Saturday, November 28, 2009

Honoring Number '44', Elrod Hendricks...


Fans of the Black and Orange know all too well that indelible mark that Elrod Hendricks has left on the Baltimore Orioles franchise and in the hearts of fans.

However, one has to ask why the organization has not done more to honor a man who was a fixture for at least four decades?

As a player with the Orioles for nine years, and the bullpen coach for twenty-eight, Hendricks may not have done much with the bat as a player; alas, his superior defense, warm-hearted nature, the love he showed those who attended games, and loyalty to the community made him special in the eyes of all Baltimore baseball fans.

Sadly, Elrod's coaching tenur! e came to an end in October 2005, as the team felt that he could not sustain his level of work due to a stroke. He was to be reassigned as a community liaison; however, he passed away a few days before Christmas of that year in Glen Burnie, Md. — only one day shy of his 65th birthday.

His funeral was attended by many of his former teammates, and coaches; however, that winter, only one Oriole on the 2005 team showed up — Melvin Mora.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks Armando! O's Win Two In A Row in Canada...


Thanks for the Present, Armando! Well, after a wretched series with the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles have won 3 out of their last 5; thus, continued the winning last night in Toronto, 6-5.

The offense continued its hot streak thanks to a big inning in the eighth. Adam Jones and Melvin Mora each hit a two-run home in the frame, and Kevin Millar belted a solo homer. As well, Nick Markakis went 4- for-4 with a double, run batted in and a run scored while Brian Roberts had two hits and scored a run.

Dennis Sarfate (3-1) only needed two pitches to earn the win in relief of Brian Burres, who allowed three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. George Sherrill worked the ninth for his 21st save.

Shaun Marcum's nice start went out the window as he held the Orioles to one run on seven hits in seven-plus frames; however, Brian Tallet and Armando Benitez – ah, that good old friend of ours who contributed many memorable moments in Oriole folklore – allowed the game ! to get out of hand!

Thanks again for the gift, Mr. Benitez. Too bad you were DFA'ed after the game.

And the Orioles won today 9-3, thanks to the offense busting out on A.J. Burnett, who usually dominates the Birds. Although the ninth inning got a little scary thanks to a few errors, and Trachsel on the mound, the troops rallied to finally win a quality start for Jeremy Guthrie.

Ramon Or Matt?


On top of the pitching concerns, and the debate over what free agents to sign, there's one other issue that's been on my mind -- perhaps on the minds of other fans as well.

Who will man behind the plate?

Aside from Daniel Cabrera, one of the other guys who left me distressed during more than any other is Ramon Hernandez. Despite a year where he improved with the bat, his play as the starting catcher for the Orioles left very little to the imagination.

At times he lacked focus -- almost to the point where he was lazy -- others, he just seemed unable to block balls and showed very little hust! le behind the plate.

For the reason alone, we might as well give someone else a shot -- Matt Wieters.

The guy's story of his time in the minors has become nothing but a folk legend amongst the most ardent of fans, so why not see if he can cut in the majors?

Recently, Spencer Fordin of the orioles.com pondered about Matt Wieters after he answered a question about him in his latest mailbag...
Will Matt Wieters be starting for the Orioles on Opening Day? And will there be any other significant Oriole prospects that may have a role on next year's team? -- Mike V., Rochester, N.Y.

Wieters, who's on the short list for best prospects in baseball, represents an interesting quandary for the! Orioles. If they bring him up on Opening Day -- and he's prov! ided eve ry indicator that he'll be ready by then -- they run the risk of losing him to free agency a full season earlier than they would if he spends the season's first month at Triple-A Norfolk.

That didn't bother the Orioles when their previous top prospect, right fielder Nick Markakis, took the team by storm in Spring Training. Baltimore elected to start Markakis in 2006 despite the fact that he had never played at Triple-A, and had just 33 games at Double-A under his belt. And after some initial struggles, he became one of the team's best players.

With Wieters, the fifth overall pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles may elect to play it safe. The catcher didn't sign until moments before the deadline to come to terms or go back to college, and Baltimore can expect a similar tussle when free agency rolls around. In this case, it pays to be careful, even if it means waiting an extra month.
While I see where Spencer is coming from, I don't th! ink the issue of service time should come into play -- especially when he have someone seemingly as talented as Wieters in the wings.

However, the big issue is with Hernandez's contract. I would fathom at this point, since Ramon has one year left at I think $8 million plus, the Orioles would attempt to move him this off-season.

I say let Wieters play for a job in Spring Training, and if he tears it up, he should be behind the plate for Opening Day 2009.

Will The Red Sox Put A Limit On Teixeira?


Could the Red Sox be reconsidering their demands? Right now, I think this might be first concrete series of quotes that we have gotten on the matter from the Red
Sox. Again, take this all with a grain of salt.
From CNNSI.com: With as many as five teams showing interest in the first baseman, there is serious doubt the Red Sox would go longer than the eight-year contract the Los Angeles Angels, Teixeira's former team, have! offered.

"We all have limits," Red Sox owner John Henry said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Eight years is a very long time in baseball and everywhere else."

He also said the amount the team is willing to spend on a free agent "depends on both" the economy and the player being sought.

"Baseball as a whole has not yet been hit by the financial crisis, but it will," Henry said. "The degree is in question and won't be answered for a while."

A decision by Teixeira on where he will end up did not appear imminent.

"No immediate timetable," his agent, Scott Boras, said in an e-mail Wednesday. "Negotiations are on going."
I think the Red Sox have contended that Teixeira is a special case, as usually they try to get the most value out of their players, and then let them move on when their services are no longer needed. I don't think I've ever seen the Red Sox go more than five years on anyone, and signin! g the slugger to a deal longer than that goes against their me! thod of operation.

I'm sure that Teixeira will get the money he wants from someone, but as of right now, it doesn't seem like anyone is willing to cross the eight year threshold and probably for good reason.

Ben Sheets, Random Thoughts, Quick Hits & Around the Blogosphere...


Today, Peter Schmuck on his blog does a great job of pointing out the pros and cons of signing Ben Sheets to a contract with the Orioles.

Here's a bit of what he says towards the end of his post:

Now, I realize that it's not your concern whether the Orioles cough up $20 million or so on a dare, but I'd like you to try to imagine the reaction they would get if they sign Sheets and he undergoes elbow surgery in May and is lost for 1 1/2 of those two seasons. I'm pretty sure a lot of the same people who think he's such an obvious choice would be lining up to blast the O's for another brainless, short-sighted move.

>>> Read More

The Baby Birds Beat Italy; Let The Games Begin; Quick Hits...


The Orioles will kick off exhibition season on Wednesday as they face off against the New York Mets; however, some of the young, future Birds took on Team Italy and beat them in impressive fashion, 4-0.

Roch Kubatko literally had a game running blog along with Peter Schmuck, and kept us all at work -- thanks a lot! -- updated with the latest from the game. It looks like our young pitching -- Matusz (who started), Patton, Bergesen, Tillman, Wilfredo Perez, Arrieta -- looked great and were solid at the plate.

Donnie Murphy and Scott Moore each doubled in a run and Craig Brazell drove in the third run with a single; the final blow was delivered by Adam Donachie's home run in the eighth inning.

>>> Read More

Michael Young Homers off George Sherrill Late; O's Lose, 5-4 -- Pictures Included & Fans Jumping on the Field?











Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles; April 24th, 2009

Despite another solid start by Koji Uehara, the Baltimore Orioles were stunned in the ninth inning thanks to a two-run opposi! te field homer by Michael Young off a pitch by George Sherrill! . The Or ioles weren't able to comeback in the ninth inning and lost a close one to the Rangers, 9-4. They held a razor thin one-run lead until the deciding frame.

Sherrill had gotten two outs in the ninth inning, as well as stopped a threat in the eighth, but allowed Kinsler to reach first on a single before Young brought him in. Sherill took the loss on Friday, while Uehara allowed two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

>>> Read More

The Weekend that Was; Progress


Despite Baltimore's record, all things considered, they have been playing well the last week or so. Their solid play continued in Chicago as they took two out of three from the White Sox this weekend, as Jeremy Guthrie found his groove on Saturday, and Jason Berken showed signs of learning on the big league level as he won his third game of the season.

With Aubrey Huff being traded last week, one wondered who'd step in and take up the slack; however, Brian Roberts has taken torch as he's been a doubles machine, and has supplied much of the team's offense. In addition, Nick Markakis has started to pick up the slack, and after a dip in his numbers, Nolan Reimold is starting hit the ball well again and contributed to Sunday's win with his 12th homer of the year.

