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Monday, January 31, 2011

A-League: Brisbane continue record run

Brisbane Roar moved one step closer to securing the A-League Premier’s Plate after a 2-1 win over Melbourne Heart on Saturday.
The Roar could have wrapped up the minor premiership if it were not for Adelaide’s 2-1 home loss against the Central Coast Mariners, also on Saturday, but Ange Postecoglou’s side will finish the season on top if the Mariners fail to beat the Melbourne Heart on Friday.
Even if the Mariners do win in Melbourne, all the Roar will need is a point from their clash with North Queensland on February 5 to finish the season atop the table, while Saturday’s win has already secured their spot in the 2012/2013 Asian Champions League.
The records keep coming for Postecoglou’s all-conquering side, as the Roar extended their unbeaten record to 23 matches, breaking a domestic football record in Australia set in 1987 by APIA Leichhardt.
Brisbane’s attempt to break the record started brilliantly when Costa Rican under-20 international Jean Carlos Solorzano notched his 11th strike of the season after just five minutes.
Solorzano’s pace took him away from Heart captain Simon Colosimo before he delivered a quality finish which takes him to second on the league’s scoring charts, equal with Central Coast’s Matt Simon on 11.
In-form James Meyer gave the Roar a two-goal advantage after 63 minutes with his fourth goal in three games in his first A-League start for the club and despite Gerald Sibon’s 75th minute consolation, Brisbane hung on for all three points.
In the day’s other matches, the Central Coast Mariners all but secured second spot on the table with a 2-1 away win at Adelaide United.
A sensational first-half set up the victory, with Patricio Perez and Joshua Rose getting on the scoresheet as the Mariners put on a clinic.
Travis Dodd gave Adelaide a late chance of an unlikely draw with his injury time equaliser, but the Mariners claimed a well-deserved three points.
Sydney FC kept their fledgling finals hopes alive with a 2-0 away win against the Perth Glory, set up by goals to Nick Carle and Bruno Cazarine.
The win gives Sydney FC, the reigning champion, a chance of making the finals with the Sky Blues ninth on the A-League table, just four points behind the sixth-placed Melbourne Heart.
With the top six featuring in the finals, Sydney will be hoping to make use of their game in hand on the Heart and continue their unbeaten run in 2011.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Surgery ends Kagawa´s season

Borussia Dortmund’s Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa, who broke a bone in his right foot at the Asian Cup, is heading home for surgery.
Kagawa broke the bone in his foot in his team’s semi-final against South Korea forcing him to miss Saturday’s final against Australia.
He is expected to miss the rest of the season with the injury.
“He is on his way to Japan for surgery,” Dortmund said in a statement.
“It was his wish and the club agreed. It is not yet decided when he will return to Germany.”
Bundesliga leaders Dortmund said it was unlikely the player would return before the end of the season.
“There are variations in this injury but I do not know of any case that a player came back earlier than three months,” said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.
Kagawa, snapped up in the close season from Japan’s second division for 300,000 pounds, has been crucial in Dortmund’s spectacular run this season with his team eight points clear at the top of the table.
The 21-year-old has scored eight league goals in his first season in Germany and his value is now estimated at about six million pounds.

Bin Hammam: World Cup is Qatar’s alone

Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed Bin Hammam dismissed suggestions Qatar would share the hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
UEFA chief Michel Platini had requested the event be jointly staged between Qatar and other Gulf nations, but Bin Hammam was adamant the tournament would be hosted solely by the tiny Arab nation.
“Qatar submitted a bid to organise the World Cup and it’s fair for Qatar to organise all the matches,” Bin Hammam said.
“It’s never actually been discussed inside the executive committee or outside the executive committee that some of the matches are going to be played outside the host nation.”
“I always believed Qatar can host a very good World Cup. It is an opportunity for those who had less confidence in Qatar’s capability to organize a World Cup to see with their own eyes, what can be done and what cannot be done.”
“We are proud of our infrastructure, our football infrastructure, and we can keep the promises we made in our bid.”
Bin Hammam said the experience of hosting the 2011 Asian Cup would be a valuable experience for the Qatari organising committee.
“Of course some lessons have been learnt (from hosting the AFC Asian Cup). Qatar has been excellent in organisation but this will add to their experience,” Bin Hammam said.
“Qatar has been organising tournaments for a long time. What is good is they don’t hesitate to engage any professional who can get the job done. They can do a lot from what they have learnt.”
“We told the people of the world to come and feel how comfortable a World Cup organised in a small country can be.”
“We were organising two matches a day, and we have seen how comfortable watching two matches in a day in the same city, the same hotel, driving in the same car.”

