasemen di posisi 11.
Kendati wakil presiden Milan Adriano Galliani me! respon positif spekulasi dengan menjamin kursi Leonardo, sang ahli siasat tetap merasa perlu memperbaiki prestasi. Menurutnya, Milan harus tampil optimal pada babak Penyisihan Grup C Liga Champions melawan Zurich, Kamis (1/10/2009). "Kami melakoni pasang surut permainan, musim ini.
Maka, penting bagi kami mengalahkan Zurich," cetus Leonardo seperti dilansir football-italia.net, Selasa (29/9/2009). "Sangat penting karena Zurich datang ke San Siro dengan motivasi tinggi. Fakta bahwa mereka ada di urutan keenam Super Liga Swiss tidak menjadi beban, karena kami harus fokus pada kekuatan skuad kami sendiri," terangnya.
"Bagaimanapun saya tahu pertandingan itu takkan mudah terlewati. Tapi tentu saja, kami bisa meningkatkan kualitas nanti," yakinnya.

sumber :okezone.com

Wenger wants FA talks

The Arsenal boss issued a withered tirade following last month's defeat to Manchester United, after becoming exasperated by what he perceived to be an over-physical approach employed by Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Wenger, who spoke of "anti-football" players in the wake of the Old Trafford clash, is eager to open the debate over persistent foulers, who he feels are ruining the game.

"I think I will try to talk about it. We have already talked about it at Uefa meetings," said Wenger.

"It's not especially any particular player but it looks to me that some players make repeated fouls and, to me, it looks that it doesn't matter how many fouls they make but they get a card when it's a spectacular foul.

Little fouls
"I just think referees should look and see the little fouls, each time even if it's three or four little fouls then they should be booked rather than one spectacular foul."

Wenger's Arsenal side are known for! a passing style which he feels gets disrupted by constant fouling.

"It's a general thing," the Frenchman added. "It's the little fouls in the middle of the park. It breaks up the game from when you are attacking three against three, four against four and then you get a free-kick and it's 10 against 10 again.

"All the work you have done is nothing. You start from scratch again. They have broken up the play.

"It's what teams are doing at international level, we call it a tactical foul. You're passed in midfield - make a foul.

"You start again and you have time to get everybody back. Then you stand in front of the ball."

Elano Siap Hijrah

Mancheseter City telah mengumumkan penjualan Elano ke klub Turki Galatasaray.
Pemain timnas Brazil ini mengatakan bahwa masa depannya di City tidak menentu setelah musim lalu sering menjadi pemain pengganti oleh Mark Hughes.
Ia berharap bursa transfer musim panas ini ia dapat hijrah bila ada tawaran yang cocok dari klub lain. Ia pun dikabarkan menjadi incaran beberapa tim di Italia.
Juventus sempat dikabarkan memburu pemain berusia 28 tahun ini. Begitu juga dua tim di kota Milan yaitu Inter ! Milan dan AC Milan juga mulai tertarik mendapatkan pemain timnas Brazil tersebut.
Walaupun akhirnya Elano menerima tawaran mengejutkan dari Turki setelah Galatasaray mengumumkan akan mengontraknya sampai tahun 2013.
Selama di Manchester City, Elano berhasil mengumpulkan 18 gol dari 80 penampilan di semua kompetisi, namun pembelian besar-besaran sejumlah pemain dengan reputasi bagus membuatnya harus tersingkir dan hijrah ke klub lain di bursa transfer musim panas ini.

OGGI ALLE 18.10 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHOW

UFFICIALE:MOURINHO E L'ALLENATORE DELL'INTER

Si attendeva solo l'ufficialità,adesso è arrivata:Jose Mourinho è il nuovo allenatore nerazzurro."Il tecnico ha firmato un contratto della durata di tre anni-si legge sul sito-.Il vice allenatore sarà Giuseppe Baresi,attualmente dirigente del Settore Giovanile". Il portoghese sarà presentato ufficialmente domani alle 11.30 ad Appiano Gentile.