Furthermore, Felix Pie – the one guy who everyone wanted off the team – has finally gained some comfort as an Oriole as his playing time has increased; therefore, he's responded. He had a homer on ! Sunday, and has been able to get timely hits when needed to help out the squad. After barely hitting his weight for much of the year, he's upped his batting average to .259 and has shown flashes of the player he was in the Chicago Cubs minor league system.

Right now, in my mind, the big picture should be on the development of the pitching – which has improved somewhat since the All-Star break – and looking to add pieces for next year. Kam Mickolo – at least when I have been able to watch him briefly on MASN – has done remarkably well in his latest tour in Baltimore and may now be here to stay with Sherill traded and with Johnson serving as the current closer.

>>> Read More

Havelid Traded To New Jersey Devils



According to TSN:
The Atlanta Thrashers traded defenceman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for blueliner Annsi Salmela.

According to NHL Numbers, Havelid is making $2.9m this season and will be a UFA on July 1st. Salmela ! is an RFA this summer and is currently on contract for $562k. It has been rumored for the past month or so that Atlanta would trade Havelid knowing that they are out of playoff contention.

Rangers (40-29-9) at Boston (50-17-10)




1pm ET on MSG+

After a disappointing 4-2 loss in Carolina on Thursday night the Rangers take on the Bruins in Boston today where they badly need to get at least a point. Atlanta helped the Rangers! out big time last night by beating the Panthers 3-1, which keeps the Rangers two points ahead of Florida. The Rangers sit in 8th spot in the East and have now played the same amount of games as the Panthers, each with four games left. However, the Rangers can't continue to depend on other teams, they need to start producing for themselves consistently.

While the Rangers are struggling to make the playoffs the Boston Bruins need just one more point to clinch the Eastern Conference's top seed. Basically, this afternoon could very well be a first round matchup for the NHL playoffs that start in two weeks.

I know that I along with pretty much 99% of bloggers and the media focus on Sean Avery a lot. But, the game this afternoon in Boston could be interesting, it's Avery's first game back in Boston since a fight filled game at the beginning of the season when Avery was still a nuisance...I mean member....of the Dallas Stars. Oh, how thankful us Ranger fans ! are that Morrow, Modano, Turco & Co. couldn't all just get! along w / Avery!

Game Preview [NYR.com]

A look at it from a Bruins perspective. [Link]

Michal Rozsival will be in the lineup today. Corey Potter was sent back down to Hartford yesterday. [Link] Not really sure what type of message is being sent...if you get a call up from Hartford happen to score one of two goals in a game then you are going to get demoted. Meanwhile, you have a guy like Wade Redden skating around like a headless chicken stuck in tar for 95% of the season and he stays in the lineup. Accountability? No, Wade - we know you make a $hitload of money, I wasn't asking for a recommendat! ion on an accountant.

Tickets for 2 remaining home games:
Just in case you were looking for tickets, plenty available for the games via Montreal and Philly. Tickets available below face at StubHub.com, TickCo Tickets, RazorGator and TicketsNow. I'm assuming that all of those season ticket holders want to try and recover some money for the playoff tickets that they paid for. Let's just hope that these aren't their final two games at MSG this season!

Heatley To Be Traded Before July 1st ?



The whole Dany Heatley trade demand saga has taken an interesting turn. According to Bruce Garrioch of Sun Media:
if the high-scoring winger isn't dealt by July 1, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk will be on the hook to pay Heatley a whopping $4-million bonus (all terms US), even if he doesn't play for Ottawa next season.
It looks like the Senators hands are really tied on this one. By making the whole trade demand p! ublic, every GM in the league knows that the Senators are trying to trade Heatley. On top of that, other GMs now have the bargaining leverage knowing that the Senators are going to do their best to trade Heatley before July 1st, so that they don't have to pay that ridiculous bonus that Heatley is owed.

I have a major problem with this - usually I am very much in favor of the players having a significant amount of power to determine where they are traded if they have a "no trade clause" in their contract. But, in my opinion, Heatley is under contract with the Senators and it is his obligation to play out that contract. This whole idea of demanding a trade is absolute bull$shit! If he didn't want to stay in Ottawa, then he shouldn't have signed that massive contract extension (6yr/$45M) that he agreed to not even two years ago. On top of this all, he has the "no trade clause", so not only can he demand a trade from Ottawa, he can also dictate where he is traded to.! In my opinion he forfeited his chance of getting that $4M con! tract bo nus. The way NHL contracts are now structured, the player has all of the power to do and demand pretty much whatever he wants, whenever he wants it --- even if he is in the middle of a contract.

The NHL draft is June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, we'll see if he's traded by then. Or, will Heatley stay in Ottawa until later this summer, cash that beautiful $4M bonus check that he'll receive and then play next season wherever he chooses. Sounds pretty fair, right??

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Interesting What Some NHLers Do In Their Free Time


People always wonder what NHL players get up to in their free time. Well, I bet not to many of them have the same hobby as Riley Cote of the Philadelphia Flyers.

This is what Cote had said on his Twitter account prior to the tattoo, "going to tattoo my first ever tattoo on my boy gemma. a nice flyers logo on his leg. probably wont be so nice when im finished with it. ha"

Work in Progress:



Final Product:


The photos are also from his Twitter account

Video: Orr vs Koci





Sponsors: Stubhub | RazorGator | TicketsNow | TickCo

PGA Championship overnight down 56%.


Eagles/Cowboys most watched cable program ever.


The ratings game.


AFL to cancel 2009 season.


Bowl bash.


Saturday, November 21, 2009

Question of the day.


Weekend ratings.


NBC skates to big increase.


Idle notes.


World Series games to start earlier.


Little League Championship Game up from '08, down from '07


Ratings up big for Deutsche Bank Championship


And the Season Kicks off!


15th August,2009- The day that every one was waiting for is here. YES! The Premier League starts today and indeed in great style.

Welcome to the Manchester United Blog. I can guarantee that this is going to be a perfect spot for the Red Devilzz!

So back to Manchester United! We have the 1st game of the season tomorrow and the excitement could just not be any bigger than this. A lot has changed since 24th May,2009- the last premier league game of Manchester United against Hull City (which they won 1-0). Cristiano Ronaldo has been bought by Real Madrid as one of their Galacticos! Carlos Tevez has fled away to our very own rivals - Man City. In other words, we have lost two of our main strikers. In order to compensate, Fergie did try his best to heal the wound in the Man United's Squad. We've got Michael Owen from Newcastle United on a fr! ee transfer! Now that's wise isn't it! We've also got Antonio Valencia as our right winger. It should be fascinating to watch Valencia as he takes on Ronaldo's job. We've also got Gabriel Obertan from Boardeux.

Back to the tomorrow's fixture! There are big hopes from Manchester United that they will certainly outperform in front of the home crowd and give a perfect start to the season.

The Starting 11s

Manchester United: Foster, Evra, Evans, O'Shea, Fabio, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Valencia, Berbatov, Rooney.

Michael Owen is on the Bench and Nani has done a marvelous recovery from the injury he suffered in the Communi! ty Shield.

Birming! ham City : Hart, Queudrue, Taylor, Roger Johnson, Carr, Fahey, Carsley, Ferguson, Larsson, Phillips, Jerome

That's all from today. Will catch you in a happy (hopefully) mood after Manchester United thrashes B'gham city by scoring at least 6 goals to compete with Arsenal :P

See ya and do tune in to ur sports channel at 13:30 BST - 6 PM IST

Serie A 2009/2010 | Moratti: Adriano ke Milan? Silakan


Adriano
AC Milan dikabarkan tengah memantau Adriano demi menambah stok pemain lini depan mereka. Inter Milan sebagai mantan klub Adriano mengaku tak keberatan jika sang striker menyeberang ke Rossoneri.

Pulang ke Brasil untuk membela Flamengo, Adriano mampu kembali menunjukkan ketajamannya sebagai salah satu striker top. Setelah banyak bermasalah dengan kehidupan malam dan kedapatan sering ! mabuk bersama Nerazzurri, striker 27 tahun itu berhasil mengemas 15 gol dari 22 penampilannya.

Dengan kondisi lini depan yang sangat mengkhawatirkan, cuma bikin enam gol dalam sembilan laga, Adriano bisa jadi jawaban atas tumpulnya barisan striker Rossoneri. Upaya Milan membawa kembali Adriano ke Kota Mode itu juga dapat dukungan tak langsung dari pihak Inter yang mengaku tak keberatan mantan pemainnya itu memperkuat Milan.

