Saturday, November 28, 2009
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Djokovic aiming for title defence
The Serbian had the tennis world at his feet when he won the Australian Open last January at the age of 20 but, instead of lifting a weight off his shoulders, Djokovic spent 18 months struggling to live up to his own and others' expectations. Indeed, his victory at last year's end-of-season showpiece came as something of a surprise and it is only in the last couple of months Djokovic has rediscovered the form that made him the Tour's most exciting young player. The defence of his title in Melbourne ended in retirement against a rejuvenated Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals but he feels he is now better placed to deal with the situation. For disk reports software this is the best place to go.
Is a Schumacher comeback on??
Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan believes Michael Schumacher will replace Jenson Button at the newly-named Mercedes team for next season. World champion Button joined Lewis Hamilton at McLaren earlier this week after the Brawn team with which he won the drivers' title was renamed Mercedes. Speculation has mounted that seven-time champion Schumacher, who could not replace the injured Felipe Massa on a short-term deal at Ferrari last season because of a back injury picked up racing motorcycles, could be drafted into the team run by former Benetton and Ferrari colleague Ross Brawn. Jordan, who ran an F1 team under his own name, said: "I believe the Brawn team will have Michael Schumacher in it next year. "And my reasons for believing that is that at Abu Dhabi, the grand prix, the last race Dr (Dieter) Zetsche - (chairman of the Daimler board) - Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher were deep in conversation and I believe it was to do with possibly joining the team as driver for the 2010 championship," Jordan told Radio Five Live.
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Ferguson tips Brazil to win the World cup
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has tipped Brazil for World Cup glory. England, under Fabio Capello and including several United players, are expected to be strong contenders in South Africa, while European champions Spain are also fancied. However Ferguson believes five-time world champions Brazil's greater strength in depth gives them an advantage over all other nations. Ferguson said in the Mail on Sunday: "I can't see past Brazil, actually. They are going to be the ones in South Africa. They are going to be hard to beat. You just have to think of the players they can bring in - they are a supplier of great players. "Last season, there were 103 Brazilians in the Champions League and only 15 Englishmen. More Scots played in the Champions League last season than English players. I thought the 11/10 on Brazil to beat England was the bet of the century." If you ever wanted to buy a designer leather sofa, this is the right place.
Premier Leagure review
Premier League leaders Chelsea crushed Wolves 4-0 at Stamford Bridge to stay five points clear at the top of the table. Florent Malouda smashed in an early opening goal from 25 yards in the fifth minute, seven minutes before his corner was headed in by Michael Essien, with the Ghana midfielder adding a third on 22 minutes. Petr Cech kept out Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's point-blank header just before the break, but the Blues were always in control, with fit-again England midfielder Joe Cole (56) making it four as he netted his first goal since October last year. Chelsea sent on Gael Kakuta - the 18-year-old whose controversial move from Lens resulted in a transfer ban for the English club, which is being appealed - for his debut, as Carlo Ancelotti's men tightened their grip on the title race. Darren Bent's ninth goal of the season for Sunderland brought Arsenal's 13-match unbeaten run to an end in a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light. The Gunners - without Holland striker Robin van Persie for six weeks because of ankle ligament damage - are the leading scorers in the top flight, but could not break down a determined Sunderland side in the first half. Hungary keeper Marton Fulop denied Tomas Rosicky's early effort, before Croatia forward Eduardo also went close. Steed Malbranque twice failed to hit the target when well placed and Andy Reid fired over for the hosts, who eventually went ahead on 71 minutes through Bent after the Gunners failed to clear a corner. Arsenal are now eight points off the pace, and their defeat allowed champions Manchester United to move back into second spot with a routine 3-0 defeat of Everton at Old Trafford. A stunning Darren Fletcher volley broke the deadlock on 35 minutes, and Michael Carrick made the points safe with a cool sidefoot finish on 67. Luis Antonio Valencia rounded things off with a third for Sir Alex Ferguson's side 14 minutes from time. In the lunchtime kick-off Manchester City were again forced to accept a share of the points as they set a new Premier League record of six successive draws when their clash at Liverpool ended 2-2.
The Reds - who were once more hit by injury as Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel were both forced off inside 20 minutes - took the lead when Martin Skrtel headed home Steven Gerrard's free-kick early in the second half. However, City were soon in front following a fifth league goal for £25million Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor (69) and Stephen Ireland's close-range effort (76). Rafael Benitez's men immediately battled back to level through substitute Yossi Benayoun (78), and both teams had to be satisfied with a point. Relegation battlers Hull and West Ham drew 3-3 at the KC Stadium, where the hosts ended with 10 men. The Hammers - with just one league win since the opening day of the season - looked to be on the way to a much-needed three points through headers from Mexico forward Guillermo Franco (five) and Jack Collison (11). However, the Tigers, themselves in deep trouble at the wrong end of the table, were handed a lifeline as Carlton Cole deflected a free-kick by Jimmy Bullard past Robert Green. Kamil Zayatte levelled a minute before the break - and there was still time for Hull to turn the match on its head as Bullard netted a controversial penalty after referee Mark Clattenburg adjudged Julien Faubert had pushed Craig Fagan. Hull were reduced to 10 men nine minutes into the second half when Bernard Mendy was shown a straight red card for hauling down Scott Parker. The Hammers were level when Manuel Da Costa (69) scored his first goal since arriving from Fiorentina, smashing in from a corner, with both sides having chances to take all three points in an entertaining match.