RONALDINHO,UNA SCOMMESSA DA MILAN

Ronaldinho al Milan è una magnifica scommessa. Di Silvio Berlusconi, che più di tutti ne ha invocato l'approdo, la lista di fenomeni nei suoi 22 anni rossoneri è un formidabile albo di Palloni d'oro: Gullit, Van Basten, Papin, Baggio, Weah, Rivaldo, Shevchenko, Kakà, Ronaldo. Come non concedersi il numero dieci del Barcellona? Di Adriano Galliani, che a Ronaldinho dedica viaggi, pensieri, energie e strategie da due anni, e ora sta per concludere le fatiche. Di Carlo Ancelotti, che al suo ottavo mandato milanista va elaborando -da qualche tempo- le opportune mosse tattiche perché Dinho possa far balenare il suo talento. Ad altri esponenti del Milan spetterà i! l compito di rigenerare -fisicamente, e non solo- il Pallone d'oro 2005: anche questo, fa parte della scommessa di cui sopra.
Ora, di Ronaldinho si sanno mille cose, sbagliate e no, positive e no. Ai tifosi del Milan, il brasiliano piaceva da impazzire fino a sei mesi fa, poi qualcosa si è inceppato per colpe sue, dell'asso del Barcellona, e l'onda del pessimismo ha avuto la prevalenza, salvo poi fare posto a un rinnovato -seppure non clamoroso- consenso che matura in queste ore, e i segnali si colgono: un fenomeno che tramonta alla soglia dei 28 anni, ha tutte le possibilità per risalire e riprendersi la scena, tutta la scena. Ed è qui che la scommessa del Milan comincia.
Lo sforzo per prelevarlo dal Barcellona è un grande sforzo, quello per riportarlo in alto sarà un'impresa che il club rossonero è sicuro di concludere al meglio. Ma sarà un'impresa, appunto. Perché le ultime fiammate di Brasile in rossonero non sono state granché, se pensiamo a Rivaldo, Marcio A! moroso, Ricardo Oliveira, Ronaldo ed Emerson: i precedenti non! è detto che traccino la strada maestra, ma restano come ammonimento. Perché gli ultimi 12-15 mesi di Ronaldinho sono un diario di giorni sbagliati da azzerare con toni e momenti davvero di una nuova vita, e la strenua voglia del Milan deve risultare la stessa del campione brasiliano. E perché il lavoro tattico e ambientale di Ancelotti non sarà semplice, dovendo fare i conti con un modulo tutto nuovo (senza più approcci natalizi?), e perché la gestione degli umori, pensiamo a Seedorf, a Inzaghi, a Borriello, ad Ambrosini, chiederà il meglio del meglio dal tecnico.
Perché Ronaldinho è una scommessa, una magnifica e lussuosa scommessa: l'impegno e l'ingegno di tutto il Milan -quando arriverà alla felice conclusione della trattativa col Barcellona- saranno soltanto ai primi approcci. Buon lavoro.

STUDIO CALCIO SHOW ALLE 19

MER 13 AGO H 19 STUDIO CALCIO SHOW: In studio M.Lestingi e i suoi ospiti per analizzare e approfondire con immagini e interviste la prima giornata dei preliminari di Champions e accompagnarvi fino al calcio d'inizio della gara della ! Juve. Inoltre sarà dedicata un'ampia finestra alle Olimpiadi di Pechino 2008(in primo piano le gare di Italia,Brasile e Argentina).

ECCO LA NOVITA':100 % SERIE A

Domenica 14 Settembre non perdete il primo appuntamento di 100% serie a. Verrano rivisitati i due anticipi del sabato con immagini,gol e voci dei protagonisti e si anticiperanno i temi della domenica calcistica. M.Lestingi,L.Lupo e F.Casotti vi aspettano numerosi.Chi ama il calcio non può mancare!!!

BENTORNATA CHAMPIONS ON TVCALCIO

Vi aspettano due grandi giorni di calcio europeo su Tv Calcio,con le italiane protagoniste.Si parte martedi,con la Roma chiamata alla reazione contro i spettacolari blues di Felipe Scolari;mentre mercoledì in collegamento dall'Artemio Franchi andrà in onda la decisiva gara tra Fiorentina e Bayern Monaco.
La web tv comparirà sul blog a partire dalle 20.