"Jika Milan memilih Adriano, mereka bebas saja melakukannya. Adriano bukan lagi pemain Inter," ungkap bos besar Inter, Massimo Moratti seperti diberitakan Football Italia.

Dalam setidaknya satu dekade terakhir Milan sudah beberapa kali membeli pemain dari Inter Milan yang ternyata terhitung sangat menguntungkan. Dua di antaranya yang masih jadi penghuni skuad utama Diavolo Rosso saat ini adalah Andrea Pirlo (dibeli tahun 2001) dan Clarence Seedorf (2002).

Meski tak dibel! i langsung dari Inter, Adriano bisa menjadi salah satu pemain ! kunci bu at Milan jika melihat apa yang sudah dia torehkan bersama Flamengo. Apalagi dari segi umur, Adriano kini justru tengah dalam usia emas.



Mercato



da oggi il cileno Pizarro pagato 9 con altri 2 anni di contratto non è più un calciatore del Real Marcina...Per 12 crediti passa alla Tofa!!!

U/21 FRIENDLY 2008: PORTUGAL 4 - SPAIN 1


Friday, November 20, 2009

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/09 - ROUND 3 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS


FC BARCELONA SCOTTISH TOUR 2008: WINS DUNDEE UTD 1-5 (SEE VIDEO)


ATLETICO DE MADRID FOLLOW SINAMA PONGOLLE


SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA - ROUND 25/ 2008 SUNDAY GAMES RESULT


FC BARCELONA NEWS 2008: PINTO SEEN AS NEW GOALKEEPER


UEFA CUP: GETAFE THROUGH TO NEXT STAGE AS GROUP LEADER


VALENCIA CF: LOOKING FOR THEIR "SAVIOUR"


BASKETBALL: SPAIN MOVES INTO THE Q/FINALS OF THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS


CHAMPIONS LEAGUE & UEFA CUP PRELIMINARY DRAWS. SPANISH TEAM FAIR "WELL".


SPANISH FOOTBALL NEWS & TRANSFER RUMBLINGS & GOSSIP


Thursday, November 19, 2009

SPANISH FOOTBALL TRANSFER BRIEFS


SPANISH FOOTBALL & SPORTS BLOG ON TWITTER: JOIN!


SAMUEL ETO´O ON COURSE FOR THE EUROPEAN GOLDEN BOOT 2008/09


HAPPY, WONDERFUL & CAREFREE - THAT´S MY DREAM TO PLAY AT REAL MADRID


SIGNS OF BAD MANAGEMENT & IRRATIONAL PARANOIA AT FC BARCELONA


U19 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009: TURKEY 1 - SPAIN 2


HANDBALL: BARCELONA WINS SPANISH SUPERCUP


Óscar Serrano Linked With Getafe Move


Player Ratings: Spain 1-0 United States


Sunny Completes Osasuna Switch


Schuster: Robinho Not Coming To A Coruña


Torres: There Is A Great Campaign Behind Casillas


Villarreal Defender Eguren Released From Hospital


Player Ratings: Real Madrid 1-0 Valencia


Copa Del Rey Preview: Espanyol - Barcelona


Barcelona Are The Perfect Team For Me - Dani Alves


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Puyol set to miss Lyon clash


Federer, Roddick advance at Indian Wells


Serena beats sister Venus in Key Biscayne semis


Roddick to marry SI swimsuit model Decker


Sunday, November 15, 2009

More French frustration for Venus


Salgado relishes Rovers chance


Ramos - We can match Barca


Javier Zanetti in Inter Milan







Javier Zanetti in Inter Milan

Tottenham 'not big enough' for Van Bommel


Taken from the Evening Standard

Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel today revealed why he snubbed Tottenham in favour of a three-year contract with Spanish champions Barcelona.

Van Bommel rejected the overtures of coach Martin Jol despite at one stage last season claiming he wanted to move to north London.

"Spurs play good football and have a good trainer but at the moment they are not a big enough club, I may have joined had there been no interest from bigger clubs." He said.


Oh well, we'll probably sign him on a Bosman in three years.

Play The Way You're Facing


By Sam Mollison
For THBN

I woke up yesterday morning astonished at the article upload and the comments total that followed. Thinking wow, maybe I AM MAKING A DIFFRENCE BY ENTERING THE WEBLOG NATION. Yeah, whatever!

I made the choice of scrolling backwards and read some utter BS from people who are obviouslyArsenal supporters.

Comments from people like "Top Yid", "ManicSpur" and "Rackny" are what I am all about but when we lower ourselves to respond to the anonymous dross that can't even show who they are or individuals that have names like "Reidssafatyock", it takes me to a position that reminds me of one of the age old sayings in the universal footie coaching book, PLAY THE WAY YOU'RE FACING.

Meaning, don't let these idiots wind you up an! d suck you in. Ignore their pathetic bum holes and communicate with people who really care about Yidland. Stay positive and work towards a future that has THFC amongst the elite…

Let me tell you about my passion and why I am a Spurs supporter first and foremost before I am even a parent.

I was born in Hackney east London in 1966. As a pre-teen you either supported Armpit, West Sham, Orient or Spurs. When Spurs got relegated in 1977 things changed dramatically for a lot of football followers.

My Best two friends were Mark O'Sullivan and Gary Harris at the time. We had all just moved up to secondary school to Hackney Downs (yeah, the roughest, toughest closed down school in the country) from Baden Powell primary School in Clapton. In primary school, we all supported Spurs. Sang loud, sang proud and ! as O'Sullivan was the school bully, we enjoyed the lions share! of prot ection and the right to playground dominance.

Well, relegation apparently change all that.

When we were able to get together after all the new school formalities, O'Sullivann corrected me on a release of our normal expression towards Spurs by telling me that he no longer supported Spurs as "he goes where Pat Jennings goes. Gary Harris had a boyhood friend named Kevin who recently moved to Archway and that is why he now supported Arsewipe.

Look, this was the single most devastating occurrence since my Mum and dad said "see ya"' in the winter of 74 so I was pissed and let down, but never fail, Gary's brother Roy, 5 years older persuaded me to hold my corner and stick not twist. Turncoats were scum that was that bro or no bro. We came up the next season and Roy Harris promised me that he would sneak ! me into White Hart Lane because of my loyalty. The turncoat issue instilled a worth and purpose into me that couldn't be shaken. Thank god.

We drew 1-1 with Forest the first game, Villa scoring at the city ground. Thrashed 4-1 by Aston Villa at home and 2-2 with Chelsea at the lane. 7-0 at Liverpool soon after, gutted from Clapton.

My first game at the Lane was against Bristol City and we finally won via an own goal from a Peter Taylor's through ball that defender Rogers passed into his own net.

I remember 55, 000 fans in the ground with the old West stand just about standing. Park lane boys taking the piss, Paxton boys re-filling their flasks and Shelf side boys trying to get into the Park Lane with songs that sounded straight up wrong but funny.

I can remember the smell of cigar smoke and the eff! ort to t ry and tip toe to see what was going on in the game. John Lacy, Barry Daines, Gerry Armstrong, Peter Taylor, Terry Naylor and Steve Perryman just to name a few and thinking, heroes one and all. HEROES ONE AND ALL.

I live in Orlando Florida now. My last game at White Hart Lane was Spurs vs Southampton in the FA CUP 94 (I think). Gordon Durie giving us the chance to play them at their place whilst watching from the West stand.

In between Bristol City and that game, I was fortunate to see Hoddle blast a shot past Shilton from 28 yards in 79. Ossie scored against United when Glenn was in goal. Spurs beat Wolves in the FA cup semi-final at Highbury. Spurs beat Man City after having gone through two finals at Wembley. The side of 82 which was two minutes from winning the domestic cup double with Ronnie Whelan posing ball bags in the Milk cup of 82 with a rifle ! shot and Souness putting a boot up Villa's ass. Roberts lifting the UEFA cup 84. Mark Falco missing a header against Everton, which cost us a Championship in 85. Gazza's debut against Armpit in 88 3-2. FACUP 91…

Let's forget the 14 years after that.

What I am trying to say is I have never waivered from my support of Tottemham. Because of my experience with turncoats, I have never swayed from the belief that Spurs are the best team on the planet. That's why comments from the idiots make me realize that Arsenal supporters have infiltrated ourconversations. Why facilitate them. Don't let them get under your skin and if you are a "Top Yid" you wouldn't even acknowledge them. People like "Flying Scorpion" are just embarrassing because they have no tradition or understanding and I would like to show them what it's all about but I don't think I have the time.