Harry unhappy with dugout view

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said his poor view at Craven Cottage ruined his day as Spurs were crushed 4-0 by Fulham.
Their fourth round FA Cup tie was meant to be a close affair, but some defensive calamities by Spurs meant the Cottagers led 3-0 after 23 minutes, with Redknapp’s side down to 10 men.
But the 60-year-old boss claimed he did not blame defender Michael Dawson, who was red-carded to set up Fulham’s second goal, which like the first was from the penalty spot, but complained his view of the game was horrendous.
“Whatever could have gone wrong for us went wrong – conceding two penalties and having a player sent off. How can you come back from that?” Redknapp said.
“I thought the second penalty was harsh and I thought the sending-off was harsh. Michael Dawson feels the same. I don’t see what he had done.”
“I don’t know if I will appeal. I haven’t seen a replay yet. Watching a game from that dug-out is the worst view I’ve ever had in my life.”
The decision on whether Redknapp appeals his defender’s automatic one-match suspension plus any further reprimand could come down to his desperation to play a fit player at the back.
The Spurs boss also revealed that defender Younes Kaboul will be out for six weeks due to knee surgery.
“We are struggling. We are down to two central defenders. William Gallas has a hip injury and we didn’t want to use him today.”
“Younes Kaboul is having an operation on his knee. If Dawson is suspended for three games, I’ve only got (Sebastien) Bassong although (Vedran) Corluka can play there.”
Fulham manager Mark Hughes was satisfied his side were able to get the most out of some rare Tottenham errors and run away with the result.
“We wanted to make it hostile coming out of the blocks for them and we managed to force a few errors from their defenders and we capitalised on those situations,” Hughes said.
“They were hampered by the sending off but it was still up to us to put the game beyond them, which we did. Being 4-0 up at half-time is more than you could have hoped for.”
Fulham host either Bolton or Wigan in the fifth round.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Muscat to be hit hard for tackle

Kevin Muscat’s A-League career could be over after the charge for the Melbourne Victory skipper’s tackle on Adrian Zahra was referred to the disciplinary committee.
The decision, made by the league’s match review panel, means the former Socceroo is likely to cop a suspension of six weeks or greater.
Muscat was given a straight red card for the challenge on Zahra in the 80th minute of Saturday’s city derby against Melbourne Heart at Etihad Stadium, and as such the match review panel could have imposed a further sanction on the 37-year-old.
However, under MRP policy, if they believe the offence warrants a sanction of more than an additional four weeks – on top of the one-match mandatory suspension for the red card – then a disciplinary committee hearing, set down for this Thursday, must be convened.
With Victory having just four matches left in the regular season and looking unlikely to play a major role in the finals – given they are currently placed fifth – it could mean that Muscat has played his last game in the A-League.
Any suspension not served in the A-League would carry over into the AFC Champions League, where Melbourne play at least six matches.
Former Wolverhampton, Rangers, Millwall and Crystal Palace defender Muscat is expected to retire at season’s end, meaning his farewell appearance is likely to be in the ACL.
It was the second match in succession that Muscat had received a red card and he admitted on Sunday during an apology for the tackle that perhaps the pace of the game was passing him by.
“I’m going to have to sit here and accept full responsibility for it,” he said.
“It was an incident that I deeply regret, it was a mistimed tackle, dreadfully mistimed, (and) at no point did I have any intent to injure the player.”
“Unfortunately I mistimed a tackle terribly, and maybe the game is telling me that it’s passed me by, but I haven’t given it any thought.”
Meanwhile, Sydney FC goalkeeper Liam Reddy has been handed a two-match ban for his clash with Matt Simon in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Central Coast at Gosford.
The MRP determined that Reddy’s actions had escaped the attention of the referee and it therefore had the authority to punish the shot-stopper.