ECCO IL PROGRAMMA:

MAR 4 NOV H 20.45 ROMA-CHELSEA (live)

MER 5 NOV H 20.45 FIORENTINA-BAYERN MONACO (live)

ADRI RITARDA MA NO PROBLEM

Adriano assente al primo allenamento del 2009 dell'Inter. Stavolta, però, nessuna polemica, almeno in superficie. Il rientro ritardato dell'Imperatore (previsto intorno alle 17 di venerdì) è stato concordato con la società che, ufficialmente considerandolo un giocatore ancora infortunato, gli ha concesso di saltare la prima seduta. Primo appuntamento di Adriano sarà quello con il Dottor Combi, che lo visiterà e appurerà le sue condizioni fisiche.

Giornalisti e tifosi hanno dunque atteso inutilmente alla Malpensa, dove in mattinata sono atterrati due aerei provenienti da San Paolo. Su quello giunto intorno alle ore 11 c'erano Maxwell, Julio Cesar eMancini. Altra opzione era quella di un volo proveniente da Lisbona e utile alle coincidenze dal Brasile: ma indietro ha riportato indietro Quaresma. Per l'ennesima puntata della telenovela Adriano-Inter, bisognerà attendere.

MILAN A -8 E DERBY SENZA KAKA'

"Trauma distorsivo al piede sinistro". E' questa la prima diagnosi, prodotta nella notte, dell'infortunio di cui è rimasto vittima Ricardo Kakà durante l'incontro con la Reggina. Escluse gravi fratture: ma i forti dolori, che Kakà sente dal tallone al tendine, fanno temere un guaio serio ed è molto improbabile un impiego nel derby. A completare la serata no del brasiliano, anche la rottura dell'ambulanza che lo stava trasportando in clinica.


Nella corsa verso il "Gaetano Pini", infatti, il mezzo ha incocciato in una buca riportando un danno al semiasse: per l'asso milanista, quindi, un'altra botta certamente non gradita e un cambio in corsa di ambulanza che ha ulteriormente dilatato i tempi degli esami. Kakà, tornato a casa in piena notte, ha comunque riposato bene e non ha avuto bisogno di antidolorifici. In tarda mattinata verrà sottoposto a risonanza magnetica per evidenziare con precisione l'entità del danno: i medici hanno già sancito che non ci sono "g! rossolane" fratture, ma potrebbe esserci una cosiddetta microfrattura. Un problema che, sicuramente, comporterebbe tempi di recupero inconciliabili con l'appuntamento del derby. Già comunicato a Dunga, come logico, il forfait per l'amichevole di martedì a Londra tra Brasile e Italia.

Milan-Reggina 1-1

GRAZIE UDINESE

Con un gol di Quagliarella all'85' e un rigore di Di Natale al 93' l'Udinese supera per 2-0 i russi dello Zenit al Friuli nell'andata degli ottavi di Uefa. Nel primo tempo è la squadra di Marino a fare la gara ma la mira degli attaccanti è sbagliata. A inizio ripresa brivido per l'Udinese con la traversa colpita da Tymoshchuck. Handanovic salva due volte su Zyryanov ma nel finale prima Quagliarella (85'), poi Di Natale (93') chiudono il conto.

LA PARTITA
L'Udinese, dunque, non tradisce le attese e fa suo il primo atto della sfid! a con i detentori del trofeo. Gli uomini di Marino devono però attendere l'80' per trovare il gol, meritato per quanto prodotto nel corso di tutta la partita. Nel primo tempo in campo c'è soltanto l'Udinese. Lo Zenit gioca sotto ritmo e soltanto nel finale di frazione si fa vedere dalle parti di Handanovic. Là davanti Quagliarella e Di Natale sono in vena di invenzioni, ma la mira non è precisa.

Nella ripresa la formazione di Advocaat scende in campo con altro piglio e sfiora il vantaggio con Tymoshchuck, il cui tiro si stampa sulla traversa. Entrano poi in scena i due portieri, con Malafeev che si oppone a Di Natale e Inler e con Handanovic che salva su Zyryanov. Poi, a 5' dalla fine, ci pensa Quagliarella a metterla dentro. Di Natale rende la serata ancora più bella segnando il gol del 2-0. Tra una settimana il ritorno in Russia.

MADE IN ENGLAND, LUCI E OMBRE DEL FOOTBALL DEI MAESTRI.

The Fans: Luca Bortolotto, Norwich City (29)

TOP 11 - 6a GIORNATA

De Laurentiis: Donadoni will takes out the best from this team

"It is come back the winning San Paolo". Aurelio De Laurentiis followed from a distance his Napoli and wanted to express his joy to the team that won at the San Paolo the first championship match.