The! good pe ople who have started this blog deserve better from us. Go back and read some of the BS and I am sorry for their efforts.

Andy Reid has one of the most cultured left foots in a generation and armpits are afraid of that. Look at pictures of Tony Galvin and then of Andy Reid. Reid has just us much pace if not more, and a cultured left foot, but I hear you bitching all day long. Pathetic…

Marney could be as good as Guti. Tianio is as good as Hleb, but will you idiots recognize that? Probably not.

Just play the way you are facing and that is upward and onward.

Ignore the idiots.


Molly

New Signings


Depending on which newspapers, Spurs sites, forums, and/or blogs you read, it looks as though Football Manager is back on at The Lane.

With reports linking us to Roman Pavlyuchenko, Andrei Arshavin, Miguel Veloso, Vedran Corluka, and Radamel Falcao, the transfer merry-go-round is certainly in full swing!

I think we can take it as fact that Pavlyuchenko will soon be a Spurs player; taking into consideration his Visa acceptance by the DoE (Department of Employment), London will have two Russian Roman's.

With Zenith buying a direct replacement for Arshavin, it looks as though Levy has got his wish in signing a player for an amount that he sees as amicable.

Some blogs and the BBC's site have mentioned that we are close to signing Sporting's Portuguese ball-winning midfielder, Miguel Veloso.

Signing a player like Veloso must be a dream for us fans that feel it would be in the clubs' best inte! rests to strengthen our ranks with defensive midfielders, rather than attacking midfielders.

If all the above turn of events do take place though, who am I to argue?

City's Corluka looks to be signing to. He's a good player, but just like Pavlyuchenko, if he does sign, he'll be cup-tied from our UEFA Cup campaign.

Finally, we come to Falcao. I personally know nothing about this player apart from that he's highly aggressive and imitates runway attendants (sounds like a South American version of Robbie Keane to me).

Knowing Spurs like we do, we'll probably not sign any of the above mentioned players, instead, bringing in players that absolutely no one had a clue the club were tracking.

But I suppose that's why we love our Spurs so much.

COYS!!!

Could Keane Go?


What do you make of the related stories regarding Sunderland wanting Keane?

It seems obvious that playing just Defoe and Keane up front simply doesn't work. Also tie in the fact that Robbie didn't look himself in the remaining last few games of last season.

This could all just be paper talk, but if it was true, how would you feel if Robbie Keane was sold?

Personally, I wouldn't mind if we could bring in one of the linked strikers.

Buru Ledesma, Milan & Juve Perang


ROMA - Rumor masa depan gelandang Lazio Cristian Ledesma terus menghiasi halaman surat kabar Italia. Beberapa klub elit dunia terus mewacanakan rencana memboyong pemain Argentina berusia 26 tahun ini.
Sebut saja Inter Milan, Fiorentina, Juventus dan AC Milan yang diklaim berminat menggaet Ledesma. Kini, jumlah klub tersebut mengerucut. Pertarungan transfer hanya dilakoni Juventus dan Milan.
"Saya dapat menjamin Ledesma tidak akan bermain untuk Biancocelesti musim depan," kata sang agen, V! incenzo D'Ippolito seperti dilansir goal, Senin (29/6/2009). "Kami berbincang dengan wakil Juventus, tapi target pertama mereka adalah gelandang Udinese Gaetano D'Agostino.
Bila mereka gagal menuntaskan negosiasi dengan D'Agostino, Ledesma target berikutnya," papar D'Ippolito. "Milan memiliki masalah serupa. Bila Andrea Pirlo hengkang, maka klien saya menggantikannya.
Yang jelas, Presiden Lazio Claudio Lotito akan menjual dengan harga 15 juta poundsterling," tegasnya. "Baiklah, ini adalah cara kerjanya di dunia sepakbola. Kami hanya menunggu untuk mengetahui apa yang akan terjadi," pugkas D'Ippolito.

Galliani Segera Jemput Fabiano


MILAN - Adriano Galliani diperkirakan akan terbang ke Spanyol pada awal pekan depan untuk memastikan transfer striker Luis Fabiano ke San Siro, demikian perkiraan dari Il Corriere Dello Sport.
Setelah gagal dalam usaha pertama mereka, Milan akan menaikkan tawaran dari €14 juta menjadi sekitar €20 juta, seperti permintaan klub La Liga itu.
Selain itu, Sevilla juga meminta bonus tambahan sekitar €4 juta jika Milan berhasil merebut sejumlah piala, seperti Liga Champions atau juara Serie A Italia. Nasib transfer Andrea Pirlo ke Chelsea juga dapat mempengaruhi kepastia! n Fabiano hengkang dari Sevilla.

Bendtner Emoh ke San Siro


LONDON - AC Milan kembali menelan pil pahit. Pasalnya, penyerang Arsenal Nicklas Bendtner yang menjadi incarannya, emoh untuk merumput di San Siro. Bendtner tegas akan membela "The Gunners" musim depan.
"Sejauh yang saya tahu, saya akan tetap bersama Arsenal. Ini yang saya inginkan. Ini sesuatu yang spesial dan saya ingin menjadi bagian dari itu," ungkapnya kepada Arsenal TV Online.
"Saya belum mendengar apapun," kata pemain berusia 21 tahun ini. Pemain dengan nomor punggung 26 ini, mengklaim ia akan membela Arsenal. Apalagi setelah ke! pergian Emmanuel Adebayor ke Manchester City, maka memberi angin segar berembus kepada Bendtner karena dia bakal menjadi pilihan utama di lini depan.
"Ini adalah klubku. Saya ingin tetap dan selalu besama Arsenal," simpulnya. Musim lalu, pemain asal Denmark ini telah menyumbangkan 15 gol bagi "The Gunners". Meskipun demikian, torehan gol tersebut tak membuatnya puas. Ia berjanji akan tampil lebih "galak" dengan menorehkan banyak gol lagi.

Roma 'Usir' Kalac dari Milan


MILAN - AC Milan dikabarkan akan merekrut penjaga gawang baru dan melepas stok lamanya. Figur terpilih adalah kiper veteran Flavio Roma, sedangkan sosok yang terusir dari San Siro adalah Zeljko Kalac. Harian Corriere dello Sport, Rabu (12/8/2009), memastikan bahwa Roma sudah berada di Milan untuk menjalani tes kesehatan. Begitu beres, ia akan diberi kontrak untuk pihak Il Diavolo.
Pemain berusia 35 tahun itu sudah bermain di level profesional sejak 1993 dan bermain di banyak klub seperti Lazio, Venezia, Foggia, C! hievo dan Piacenza. Namun masa terbaiknya adalah saat memperkuat AS Monaco dari 2001 sampai akhir musim lalu.
Kini, setelah delapan tahun berkarir di Prancis, pemain yang sempat tiga kali membela timnas Italia di tahun 2005 itu kembali ke negeri asalnya, dan bekerja untuk sebuah tim besar. Masuknya Roma membuat Milan memilih Kalac untuk dilepas.
Kiper jangkung dari Australia itu akan dibebaskontrakkan, karena di dalam skuad Leonardo pun masih ada Cristian Abbiatti, Dida, dan Marco Storari. Kalac tadinya akan memasuki musim kelimanya di Milan. Ia tak pernah bisa menembus tim inti Milan sejak direkrut dari Perugia di tahun 2005.

Milan Masih Mencari Identitas


MILAN - Kekalahan 0-4 dari Inter Milan boleh jadi membuat AC Milan kecewa berat. Tetapi sang pelatih Leonardo menyebut, skuadnya masih mencari jati diri, dan berjanji akan segera bangkit. Milan memang harus berjuang ekstra keras karena setelah tertinggal 0-2, Gennaro Gattuso malah menerima kartu kuning kedua sebelum jeda.
Bermain minus satu pemain, gawang Milan pun kebobolan sepasang gol lagi. Alhasil San Siro Minggu (30/8/2009) dinihari tadi total menjadi milik Inter. Kemenangan 4-0 tersebut seperti menunjuk! kan bahwa Milan masih butuh perbaikan, dan ini dibenarkan Leonardo. "Kami adalah tim yang masih mencari identitas dan kekalahan ini tak seharusnya menjadi penghalang bagi kami untuk berkembang," ujarnya seperti dilansir Goal.
"Kami memiliki waktu dan jalan untuk melakukannya. Malam ini kami memulai dengan bagus, meski serangan kami tak terlalu brilian. Tetapi tim ini bermain rapat dari lini ke lini, sangat solid dan agresif, jadi ada sisi positif di sini."
Milan memulai musim ini dengan kehilangan ikon sekaligus bintangnya selama ini, Kaka, yang dilego ke Real Madrid. Selain hilangnya Kaka, mereka juga ditinggal pelatih yang selama ini telah membangun tim, Carlo Ancelotti. Bisa dibilang Milan kini memang tengah masuk masa transisi. Sejak kepergian Kaka, Ronaldinho diplot sebagai penghidup permainan.
Namun mantan playmaker Barcelona ini belum mampu menunjukkan kemampuan terbaiknya, dan imbasnya para tifosi pun sempat memusuhinya.