Zacch not all about Japan attack

Japan are the Asian Cup’s leading scorers, but Alberto Zaccheroni believes his defence could be decisive in the semi-final with South Korea.
Zaccheroni’s side have scored 11 goals in the tournament, including five without reply in their thrashing of 2007 finalists Saudi Arabia.
But the veteran Italian coach suspects the clash between two of the Asia’s heavyweights could well be edged by the team that keeps it tighter at the back.
“I am happy that we have scored the most in this competition,” Zaccheroni said.
“The style we are aiming for is not just attacking. We need to be well balanced to face our opponent in the fight.”
“We like to face every team with bravery but what we can do depends on the matches. Sometimes you need to think about where you make the defensive line but our aim is always the same, which is to play with bravery.”
Zaccheroni will be forced into changes for the semi-final in Doha’s Al-Gharafa Stadium, with the loss of Maya Yoshida to suspension offset by the return of Atsuto Uchida.
“In the last match Daiki Iwamasa came on to go in central defence, while Uchida has the experience as well and normally plays in the team, so it will not be a problem,” he said.
The former AC Milan and Juventus coach is well aware of the long-running rivalry between the two semi-final opponents.
But he believes the focus should remain on the current players ahead of Tuesday’s clash, with a place in the final of the Asian Football Confederation’s elite competition at stake.
“Since I arrived in Japan I knew of the connection between them and Korea, but I think not only Korea but all teams are rivals for us,” he said.
“We are very similar types of teams and we both have young players here. Both teams want to take the initiative in the match with a lot of variation in attacking play. It will be a very tight match.”

The faces of Sky make a very big mistake

Sky Sports have been the face of football in England since 1992. The faces of the face have been presenter Richard Keys and expert former player Andy Gray. In the eighteen years they have been presenting their very professional show they have hardly put a foot wrong. They are the very model of professionalism.
Discussion
Unfortunately for Sky and the two men in particular, all of that changed when they had a discussion before the Wolves against Liverpool game on Saturday. They believed that their microphones were off and that they were having a private conversation off air. They weren’t and now they are in big trouble.
Twenty-five year old female Sian Massey was one of the assistant referees at the game and the comments of the two men were about her.
Keys said,
“Somebody better get down there and explain offside to her.”
Gray replied,
“Women don’t know the offside rule.”
Worse
It actually got worse. Talking about an article in a morning newspaper about sexism in football, written by West Ham vice-chairman Karen Brady, Keys said,
“See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism? Yeah. Do me a favour love.”
As Keys himself said. Charming!
Strong
The reaction to the comments has been understandably strong. Keys and Gray were removed from their roles at last night’s game between Bolton and Chelsea. The managing director of Sky, Barney Francis, was highly critical of the pair yesterday,
“Their comments were totally unacceptable. I have spoken directly to both Richard Keys and Andy Gray this morning. It has been made clear to each of them that their comments were totally unacceptable.
“Those views are inexcusable, entirely inconsistent with our ethos as a business and employer, and will rightly offend many of our customers, our people, and the wider public. They are inexcusable from anyone at Sky, regardless of their role or seniority.
“We have dealt with this matter by taking immediate disciplinary action. As with any employee it would not be right to go into detail on those proceedings. However, they have been clearly warned about their behaviour and reminded of their responsibilities. In addition, Richard and Andy will not be involved in any way with tonight’s live Monday Night Football.”
Twitter
On Twitter, England captain Rio Ferdinand said,
“I’m all for women refereeing in football, discrimination should not happen in our game at all. Prehistoric views if you think otherwise.”
Karen Brady was angry and disappointed that her article had been so publicly proved right so quickly,
Unfair
“I just think it’s unfair. Here is somebody doing a very important job under very difficult circumstances, who deserves and warrants our respect and here are two people who other people listen to and get their views from not giving her a chance.
“Everyone is entitled to a personal opinion but what really upsets me is the fact that only females in our industry are judged by their gender and that is categorically wrong. I don’t think any of the comments were anything other than sexism. You know ‘we’d better go down and tell her the offside rule.’ I’m surprised they didn’t say ‘we’d better go down and tell here to put the kettle on.’
“I’m genuinely disappointed. It never would have occurred to me that they had those views, whether public or private. It almost makes it worse that they’re speaking when the microphones are not on as opposed to when they are on, because they have never really had the brass neck to say it publicly, they would only say it privately.”
A large amount of people were queuing up to have a go at Keys and Gray, rightly so. Very few people were prepared to come out in support of the two men.
Excuses
There will no doubt be apologies and there will no doubt be excuses given that the two men were only joking and ‘bantering’. Whether that is the case or not, they should not have said what they did.
What do you think? Should Sky get rid of these people or should everyone accept that they thought they were in private and therefore an apology should suffice?