"I am happy of the good debut on our field. After this success I hope Donadoni is able to improve more and more the team that is already very interesting in all its aspects".

De Laurentiis look at the two goals of Quagliarella with admiration. "It is started the splendid adventure of Quagliarella accompanied by Hamsik. The real technical values at the end always repay"

http://www.sscnapoli.it/client/render_e.aspx?root=707&fwd=2713&content=0

Juventus stopped in Sicily

On the eve of the match everyone was conscious it would be a difficult match but Palermo had an even better start then expected. On the 1st minute Camoranesi clears the Juve area after an immediate Palermo initiative. Two minutes later, Kjaer clears the Palermo area after a ball is put in by Diego.

The 6th minute sees Balzaretti shooting high over the bar. One minute later, Amauri perf! orms a sliding tackle on the keeper nearly winning the ball. For the first ten minutes much of the game is played in midfield at the moment.

On the 14th minute, Buffon kicks clear as a back pass reaches a Palermo striker. One minute later Cavani heads wide after a dangerous Miccoli cross into the area. On the 16th minute a good cross by Camoranesi into the area is a bit too high for Amauri to head.

Palermo start to press and on the 18th minute, first Melo and then Chiellini clear the Juve area from a dangerous Sicilian initiative. Two minutes later, Poulsen shoots extremely high over the bar after receiving from Camoranesi. On the 21st minute a corner for Palermo cleared away by Iaquinta.

On the 23rd minute there is a free-kick for Juve: Amauri ! heads high after receiving from Grosso. Two minutes later, Die! go first makes a great move to enter the area and pass, then collects the re-bound and shoots with the ball hitting a defender.

The 27th minute sees another corner for Palermo: ball cleared by the Juve defence. Two minutes later there is a free-kick for Juve: Grosso puts into the area with Legrottaglie heading wide. On the half hour mark, Grosso puts a ball into the area, Iaquinta jumps with the ball reaching Camoranesi who shoots and sees the ball being cleared from the line by Kjaer as the action is stopped for a foul in attack.

On the 36th minute, Buffon is forced to save into corner following a Cavani shot. One minute later, Cavani goes beyond the Juve defence and shoots beating Buffon for the 1-0. Five minutes pass and on the 41st minute there is a free-kick for Palermo: ball into the area, Simplicio darts and puts the ball be! yond Buffon: 2-0.

The 43rd minute sees the Palermo keeper saves a Camoranesi shot. Three minutes later, there is a corner for Juve: ball into the area, Chiellini heads but the defence clears. On the 46th minute Poulsen clears a Bovo shot and on the last of the 2 minutes of stoppage time, a Miccoli free-kick goes slightly wide.

The start of the second half sees Juventus trying to react. On the 2nd minute a beautiful shot by Amauri from the edge of the area goes inches high. One minute later, a Camoranesi cross reaches Poulsen who shoots slightly wide.
The 7th minute sees a corner for Juve: ball into the area cleared by the defence. One minute later, Amauri stops the ball for Iaquinta in the area but the shot hits the defence.

Palermo react an! d on the 9th minute, a Bresciano header goes inches wide. Two ! minutes later, Chiellini clears into corner what could have been a big goal opportunity. The quarter of an hour mark sees Buffon making an extremely important save to wave away a dangerous initiative.

On the 16th minute, there is a free-kick for Juve from just outside the area: Diego hits the cross bar after a touch by the keeper. One minute later, De Ceglie comes on for Diego. On the 20th minute, a Iaquinta shot is blocked by the defence.

The 21st minute sees a corner for Juve being cleared by Kjaer. Two minutes later, there is a free-kick for Juve: Grosso shoots straight into the hands of the keeper. Trezeguet comes on for Camoranesi on the 25th minute.

On the 27th minute there is a free-kick for Palermo: ball reaches Bresciano who shoots with Buffon for! ced to an incredible save. Three minutes later, Cavani shoots wide from a favorable position. De Ceglie puts a good cross into the area and Iaquinta who is pulled from the shirt does not manage.

Grygera comes on for Zebina on the 31st minute. Two minutes later, Iaquinta shoots wide from outside the area. Miccoli hits the post on the 35th minute and two minutes later Legrottaglie heads high over the bar.