Inzaghi Tersanjung Disebut Sebagai Legenda Milan


MILAN - Penampilan pemain veteran AC Milan Pippo Inzaghi yang brilian di pertengahan pekan saat membawa Rossoneri meraih kemenangan tandang 2-1 di Marseille di pentas Liga Champions telah memberinya banyak pujian. Inzaghi tak hanya sekedar menyamai rekor gol Eropa yang dimiliki Gerd Muller dengan koleksi total 70 gol saja.
Namun juga dirinya merasa sangat tersanjung disebut sebagai seorang legenda layaknya Paolo Maldini oleh wakil prsiden AC milan Adriano Galliani. "Tentang rekor gol saya? Ini! menjadi tonggak penting dalam sejarah dari kompetisi prestius dengan sebuah kepuasan besar buat saya karena begitu banyak pemain hjebat yang telah bermain untuk klub ini, termasuk [George] Weah, [Marco] van Basten dan [Andriy] Shevchenko," katanya.
"Tetapi yang lebih membuat saya tersanjugn adalah kata-kata dari Galliani ketika dia menyebut saya sebagai seorang legenda layaknya [Paolo] Maldini." Lebih lanjut Inzaghi berharap Milan masih bisa terus melanjutkan penampilan baiknya di Liga Champions. "Maklum Liga Champions merupakan sebuah kompetisi yang spesial.
Tentu saja kami harus memenangkan pertandingan pertama, lalu yang kedua karena kemudian kita akan menghadapi Real Madrid dua kali. Yang pasti sejauh ini tak ada satupun yang dapat menjaminnya," katanya kepada Sky. "Jika kami ingin meraih level layaknya Barcelona dan Chelsea maka kami harus bisa melanjutkan kontinuitas pertandingan kami dengan baik," sambungnya.


! sumber : goal.com

Taci Ngotot, Milan Tetap Bilang Tidak


MILAN - Silvio Berlusconi kembali menegaskan pihaknya tidak berniat menjual AC Milan, kendati konglomerat Albania Rezart Taci sesumbar siap membeli 100 persen saham klub.
Spekulasi berkembang, Berlusconi bersiap melepas saham keluarga Fininvest senilai 750 juta euro. Mendengar kabar ini, Taci menyatakan siap membeli saham klub raksasa Italia itu secara penuh. Sayang, pemilik klub itu tak pernah berencana menjual skuad besutan Leonardo Araujo tersebut.
Demikian pernyataan resmi klub sebagaimana dilansir situs acmilan.com, Selasa (7/10/2009), "Menjaw! ab spekulasi yang berkembang di media, Fininvest merasa wajib menegaskan kembali, bahwa tidak ada transaksi atas saham di AC Milan." Sebelumnya, kepada Gazzetta dello Sport, Taci mengaku dirinya telah menemui Berlusconi.
Dan Perdana Menteri Italia itu secara terang-terangan memberitahunya tidak akan menjual klub. Rupanya, ketegasan Berlusconi tidak membuat semangat Taci kendur. Dia pun berniat membujuk pemilik perusahaan induk Diavoli tersebut. "Saya punya dana cukup untuk membeli Milan," cetus Taci, "dan saya akan meyakinkan mereka."


sumber : okezone .com

Friday, November 13, 2009

Benitez up for the cup


The Reds came within a whisker of winning the final in Cardiff before eventually suffering an extra-time 3-2 loss to Jose Mourinho's side.

Liverpool travel to fallen-giants Leeds on Tuesday and while Benitez concedes he will give some of his fringe players a run-out, he is keen to reach Wembley.

The likes of Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Philipp Degen, Andreas Dossena, Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin and David Ngog are all likely to start while regulars Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Jamie Carragher will rest up.

Squad
"We will try to manage the squad for the match and use some different players," said Benitez. "But we want to win and get to the final.

"In my first season we got to the Carling Cup final and were winning with 10 minutes to go before we conceded an own goal.

"I would like to go to the final again and make amends for that defeat."

Leeds have an impressive record on home soil in 2009 and Be! nitez believes it will be a tough encounter despite the two division disparity between the teams.


Difficult match
"I have no doubts that this will be a very difficult match. They have quality and they are a big club with great traditions.

"They will want to win this one because of the situation they find themselves in.

"They have passion, quality and the fans are always really behind their team."

Benitez believes free-scoring striker Jermaine Beckford could be Leeds' main threat due to his blistering pace and eye for goal.

"Jermaine Beckford has impressed a lot of people, and there is a view that he is the best striker in the Football League.

"He has pace and ability. He scores a lot of goals and will be a danger."

Keputusan Alonso Hari Senin


Xabi Alonso kembali dari Spanyol ke Liverpool sabtu ini untuk membicarakan negosiasi transfer yang berlarut-larut.

Baik Liverpool maupun klub pembeli Alonso yaitu Real Madrid masih tersangkut dengan nilai transfer pemain timnas Spanyol usia 27 tahun tersebut. Keputusanny! a akan dikabarkan hari senin mendatang.

Real telah mengajukan penawaran ditambahkan pertukaran pemain namun Rafa Benitez yang menangani Liverpool sekarang masih tetap menginginkan nilai transfer 30 juta poundsterling dan mengatakan tidak tertarik dengan tawaran pertukaran pemain Real. Dia hanya menginginkan transfer dilakukan dengan uang tunai.

Pemain yang ditawarkan oleh Real Madrid untuk mendapatkan Xabi Alonso antara lain Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Alvaro Negredo dan Rafael van der Vaart.

Alonso telah ! menyatak an keinginannya untuk hengkang seminggu yang lalu dan dia sangat menginginkan debut pertamanya bersama Madrid di kota kelahirannya San Sebastian tanggal 15 Agustus ketika Real bermain melawan Real Sociedad.

Kabar dari Italia mengungkapkan bahwa gelandang energik Alberto Aquilani telah menjadi bidikan the Reds untuk menggantikan kepergian Alonso. Roma telah menyetujui transfer dengan harga 15 juta poundsterling dan Aquilani juga telah menyetujui kontrak 5 tahun dengan gaji sekitar 4 juta poundsterling per musim. Namun hal ini tidak akan terealisasi bila kesepakatan Liverpool dengan Madrid belum tercapai.

Liverpool berh! arap dapat turun dengan kekuatan penuh saat melawan Espanyol termasuk pemain yang baru dibeli dengan harga 17.5 juta poundsterling Glen Johnson yang mulai pulih dari cedera Achilles.

Johnson sebenarnya telah bermain selama 2 pertandingan, namun hanya bermain separuh pertandingan.

Duta baru Liverpool Kenny Dalglish kagum dengan pemain barunya tersebut. "Pemain attacking-full back selalu menjadi bagian penting dari permainan Liverpool."

"Da! ri sejarah sejak era Bill Shankly, kami selalu menjadi klub ya! ng memil iki kepercayaan besar terhadap pemain dengan posisi tersebut yang akan banyak memainkan peran."

LA ROMA FERMATA DAL LIVORNO


Allo stadio Olimpico la Roma pareggia 1-1 con il Livorno e probabilmente saluta i suoi propositi di vincere lo scudetto. La gara segue il solito monologo:la Roma attacca e il Livorno presidia con attenzione la propria metacampo. Dopo alcuni minuti i giallorossi perdono Totti(botta al ginocchio). Nel secondo tempo la squadra di Spalletti passa in vantaggio con un bel colpo di testa di Vucinic che sorprende Amelia. Camolese a questo punto cerca di scuotere un apatico Livorno inserendo Diamanti. La mossa del tecnico è giustissima:infatti all'83' l'attaccante pareggia con una splendida punizione,imparabile per D! oni . La Roma cerca in tutti i modi per pareggiare,ma non ci riesce. Adesso il sogno scudetto rischia di diventare un'utopia.