Tevez out of Argentina squad for friendly

Manchester City talisman Carlos Tevez is among a host of star names who will miss Argentina’s friendly against Portugal next month.
Argentina boss Sergio Batista has named his 24-man squad for the friendly in Geneva on February 9, with Tevez and Marseille defender Gabrielle Heinze topping the list of omissions.
Malaga centre-back Martin Demichelis and Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero are also out, while injured Real Madrid attacker Gonzalo Higuain is unavailable.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, who was crowned the World Player of the Year for the second year running earlier this month, has been named.
He joins team-mate Javier Mascherano and Inter Milan trio Javier Zanetti, Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso.
Batista was quick to point out that the absence of Tevez and the others bears no weight towards their selection for Argentina’s Copa America campaign.
“Neither Tevez nor any of the lads who were left off this list are out of the national team,” Batista told Argentine radio station La Red.
“I have to see players, lots, and I do that in matches. I have to see if they can wear the national team shirt but I haven’t punished anyone.”
“This doesn’t mean that the players left out now are out of the Copa America. This is a good moment to try out some youngsters.”
Batista has handed uncapped trio Enzo Perez, Juan Manuel Martinez and Marcos Rojo call-ups to the squad after strong seasons in the Primera Division.
Winger Perez was instrumental in Estudiantes’ Apertura triumph, as was former team-mate Rojo, who has since departed to Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow.
Martinez scored 10 times in 19 appearances for Apertura runners-up Velez Sarsfield.
Batista, having taken over from Diego Maradona, is also tasked with building a side capable of ending Argentina’s 28-year World Cup title drought in Brazil in 2014.
The selection of 37-year-old Zanetti seems contrary to Batista’s desire to blood youngsters, and while the Argentina boss did not guarantee the future of the veteran defender he said: “If he carries on (playing) the way he is, at the same level, he’ll surely be at the Copa America.”

Columbian whiz kid drops Benfica hint

Columbia Under-20 forward Fabian Castillo says he is aware of Benfica interest and admits he dreams of playing for the Eagles.
The 18-year-old striker, who is currently with Columbia at the Under-20 South American Championship, has been attracting a lot of interest lately with Benfica seems to be winning the race for his signature.
The Deportivo Cali striker admits a move to Benfica would be a dream come true.
“I know that there are many offers for me but I prefer Benfica,” he told A Bola.
“It is a great club, well-known, with several players I admire, Saviola, Aimar, Paraguay striker Cardozo. And they have Gaitan too! Great player!”
“It is true that it would be good for me to stay at Deportivo Cali and play at the Under-20 World Cup, in July, in Columbia, but if you ask me, I would join Benfica.”
The negotiations between the two clubs are well under way and Castillo could arrive to La Luz before the January transfer window closes.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Gullit lands Russian role

Former LA Galaxy boss Ruud Gullit will make his return to football after signing on as manager of Russian Premier League side Terek Grozny.
The 48-year-old has not managed since quitting the Galaxy in 2008, but has signed an 18-month deal with Terek, who finished 12th in the Russian top flight last season.
“I’m very happy with my contract of a year and a half. Next weekend I will join up with the team and we will begin preparing for the season,” Gullit said.
“I look forward to getting back into it and this is a beautiful, great opportunity for me.”
Gullit has reportedly been set the target of a top eight finish with the Chechen club, but could face a challenge settling into life in the war-torn Russian province.
The Dutchman made his name as a player with AC Milan, winning three Serie A titles and two European Cups during his time at the San Siro.
He has since gone on to manage some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Chelsea, Newcastle and Feyenoord, before moving across the Atlantic to take the reins at MLS franchise Los Angeles.
Gullit will not have an easy start to his time in Russia, with Terek scheduled to face defending champions Zenit St Petersburg in their season-opener on March 10.