On the 42nd minute there is a corner for Palermo: ball cleared and counter-attack launched. Iaquinta runs all the way and shoots wide. Two minutes later, there is a good cross into the Palermo area but Trezeguet does not manage to head.

The referee awards 4 minutes of stoppage time but nothing really significant happens anymore. The match ends 2-! 0 for the rosanero with Juventus suffering their first defeat ! of the s eason and Ferrara his first since taking over as coach.

Serie A 2009/10 7th Match Day
Palermo, Stadio Renzo Barbera
Sunday 4th October, 2009

PALERMO – JUVENTUS: 2-0

Scorers: Cavani (37th), Simplicio (42nd),

PALERMO: Sirigu, Cassani, Kjaer, Bovo, Balzaretti; Migliaccio, Simplicio, Bresciano (Nocerino 74th), Pastore (Budan 85th), Cavani (Goian 77th), Miccoli. Reserves: Rubinho, Goian, Nocerino, Bertolo, Budan, Blasi, Mchedlidze. Coach: Zenga.

JUVENTUS: Buffon, Zebina (Grygera 76th), Chiellini, Legrottaglie, Grosso, Felipe Melo, Poulsen, Camoarnesi (Trezeguet 70th), Diego (63rd De Ceglie), Iaquinta, Amauri. Reserves: Manninger, Cannavaro, Grygera, De C! eglie, Marrone. Trezeguet, Giovinco. Coach: Ferrara.

REFEREE: Daniele Orsato from Schio.

Yellow Cards: Camoranesi (34th), Legrottaglie (47th), Cassani (70th), Zebina (71st), Pastore (82nd), Grygera (91st)
http://www.juventus.com/site/eng/NEWS_newsseriea_6680608FEE2940F59826A1DE7D2C9CE5.asp

Gerrard unsure about getting into Management

Liverpool Skipper Steven Gerrard is unsure if he has the application to move into management.

But im sure if he does get into Management then he will be as good a manager as he is as a player.Everyone knows he is simply fab.

He told the Daily Mail: "People ask me what I would like to do after football and I'd love to be a manager, but then I wonder if I could ever be as good as those guys because it is 24/7, it's their life, there is nothing else and I don'! t think I could be crazy like that.

"I like to switch off after games. I've got two daughters. I like to play golf. I think of Rafa and in five years I have never had a conversation with him that was not about football; Capello the same. They fascinate me, those people.

"When I get talking to John Terry or Wayne Rooney, I am always asking about their managers, how they work, how they interact with the players. I'll pull Gary Lewin, the England physiotherapist, and ask him about Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

"On Friday, I love getting home, sitting on the couch, turning Sky Sports News on and listening to all the interviews coming in from the training grounds, just to hear these characters talking about football. I don't know if I could be that obsessed. Jamie Carragher, now he could, definitely."

Chelsea v Porto preview

The Blues have come close to claiming European glory in each of the past two seasons, only to be denied in dramatic circumstances.

Manchester United prevailed on penalties in the final of the 2007/8 competition, while Andres Iniesta's late strike sealed a semi-final victory for Barcelona last term.

Managers have come and gone since Russian owner Roman Abramovich arrived at Stamford Bridge and Carlo Ancelotti is the latest to try and deliver the biggest prize in club football.

The Italian tactician brought European success to AC Milan and has made a perfect start to his Chelsea reign with five consecutive victories in the Premier League.

Ancelotti insists he was not just appointed to help the club win the Champions League but he will be desperate to get off to a good start in a group that also includes Atletico Madrid and APOEL Nicosia.

Chelsea will be without the suspended Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa, who were punish! ed for their furious reactions to Chelsea's exit last season.

Branislav Ivanovic could switch to right-back to cover for Bosingwa, with Ricardo Carvalho set to come into central defence alongside John Terry.

Replacing Drogba might be more tricky as the Ivorian striker has been in superb form so far this season, but Nicolas Anelka may start as a lone front man.

Deco (calf), Alex (groin) and Paulo Ferreira (knee) are still injured, while midfielders Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov have knee problems.

Porto news
Porto will be confident of advancing from the group phase yet again after reaching the quarter-finals last season, where they were edged out 3-2 on aggregate by Manchester United.

They are unbeaten in their first four domestic matches of the season and have no major injury problems after welcoming back Cristian Rodriguez.