AUSTRIA-CROAZIA 0-1


PALERMo, OTTIMO DE MELO NEL PRIMO TEST



BAD KLEINKIRCHHEIM (AUSTRIA), 20 luglio - Pioggia di gol per il Palermo nell'amichevole contro i dilettanti austriaci del Nockberge, sconfitti per 9-0 (4-0). I rosanero si sono esibiti davanti a circa trecento tifosi, accorsi ad applaudire i propri giocatori. Ed è stata una bella partita. Nel primo tempo uno scatenato Capuano ha messo a segno il primo gol dopo soli due minuti. Poi Liverani, Jankovic e Lanzafame portano a quattro le marcature. DE MELO IN CATTEDRA - Nel secondo tempo totale cambio di formazione del Palermo e la partita resta molto brillante, con il brasiliano De Melo che segna una doppietta e dà spettacolo. In gol anche Miccoli, Ciaramitaro ed il giovane Di Matteo. LE FORMAZIONI - Questa la formazione schierata dal Palermo: Palermo - Primo tempo (4-3-3-): Fontana; Raggi; Carrozzieri, Dellafiore, Capuano; Tedesco, Liverani (c), Simplicio; Lanzafame, Cavani, Jankovic. Palermo - Secondo tempo (4-3-3): Ujkani; Cassani, Kjaer, Bovo, Balzaretti, Ciaramitaro, Guana (c), Simplicio (Tedesco), Miccoli, De Melo, Di Matteo. MARCATORI: 2' Capuano, 12' Liverani, 19' Jankovic, 42' Lanzafame; secondo tempo: 3', 5' De Melo, 7' Miccoli, 21' Di Matteo, 34' Tedesco


fonte: Corriere dello Sport Online

SUAZO + 15 MLN PER QUARESMA



Sembra sempre più probabile il passaggio di Quaresma all'Inter. Il quotidiano portoghese A Bola, da sempre vicino a Mourinho, riferisce infatti che i nerazzurri avrebbero offerto al Porto il prestito dell'attaccante David Suazo in cambio del trequartista della nazionale portoghese. L'honduregno sarebbe una contropartita gradita e potrebbe abbattere il costo di Quaresma fino a 15 milioni.

La trattativa, insomma, sembra essersi riaperta con ottime prospettive di andare in porto. Se, infatti, da una parte c'è la rottura ormai evidente tra Quaresma e il club lusitano (il tecnico Ferreira, sp! alleggiato dalla società, continua a escludere l'esterno, già fuori per gran parte del precampionato, a causa delle persistenti incertezze sul futuro), dall'altra l'offerta dell'Inter è stata accolta positivamente dal Porto, disposto, su queste basi, a trattare il doppio trasferimento. L'affare, quindi, adesso si può davvero chiudere. Resta da capire soltanto quanto il Porto valuti Suazo e, di conseguenza, quanto Moratti dovrà aggiungere in soldoni per assicurarsi Quaresma. La cifra su cui l'Inter può e vuole trattare è 20 milioni meno Suazo. Si chiude a 15?

LAZIO-FIORENTINA E' IL CLOU


Nel primo turno infrasettimanale big match a Roma.Inter ospita il Lecce.Juve-Catania,Milan a Reggio.
Mercoledì 24 settembre scende in campo la serie a per il primo dei quattro turni infrasettimanali di questa stagione. La gara più interessante è quella che va in scena allo Stadio Olimpico di Roma tra Lazio e Fiorentina(TVCALCIO 20.30):i biancocelesti devono dimostrare dinnanzi al proprio pubblico che la sconfitta di Milano è stata una gara partita male e finita molto peggio. Toccherà alla coppia Zarate-Pandev far gioire i numerosi supporters laziali sulle curve,un'impresa non certo facile visto lo stato di forma della Fiorentina che può contare su un Gilardino in più.
Luci a San Siro.La spettacolare e concreta Inter di Mourinho affronta il Lecce: probabile l'impiego part time di Ibrahimovic in vista del delicatissimo derby di domenica;i salentini puntano tutto sulla spiccata vena realizzativa di Caserta.
Impegnativa la gara della Juve al Comunale di Torino:i bianconeri affronteranno gli etnei con l'unica certezza che si chiama Amauri;attenzione al Catania,reduce da una vittoria e da prestazioni positive(vedi con l'Inter).
"Serve maturita". Questo è l'Ancellotti pensiero alla vigilia della gara con la Reggina. Mr Carletto annuncia 8/11 della squadra:"In porta Abbiati,in difesa Zambrotta,Bonera,Kaladze e Favalli. A centrocampo sicuri gli impieghi di Kakà e Flamini.L'attaccante sicuro del posto è Andriy Shevchenko".
Rimaneggiata la Roma che affronterà il Genoa.Mancheranno infatti Totti,Cassetti,Juan,Baptista ed è quasi sicuro l'impiego dal primo minuto di Aquilani.
Chiudono il quadro della giornata:Atalanta-Cagliari,Bo! logna-Udinese,Chievo-Torino,Napoli-Palermo e Siena-Sampdoria.
M.Lestingi

ARSHAVIN:DESTINAZIONE REAL


Il Real Madrid è in pole position per avere a gennaio Andrei Arshavin. La rivelazione dell'ultimo Europeo ha detto chiaramente di voler lasciare lo Zenit. L'attaccante russo ha lanciato l'ultimatum al suo club e pretende che lo Zenit fissi un prezzo ragionevole. La società ha fatto sapere che tratterà la cessione solo con i club interessati, non con l'agente del giocatore. Calderon, presidente del Real, ha già messo al lavoro i suoi uomini-mercato.

"Il prossimo anno non intendo giocare qui e non lo farò. Se invece sarò costretto a rimanere, sarò un giocatore dello Zenit solo sulla carta". Questa la dichiarazione di Arshavin, che lascia ben poche speranze al club russo riguardo ad un suo possibile ripensamento. Del resto, lo stesso allenatore dello Zenit, Dick Advocaat, sembra rassegnato: "Con Andrei abbiamo passato grandi momenti, ma ora sembra giunto il momento di separarsi".

In estate, dopo l'Europeo, il caso-Arshavin aveva tenuto banco a lungo, con l! 'assalto di numerosi club inglesi e spagnoli al talento dello Zenit. Ora il Real sembra avere bruciato la concorrenza di tutti, a cominciare dal Tottenham, mentre il Barcellona si era già defilato da tempo.

MILITO:RISCHIO INFORTUNIO


Il Genoa ora rischia seriamente di perdere Diego Milito. Il bomber rossoblù infatti, alle prese con alcuni problemi alla regione addominale, si è sottoposto a un controllo specialistico al termine del quale gli sarebbe stato consigliato uno stop precauzionale. Milito ha quindi lavorato a parte e potrebbe saltare, oltre al Torinodomenica, anche la sfida di Coppa Italia con l'Inter e la trasferta di campionato con il Lecce.

ETO'O E' NEL MIRINO DELL'INTER



Samuel Eto' apre le porte all'Inter e comincia, a modo suo, a lavorare al trasferimento in nerazzurro. Il camerunense, che continua a dichiarare di voler restare al Barcellona, ha però dato picche al club blaugrana quando si è trattato di sedersi attorno a un tavolo per buttare già le basi del rinnovo. La risposta di Eto'o la dice lunga sul suo progetto futuro: "C'è ancora molto tempo...". L'Inter aspetta alla finestra e attende il suo turno.

Per mettere un po' d'ordine le cose stanno più o meno in questi termini. Eto'o ha un con! tratto con il Barcellona fino al 2010 e non ci sarebbe, dunque, almeno a livello teorico, nessun'urgenza di trattare un eventuale rinnovo. Il Barcellona sa però bene che Eto'o ha mercato e non ha alcuna intenzione di perderlo senza ricavare un euro. Logico, quindi, che la società blaugrana stia tentando di stringere i tempi per trovare un accordo con il giocatore.

Altrettanto logica è però la posizione di Eto'o, che ha annusato l'aria che tira - gli assalti del Barça per Adebayor o Benzema, per intenderci - e fa quindi il suo gioco. Tira in lungo, non rinnova, si guarda in giro e aspetta. Aspetta il momento giusto per mettere il Barcellona spalle al muro - costringendolo magari ad accettare condizioni contrattuali fuori target per non rischiare di perderlo a zero - o, evidentemente, la chiamata buona. Che, nel caso specifico, potrebbe/dovrebbe essere quella dell'Inter.

Ma cosa si comportano nel frattempo i nerazzurri? Osservano quel che accade e resta! no defilati per evitare "incidenti diplomatici" con il Barcell! ona e pe r capire come il rapporto tra Eto'o e il suo club possa cambiare i termini di una trattativa. In altre parole, è pacifico che il prezzo di Eto'o sarà tanto più basso quanto più alto sarà il rischio dei catalani di perdere il giocatore a contratto concluso. Ad oggi Eto'o si porta via con 20 milioni. Da qui a giugno, però, le cose potrebbero cambiare.