Emile Heskey's late header rescued a 1-1 draw for Aston Villa at Burnley. A ninth-minute goal from Steven Caldwell, nodding in a Robbie Blake free-kick had looked to be enough for the Clarets' sixth Premier League win at Turf Moor. Veteran striker Heskey delivered an equaliser four minutes from time as he headed in James Milner's cross after a tame punch out by keeper Brian Jensen. Lee Bowyer's fine finish, running on to a James McFadden pass after 16 minutes, gave Birmingham a 1-0 win against Fulham, who failed to make the most of their possession in the second half at St Andrews. For Primavera Training, this is the best place you can get.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Fergie wants to pile on the pressure
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted Manchester United must treat every game as "must-win" as to put pressure on leaders Chelsea. United had fallen eight points adrift of Carlo Ancelotti's men prior to kick-off against Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday night and for half an hour they looked like the gap would prove difficult to close. Darren Fletcher's brilliant volley ended such fears and with Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia also finding the net after half-time, the Red Devils were able to celebrate their biggest win since August. "We have to look at all the games as must-win now," said Ferguson. "We need to get on a run and be somewhere near the top of the league by New Year's Day. Then, in the second half of the season we can have a real go and give ourselves a chance." With their place in the Champions League knock-out phase secure already, Ferguson can make plenty of changes for Wednesday's encounter with Besiktas and keep his preferred team fresh for the long trip to Portsmouth on Saturday.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Transalation: Best done with mininum risk
Chelsea - Manchester United preview
Liverpool - Birmingham preview
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Holiday Costumes: All that you want
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Liverpool's Disastrous season
This is not an advertisement for the disaster feature film - 2012. But after watching Liverpool's recent performances, fans would have felt disaster after disaster are unfurling right before their very eyes.
Not only are Liverpool in danger of missing out on qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League, they could also miss out on the lucrative payout. Who will believe Lyon coach Claude Puel's words that they will try their best to beat Fiorentina? Here's a chance for them to indirectly knock out one of their main rivals in the Champions League, so why not do the 'honours' right now?
And to make make matters worse, both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres could be out for months if they undergo surgery to fix their groin injures. If they put country before club, Liverpool are sure to suffer in the long run without both their key players.
You could argue that one of Liverpool's main problems have been their lack of financial muscle in the transfer market - missing out on the next stage of the Champions League will hit their pocket even harder and cause Liverpool to spiral into a vicious cycle.
It seems that their lack of funds could be argued as their main reason of their downfall. Xabi Alonso left because Liverpool wanted to use his sale to fund more players. Alvaro Arbeloa could have been a very useful squad player but he was let go to help balance the books. Letting Robbie Keane go could have been a political decision - but again if he had stayed on, he would have been a very valuable and experienced squad player. Ditto Peter Crouch.
New players are what Liverpool need right now but they can't afford to do so. Benitez used to say: "I asked for a sofa but I gotten a table lamp instead" or words to that effect. Right now, I don't know if Liverpool can afford the electricity to power whatever lamp they have. The squad is simply not good enough and their lack of depth have been cruelly found out.
For one fleeting moment in the Champions League game against Lyon, a blond Liverpool striker was sent through on goal in the first-half.
Liverpool fans knew what happened next: It was not Fernando Torres, the blond assassin, but Andriy Voronin, the other blond but not so lethal assassin. The Ukrainian proceeded to shoot straight into the goalkeeper's legs amidst groans from Liverpool fans worldwide. They are thinking: this fellow must be the worst 'number ten' in Liverpool history. John Barnes must be appalled!
To be fair, Hugo Lloris did well to put Voronin off but it wasn't just that miss that infuriated the fans. It was his overall play. It's true he tried his best but he has lost his pace and technique.
I used to defend Voronin as I thought he is the perfect foil for Torres and was sorry to see him go on loan to Hertha Berlin where he scored 11 goals - two of which was against the mighty Bayern Munich. He was set to stay on permanently with Hertha but they couldn't afford him. And so Liverpool accepted him back. The question is why Rafael Benitez want a player who doesn't want to play for Liverpool? Because he doesn't cost a transfer fee? Or because rival defenders wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Torres and Voronin?
And to make it even worse, Michael Owen also cost Manchester United nothing and he has, at least, scored goals. And yes, if Voronin were to be in any disaster movie, he would be (spoiler alert!) the first to be killed off.
So while Roland Emmerich's 2012 may end with a positive conclusion, it looks like there'll be no happy ending for Rafael Benitez's Liverpool. Can I have my money back?