Lisandro Lopez and Lucho Gonzalez left the Portuguese club over the summer but manag! er Jesualdo Ferreira is not too worried about the departures.
"Losing players is a cycle every team goes through," he explained. "Last year was different but for the last two years we have been working very hard to get where we want to be.

"We have spent the last two months preparing and incorporating new players to be ready for this game. This team is ready and I'm sure we can achieve different things."

Prediction Score Premier League,18-20 October 2008

Giggs claims to Manchester

Sites for online bingo

Prediction Score Serie A: 31 January 2009

Prediction Score Italian Serie A: 18-19 April 2009

Woods pips Harrington to Ohio win

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD:-12 T Woods (US) -8 P Harrington (Ire), R Allenby (Aus) -7 H Mahan (US), A Cabrera (Arg) -6 S Stricker (US), S Cink (US), MA Jimenez (Spa) -5 L Westwood (Eng), M Weir (Can) Selected others: -3 O Wilson (Eng), K Perry (US) -2 I Poulter (Eng)

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Woods came from three shots behind to win in Ohio

Tiger Woods took advantage of a disastrous finish by Padraig Harrington to win the World Golf Championship event in Ohio on 12 under par.

The world number one started the day three shots behind clubhouse-leader Harrington but rallied to win a seventh title at the Firestone Country Club.

A string of pars kept Harrington in contention despite Woods holing an eagle and five birdies.

However, a triple-bogey on the 16th for Harrington gifted Woods the title.

Harring! ton, who had led for the first three rounds, regained a one-stroke cushion with three holes to play before his round collapsed on the 16th when he sent his fourth shot on the par-five from the rough into the pond guarding the green.

A closing score of 72 earned the disappointed Irishman a tie for second place with Australian Robert Allenby.

A crumb of comfort to Harrington may be the fact he has chance to exact revenge when he pairs up with Woods in the first two rounds of the USPGA Championship at Hazeltine National in Minnesota, which begins on Thursday.

Elsewhere, England's Lee Westwood closed at five under for ninth place following a 65 which was his best round of the week and secured his fourth consecutive top-10 finish, including a tie for third at The Open.

Compatriot Oliver Wilson finished 11th at three under with a closing 71, while Ian Poulter was 15th.

Hunter Mahan and Masters champion Angel Cabrera finished on seven under in a tie for fourth while Open winner Stewart Cink and his fellow American Steve Stricker closed at six under alongside Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Premier League table

Thursday, 3 September 2009 00:00 UK

!

Position	Team	P	GD	PTS
1	Chelsea	4	8	12
2	Tottenham	4	7	12
3	Man Utd	4	6	9
4	Man City	3	4	9
5	Stoke	4	-1	7
6	Arsenal	3	7	6
7	Liverpool	4	2	6
8	Aston Villa	3	2	6
9	Sun! derland< /a>	4	-1	6
10	Burnley	4	-3	6
11	West Ham	3	1	4
12	Birmingham	4	-1	4
13	Wolverhampton	4	-2	4
14	Hull	4	-4	4
15	Fulham	3	-3	3
16	Everton	3	-5	3
17	Wigan	4	-5	3
18	Blackburn	3	-3	1
19	Bolton	3	-3	0
20	Portsmouth	4	-6	0

Results for 9th Febuary 2008

Aston Villa	4-1 (HT 0-1)	Newcastle
Bouma 48 Carew 51 Carew 72 Carew (pen) 90		Owen 4
Bookings: Carew 51 Reo-Coker 78 Att: 42,640 Ref: Lee Mason (Lancashire).		Bookings: Butt 57

Bolton	0-1 (HT 0-0)	Portsmouth
		Diarra 81
Bookings: Guthrie 30		Bookings: Hughes 57
Att: 18,544 Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).!

Derby	0-3 (HT 0-0)	Tottenham
		Keane 68 Kaboul 81 Berbatov (pen) 90
Bookings: Leacock 41 Miller 58 Stubbs 69 Jones 90 Att: 33,058 Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).		Bookings: Chimbon! da 49

Everton	1-0 (HT 0-0)	Reading
Jagielka 62 Att: 36,582 Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

!