DIARRA-INTER SI FARA'



"E' una grandissima possibilità. Mahamadou Diarra è un giocatore che potrebbe finire all'Inter". Frederic Guerra, procuratore del centrocampista maliano del Real Madrid, si sbilancia, predicendo per il suo assistito un futuro nerazzurro. "Ora lui si trova in un grande club - ha detto a calciomercato.it - ma ce ne sono altri in cui potrebbe trasferirsi. Al momento non abbiamo avuto contatti con l'Inter, ma è una possibilità molto attuale".

"In Europa non ci sono altri centrocampisti come Mahamadou - ha proseguito Guerra - e quei pochi al su! o livello, come De Rossi, Gerrard o Lampard restano nelle loro squadre. Per questo è l'attualità a farmi dire che la destinazione nerazzurra è una grandissima possibilità, nonostante per ora non ci siano stati contatti ufficiali". Crescono dunque le chances dell'Inter di assicurarsi il primo rinforzo di livello in vista della prossima stagione, proprio come richiesto da Josè Mourinho per puntare all'obiettivo Champions League. Con Diarra i nerazzurri andrebbero ad aggiungere sostanza e forza fisica al loro centrocampo.

Frederic Guerra ha parlato delle possibili destinazioni future anche di altri suoi assistiti: "Clerc è un terzino destro che piace in Italia, ma ci sono tante altre squadre interessate a lui, come il Bayern Monaco, che ha perso Sagnol. La Juve? Anche Inter e Milan cercano un terzino. L'Italia comunque è una destinazione che piace al ragazzo, ma adesso non posso dire quali club mi abbiano contattato". L'agente si è poi espresso anche su Anthony Moun! ier, del Lione: "E' un centrocampista con un anno di contratto! che int eressa ad alcune società italiane con le quali ho già parlato. Se sono club di prima fascia? Sì".

Sapevate che..


Una vita per il Crystal Palace: Neil Hayward


Le Pagelle di TORINO - LAZIO 1 - 3


Lazio: 7,5

Continua il momento d'oro della squadra della capitale e a farne le spese questa volta è il Toro di De Biasi. Primo tempo deludente degli uomini di Delio Rossi che vanno in vantaggio grazie ad un'azione personale del solito Zarate che serve un assist d'oro a Pandev. Nella ripresa la squadra cambia registro, Foggia si sposta a sinistra e diventa una spina nel fianco dei granata, Ledesma comincia a girare a dovere e soprattutto sale i! n cattedra Mauro Matias Zarate, che realizza due reti (una su rigore) e porta la Lazio in cima alla classifica. Almeno per una giornata si può sognare...PRIMA DELLA CLASSE

Carrizo: 6

Ancora una volta inoperoso il portiere argentino, a parte qualche uscita alta. Rischia non poco nella ripresa quando si esibisce nuovamente nella sua "gambeta". Farebbe bene a evitare simili leziosismi in futuro...SPAVALDO

Lichtsteiner: 6,5
L'esterno svizzero conferma il suo ottimo stato di forma e la sua freschezza atletica. Non si lascia mai intimorire dagli esterni del Torino, mantenendo sempre la posizione. Poco incisivo in fase d'attacco ma del resto il suo ruolo principale è quello di difendere...IMPENETRABILE

Siviglia: 6,5

Qualche indecisione di troppo nella fase iniziale della gara ma poi prende in mano la difesa laziale e per Amoruso e Bianchi c'è poco da fare. Si sta confermando leader difensivo di questa Lazio, se continua così Carrizo potrà continuare a prodigarsi esclusivamente nel suo ruolo di funambolo...LEADER
Cribari: s.v.

Non fa in tempo a mettere piede in campo che Abbruscato lo colpisce con una gomitata...SFIGURATO
(24' Rozenhal: 6 Senza infamia e senza lode la prestazione del centrale ceco che si dà comunque da fare per limitare il gioco granata sulle palle alte. Sicuramente in miglioramento rispetto alla prova di San Siro...IN RIPRESA)

Radu: 7

Soffre le avanza! te di Abate all'inizio della gara ma si riscatta alla grande con un secondo tempo di primissimo livello. Nonostante la giovane età mostra la personalità di un veterano e la Lazio del futuro potrà sicuramente contare su di lui...ESUBERANTE
Brocchi: 6,5

Si sta ritagliando un piccolo spazio in questa squadra che continua a volare. Al Milan era poco considerato chiuso da giocatori del calibro di Ambrosini e Gattuso ed è entusiasta di questa nuovo esperiena. Stranamente è anche meno falloso del solito e ha il merito di procurarsi il rigore dopo essere stato ipnotizzato da Sereni...GUERRIERO

Ledesma: 7

Primo tempo opaco, sembra fuori dal gioco e infatti il Torino primeggia nella sua zona. Cresce alla distanza divenendo padrone del centrocampo senza alcun rivale e come sempre quando com! incia a giocare la Lazio diventa incontenibile. Adesso si capi! sce perc hè lo cercava mezza Europa...DIGA

Mauri: 6,5

Risente anche lui della brutta prestazione della squadra nella prima frazione di gara. Nel secondo tempo va meglio e si procura una favorevolissima occasione da goal che spreca clamorosamente colpendo il palo. Se non altro si mette costantemente al servizio della squadra, filtrando benissimo i palloni conquistati da Ledesma...FUORI DAL TUNNEL
(78' Manfredini: 6 Rossi ha fiducia nel suo recupero ma lui non dà mai l'impressione di ripagarlo pienamente. Anche stavolta non incide sulla partita...INTROVERSO)

Foggia: 7

Inizio in sordina del furetto di casa Lazio anche perchè Rossi lo sposta inpiegabilmente sulla destra, forse per dargli modo di poter co! ncludere a rete più spesso. Quando lo sposta sull'out sinistro Pasqualino non dà scampo ad Abate e soprattutto a Pratali, che verrà poi espulso, tagliando in quattro la difesa granata. Meriterebbe la rete per un numero alla George Weah ma Sereni con un balzo felino gli nega quella che sarebbe stato il secondo sigillo in campionato...DIAVOLO

Pandev: 7

Nono centro in nove partite per Goran, che a causa dell'assenza di capitan Rocchi si è caricato tutta la squadra sulle spalle e lo ha fatto a suon di goal. Ha il merito di portare in vantaggio la Lazio in un momento difficoltà, concretizzando a dovere l'invito a nozze del suo compagno di reparto. Non ha più le involuzioni delle passate stagioni e questa è la nota più positiva dell'anno per lui. Lotito intende blindarlo ed ha ragione, se questa Lazio sembra inarrestabile c'è soprattutto lo zampino di Goran di mezzo...BOMBER
(75' Meghni: 6 Gioca a sprazzi il francesino e non approfitta dell'ottimo momento della squadra, gli manca ancora la fiducia che potrebbe renderlo protagonista...DISCONTINUO)

Zarate: 7,5

E' di gran lunga il migliore in campo e quasi sarebbe esente da commenti. La Zaratemania continua a impazzare nella capitale, colpa di questo autentico fuoriclasse che manda in estasi il pubblico ad ogni tocco di palla. Da tempo non si vedeva un giocatore così in maglia biancoceleste e i paragoni con Bruno Giordano e Beppe Signori calzano alla perfezione. Anche stavolta incanta mandando in rete Pandev dopo un numero in area granata, poi sigla una doppietta con un altro capolavoro balistico. Una vera manna per la squadra di Delio Rossi...IMPRESSIONANTE
!

The football league announced the advance and deferred until the end of the group 's gone.


La lega calcio attraverso un comunicato ufficiale ha diramato l' elenco delle partite che si giocheranno in anticipo e posticipo fino alla fine del girone d' andata.Di seguito il dettaglio delle partite e delle giornate che riguardano la formazione rossazzurra: The football through a press officer has issued 's list of the matches held in advance and is postponed until the end of round d' andata.Di followed the details of the lots and items dealing with training rossazzurra:

7ª GIORNATA ANDATA 7th DAY OUTWARD
Sabato 3 ottobre 2009 ore 18.00 Bari - Catania Saturday, October 3, 2009 18:00 Bari - Catania

9ª GIORNATA ANDATA 9th OUTWARD DAY
Sabato 24 ottobre 2009 ore 20.45 Inter - Catania Saturday, October 24th, 2009 ore 20.45 Inter - Catania

12ª GIORNATA ANDATA 12th DAY OUTWARD
Sabato 7 novembre 2009 ore 18.00 Catania - Napoli! Saturday, November 7th, 2009 18:00 Catania - Napoli

14ª GIORNATA ANDATA 14th DAY OUTWARD
Domenica 29 novembre 2009 ore 20.45 Catania - Milan Sunday, November 29, 2009 ore 20.45 Catania - Milan

http://www.calciocatania.net/campionato/corpo.php?id=17027

Juve draw on the firstLuck not on the side of the bianconeri



Juventus and Bordeaux are both determined to start-off on the right footing on the debut match of this season's Champions League. The initial minutes see the French team showing a certain aggressiveness both when it comes to fouls and actions.