Middlesbrough	1-0 (HT 1-0)	Fulham
Aliadiere 11
Bookings: Huth 34 Att: 26,885 Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).		Bookings: Kamara 22 Nevland 36

Sunderland	2-0 (HT 1-0)	Wigan
Etuhu 42 Murphy 75
Att: 43,600 Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).		Bookings: Valencia 59

West Ham!	1-1 (HT 1-1) !	Birmingham
Ljungberg 7		McFadden (pen) 16
		Bookings: Johnson 33 McSheffrey 58 Muamba 72 Jerome 90 Taylor 90
Sent off: Bowyer 88 Att: 34,884. Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

Premier League gossip and transfer news for this week

Thursday 4th Dec 2008

Didier Drogba's agent Thierno Seydi says the Chelsea striker has not met up with Inter Milan officials to discuss a possible transfer. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is lining up a £3m bid for England and Wigan forward Emile Heskey. (Daily Star)

West Ham striker Dean Ashton will be sold in the January transfer window, with the Hammers desperate to raise funds in light of the Carlos Tevez saga. (Daily Mirror)

Other players set to be shown the door at Upton Park include Nigel Quashie, Lee Bowyer, Luis Boa Morte, Calum Davenport, Danny Gabbidon and Jonathan Spector. (Daily Mirror)

Everton manager David Moyes is lining up Portsmouth striker David Nugent after Toffees forward Yakubu was ruled out for the rest of the seas! on. (The Sun)

Chelsea are considering a loan move for CSKA Moscow's Brazilian striker Vagner Love. (The Independent)

Chelsea are also interested in Wigan striker Amr Zaki and Lyon forward Karim Benzema but may have to offload Wayne Bridge, Florent Malouda and Alex first. (The Independent)

Chelsea are also chasing Fluminense defender Thiago Silva, who claims he has been offered a contract by the Blues. (Daily Mail)

Liverpool and Arsenal will battle it out for French midfield wonderkid Paul Pogba from Le Havre. (The Sun)

Manchester United defender Danny Simpson, who is currently on loan at Blackburn, says he will quit Old Trafford if he is not a first-team regular next season. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn Rovers are lining up a move for former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan, who is currently playing in Spain for Espanyol. (Daily Mirror)

Hull manager Phil Brown is p! lanning a £2.5m swoop for Monaco defender Nicolas Nikolou. (Th! e Sun) < /p>

Wigan will make loanee left-back Maynor Figueroa's move from Deportivo Olimpia permanent in the January transfer window. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham and Newcastle are lining up Sporting Lisbon's £20m Brazilian striker Liedson. (Daily Mirror)

Wednesday 3rd Dec 2008

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has rejected a move to Manchester City. The Premier League big spenders tabled a world record £129m bid. (Private Spanish radio station Cadena Ser)

Manchester City are determined to spend £70m to sign a "world superstar" in the January transfer window with Kaka, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Samuel Eto'o all in the frame. (Independent)

Manchester City and Chelsea are leading the race to sign 26-year-old Valencia striker David Villa. (Mirror)

Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz wants a move to Manchester City in January. Rov! ers turned down a £12m bid from City in the summer, but are prepared to up their offer to £15m, with defender Nedum Onuoha thrown in. (Daily Mail)

City boss Mark Hughes is also contemplating a £6m bid for Italy's World Cup winning left-back Fabio Grosso, 31, from Lyon. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will make a £3m move for Portsmouth keeper David James in the January transfer window. (Mirror)

Meanwhile, Newcastle's Shay Given insists he has no plans to join Spurs as a replacement for under-fire keeper Heurelho Gomes. (Various)

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out making any big money signings in the transfer window. (Guardian)

Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger is a target for AC Milan after new pay talks stalled. (Various)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce is ready to bring Marlon King back from his season-long loan deal at Hull if Emile Heskey joins Aston Villa in the transfer window.! (Mirror)

Bruce has been told there will be no money! to spen d in the January transfer window unless he sells first. (Sun)

Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United are eyeing £7m-rated winger Antonio Valencia could be good news for the Wigan boss. (Mirror)

Spanish giants Barcelona are ready to hijack Portsmouth's bid to permanently sign on-loan defender Nadir Belhadj for £3.5m from Lens. (Mirror)

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish will pay £1m to lure Lee Bowyer from West Ham. (Various)

Newcastle and Sunderland are set to fight for Sheffield United defender Kyle Naughton. (Sun)

Tuesday 2nd Dec 2008

Manchester City's Robinho has urged the club to buy Brazilian defenders Kleber and Thiago Silva. (Various)

Everton are lining up a shock move for 37-year-old striker Henrik Larsson, who is a free agent after ending the Swedish season at Helsingborg. (Various)

Arsenal are weighing up a £6m move for Barcelona mid! fielder Yaya Toure, the brother of Gunners defender Kolo. (The Sun)

Liverpool and Manchester United have their eyes on Argentina midfielder Franco Zuculini. (Sun)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill will be handed £18m to sign a new striker in January. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is at the centre of a fresh tug-of-war between the Blues and Inter Milan. (The Sun)

Arsenal defender Armand Traore, who is on loan at Portsmouth, is wanted by Middlesbrough. (Mirror)

West Ham have failed to sign Juventus striker Sebastian Giovinco as the Italians see the 20-year-old as part of their first-team plans. (Mirror)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray is lining up a £1m bid for Doncaster midfielder Brian Stock. (Various)

Wigan striker Marlon King is eager to make his loan move to Hull a permanent switch in January. (Daily Star)

Hull defender Wayne Brown, 31, has been assured he does have a future at t! he club. (Star)

Ajax forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar wil! l reject a move to the Premier League in favour of joining Real Madrid in a £17m switch. (Various)

Monday 1st Dec 2008

Manchester United will sign Serbian teenager Adem Ljajic from Partizan Belgrade once he has won an international cap. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham want to agree a loan deal for 20-year-old Juventus forward Sebastian Giovinco. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan are keen to sell striker Emile Heskey in January rather than lose him for nothing when his contract expires in the summer. (Various)

Liverpool and Manchester City are both keen on Heskey. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom are to give a trial to Bohemians' Lithuanian midfielder Mindaugas Kalonas this week. (Daily Express)

West Ham's Icelandic owners have rejected three offers to buy them out as they are well short of their £120m valuation. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea's Didier Drogba an! d Nicolas Anelka and Sunderland's Djibril Cisse and El-Hadji Diouf are among the stars invited to attend a huge Christmas party hosted by hip-hop artists Lil Wayne and Akon. However, their clubs have banned them from attending the Florida bash. (The Sun


Sunday 30th Nov 2008

William Gallas could be set for a shock move to London rivals Tottenham with Harry Redknapp ready to take on the Arsenal defender. (Sunday Mirror)

"Get Lost Gallas" says the Star. The Gunners board are reported to be putting boss Arsene Wenger under pressure to offload the former skipper in the January sales. Paris St Germain and AC Milan are believed to be interested.

Somebody else on the move is Carlos Tevez. Real Madrid are getting their Euros ready to take on the Manchester United striker struggling to make the starting XI this season. (Sunday Express)

And the Man United boss is one pers! on not going anywhere. Sir Alex Ferguson plans to stick around! until h e is 70. "Why would I pack it in at the moment?" (News of the World)

According to Sir Alex there's only one thing going to stop him quitting. "If my health deteriorated, that solves the problem for everyone. You would be rid of me for good." (News of the World)

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is close to signing a new deal at Anfield. Despite interest from Real Madrid the Spaniard has told the board he wants to stay. (News of the World)

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari had a spat with Didier Drogba after the striker failed to acknowledge the Blues fans at the end of the draw with Bordeaux in midweek. (News of the World)

Middlesbrough are set to spark a three-way scrap for Stewart Downing with Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester City ready to splash out £12m. (News of the World)

Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski could be off to Eastlands with Man City leading the chase for a cool £12m. (Star) Sounds like a bargain.

Newc! astle boss Joe Kinnear has been told he won't have any cash to spend in the January sales. (Sunday Express)

Elsewhere at St James' Park, Michael Owen could return to Anfield for a cut-price £2m. (News of the World)

Pascal Chimbonda has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Lyon, with the French champions set to make an offer for the Sunderland defender. (Sunday Express)

Micah Richards has found a new way of keeping up with opposing strikers. The Man City defender has bought a Harley Davidson, but there's only one problem...he doesn't have a licence. (News of the World)

Man City boss Mark Hughes has a headache ahead of the Manchester derby as he faces a battle to keep hold of Robinho. The Brazilian superstar wants assurances over the future of his fellow countrymen Elano and Jo. (The Star)