On the 3rd minute Buffon saves on a dangerous Bordeaux initiative. The referee stops play for a foul in attack. One minute later Bordeaux are still on the attack but the shot is easily saved by Buffon.

The 6th minute sees a hard challenge on Iaquinta just outside the area but the referee signals to play on. Two minutes later there is a free-kick for Bordeaux but the ball sails straight into the hands of Buffon. On the 9th minute a Marchisio shots sails high over the bar. Seconds later, Bordeaux seem to be pressing on the accelerator in these initial stages of the match.

It is the 10th minute when Felipe Melo frees the Juve area from a dangerous ball. Juve are trying to create some action on the right flank first with Giovinco and then with Caceres. On the 13th minute Felipe Melo is fouled in midfield after winning a good ball. One minute later there is a good cross into the Bordeaux area deviated into corner by the defence. From the flag the ball reaches Tiago who shoots high.

On the 16th minute a Bordeaux shot from outside the area goe! s wide. Two minutes later Giovinco is fouled in midfield after winning a great ball. On the 20th minute Tremoulinas tries across into the Juve area but Buffon cradles the ball and seconds later a Iaquinta shot goes high.

The 22nd minute sees a good exchange with the ball reaching Iaquinta with the keeper forced to save. Three minutes later there is a free-kick for Juventus: Iaquinta takes it but the ball hits Amauri and is easily held by the keeper. Five minutes later it is Buffon who punches away following a French free-kick. On the 31st minute a good Giovinco shot is held by the keeper.

On the 33rd minute there is a corner for Bordeaux: ball reaches Diarra who shoots wide. Two minutes later, a good Caceres cross into the area sees Amauri heading but the keeper saves. There is another corner on the 37th minute: Giovinco puts the b! all into the area. The ball seems about to cross the line but is cleared by Fernando.

The 44th minute sees a corner for the French side: ball headed wide by Gorcuff. The first half ends after one minute of stoppage time on 0-0.

The second half turns out to be a very exciting part of the match with Juve dominating for most of the 49 minutes. On the 2nd minute, Legrottaglie clears a dangerous ball in the area. One minute later there is a Bordeaux free-kick: Buffon first and Caceres after clear a dangerous ball.

On the 3rd minute, A Juve counter-attack sees Iaquinta losing the ball before entering the area. One minute later Buffon saves incredibly on a Gourcuff shot and a few seconds after, Bordeaux corner sees Iaquinta heading again for a flag kick! . The 6th minute sees Iaquinta going past the keeper after rec! eiving f rom Tiago and shoots wide from a difficult angle. A good opportunity for Juve.

The 7th minute there is a corner for Juve after a good Grosso run: Giovinco puts the ball into the area with Grosso heading wide. Two minutes later, Grosso clears on a dangerous Plasil initiative. On the 11th minute Bordeaux are forced to change the keeper: Rame on for Carrasso.

On the 12th minute, there is a corner for Juve: Giovinco puts a low ball into the area which is cleared by the defence. Juve are showing much more initiative in this part of the match, acting very much on the flanks. One minute later, a Giovinco shot is too weak to worry the keeper. On the 14th minute there is a free-kick for Juve after a foul on Tiago: Grosso dishes out a great shot forcing the keeper to a great save. From the corner Amauri does not manage to head a goo! d Giovinco cross.

It is the 17th minute when a powerful Marchisio shot is deviated by Iaquinta who is off-side. Two minutes later, Iaquinta receives from Cannavaro, runs entering the area and shoots straight into the net: 1-0. On the 21st minute Zebina comes on for Cannavaro. Caceres moves to the centre of the defence.

On the 22nd minute, Buffon performs a miracle on a dangerous shot. Two minutes later, Melo forces the keeper to save into corner after a fiery shot. Seconds later, Marchisio passes to Zebina whose shot is deviated into corner: Rame removes it from Amauri's head. On the 25th minute there is a corner for Juve: ball into the area but the defence clears. Seconds later, Zebina makes a good save on a dangerous counter-attack.

On the 26th ! minute, an Amauri shot is deviated by the defence. One minute ! later, t here is a corner for Juve: Giovinco puts the ball into the area, Amauri heads perfectly but the keeper performs a volleyball save for a corner. The 28th minutes sees Giovinco coming off to be replaced by Camoranesi.

Juventus are struck on their best moment: on the 29th minute, Bordeaux benefit of a free-kick: ball reaches Plasil who deposits into the net from a dubious position. 1-1. Four minutes later, Caceres loses a dangerous ball forcing Buffon to save . On the 35th minute an excellent Tiago is forced to leave the field due to injury. Poulsen comes on.

On the 36th minute there is a free-kick for Juve following a foul on Amauri: ball hits the wall. Another free-kick for Juventus on the 39th minute: ball into the area cleared by the defence. One minute later, Buffon is forced to leave the area to save on Gouffran and se! conds later Gourcuff from a dangerous position inside the area puts the ball high.

The 41st minute sees a good shot by Poulsen goes inches high following a cross by Zebina. Two minutes later, a Marchisio shot after a Caceres cross hits the under side of the bar. From the rebound, Poulsen shoots high.

The 43rd minute sees a free-kick for Bordeaux: Poulsen who has had a good impact on the match clears well. Two minutes later, there is a free-kick for Juve after a foul outside the area on Zebina: the Grosso shot is headed away.

The match ends in a 1-1 draw but Juventus definitely deserved more. However, considering the fact that Bordeaux are the French champions and that Juve were missing a number of important players the result can be considered s! atisfactory.


Champions League, Group A – 1st match day
Turin, Stadio Olimpico
Tuesday 15th September 2009

JUVENTUS – BORDEAUX: 1-1

Goals: Iaquinta (63rd ), Plasil (76th),

JUVENTUS: Buffon; Caceres, Cannavaro (Zebina 65th), Legrottaglie, Grosso; Felipe Melo, Tiago (Poulsen 80th), Marchisio; Giovinco (Camoranesi 73rd); Iaquinta, Amauri. Reserves: Manninger, De Ceglie, Zebina, Molinaro, Poulsen, Camoranesi, Trezeguet. Coach: Ferrara.

BORDEAUX: Carrasso (Rame 56th), Chalme', Planus, Ciani, Tremoulinas, Plasil (Gouffran 77th), Diarra, Fernando, Gourcuff, Wendel; Chamakh. Reserves: Rame, Henrique, Placente, Jussie, Gouffran, Cavenaghi, Bellion. Coach: Bl! anc.

Referee: Tom Henning Ovrebo

Yellow Cards: Ciani (65th), Giovinco (67th)

http://www.juventus.com/site/eng/NEWS_newschampionsleague_41518A13E13E41B09A1EDCED0BFAE992.asp

Gerrard rates Torres as Best in premier league



Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes Fernando Torres remains the best striker in the Premier League after the Spaniard grabbed two in a 3-2 win over West Ham.

Torres' recent form has been questioned, but Torres was the difference between the two sides, scoring Liverpool's opener and then heading in the winner after West Ham had twice equalised.
"He's been playing okay to me,'' Gerrard told ESPN. "People are talking about it, but those are the standards he's set. He's scoring go! als and he was on fire today with the two goals for us.''
Torres himself did not appear after the game as he was receiving treatment for a knock to his knee, but Gerrard insisted it was nothing serious.
The striker had put Liverpool ahead after 20 minutes, but West Ham soon pegged them back as Alessandro Diamanti fired in a penalty despite appearing to fall in the act.
Gerrard admitted he didn't see the incident clearly and also insisted Dirk Kuyt's goal should rightfully be his own.
"It was going in anyway,'' he said. "[Kuyt] scores enough goals, so I want it. I didn't have a good view of it [the penalty], I was at the other end. But the referee thinks it's right so we get on with it. We can enjoy tomorrow now. It was important we got our three points in the bag today as the sides above us are going to drop points.''