Adam calm amid transfer talk

Blackpool captain Charlie Adam insists the constant transfer speculation surrounding him is not affecting his game.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from Bloomfield Road during the transfer window, with Aston Villa said to have had a bid of 3.5 million pounds rejected.
Several other clubs are also said to be interested, but manager Ian Holloway has made it clear Adam will only be leaving Blackpool if the club receives a big-money offer for the Scotland midfielder.
Adam said he was just doing his best to avoid all the rumours and was focused on getting the job done for Blackpool.
“It really isn’t difficult to ignore all the talk,” Adam told the Blackpool Gazette.
“I am a footballer and I want to keep playing well, and hopefully I can play for many years.”
“There is going to be speculation about lads at Blackpool because the players are playing well. You can’t stop speculation, so you just get on with it.”
“Everybody has something to say about football, everybody has an opinion. Some people like it, some people don’t. You get on with it.”
However, Adam, who has made 17 appearances for Blackpool this season, admitted the lure of playing for one the biggest clubs in the Premier League was strong.
“The bottom line is that everybody knows I want to play at the highest level. I want to play at the top of the tree, as they say,” Adam said.
“This has been a fantastic part of my life coming to Blackpool, and it has been fantastic being part of this club and working with this manager.”
“At the end of the day everybody has ambition and I want to play at the highest level I can. Hopefully one day it will happen.”

No malpractice in Bent deal, say Villa

Aston Villa have hit back at Sunderland, refuting suggestions of wrongdoing in the deal that lured star striker Darren Bent to the Midlands.
The England international made the stunning 18-million-pound move to Villa on Tuesday, and both Sunderland manager Steve Bruce and chairman Niall Quinn have been critical of Bent’s shock decision.
Bruce said he felt ‘let down’ by Bent, while Quinn called into question the way in which Villa went about luring the 26-year-old to Villa Park.
“Two or three weeks ago maybe, I went into the training ground and there was something up with him,” Quinn told Kildare TV.
“I looked at his demeanour and I thought, ‘It’s not right’. Having been in the game, you kind of know when someone’s got something going on in their heads.”
“It transpired that that’s what had happened. They were setting him up to try and come and he took the bait.”
“It’s hugely disappointing for us, but all we could do then was battle hard and, when the transfer request came in, that was probably the final nail.”
Clubs are not allowed to approach players prior to receiving official permission to do so, and Quinn’s suggestion of malpractice by Villa have been rubbished by the Birmingham club.
“We understand Sunderland Football Club’s need to explain to their naturally-disappointed supporters why Darren Bent has been allowed to leave their club,” a Villa statement read.
“It is disappointing, however, that Sunderland should try to besmirch the reputation of the player and Aston Villa Football Club in the process.”
“We wish to make clear that at no time did Aston Villa make an inappropriate approach to the player or unfairly compromise the business of Sunderland Football Club.”
“Darren only became aware of his possible transfer AFTER Sunderland’s game against Newcastle on Sunday and AFTER we had agreed with Sunderland the essence of the deal, which led quickly to Darren’s arrival at Villa Park on Tuesday.”
“It is only because of some comments emanating from the Stadium of Light that we have felt compelled to respond and set the record straight.”

Premier League preview: Fulham v Stoke

Stoke will be looking for revenge when they travel to Craven Cottage to do battle with struggling Fulham on Saturday.
Fulham visited Britannia Stadium last month with speculation rife over the future of manager Mark Hughes, but Chris Baird’s early double lifted them to a surprise 2-0 win over Tony Pulis’ side.
That win pulled Fulham out of the relegation zone and they now sit in 15th position, although the Londoners are just one point clear of the bottom three.
In their most recent league outing they had a goal from Andy Johnson to thank for rescuing a point in a 1-1 draw with Wigan at DW Stadium.
Stoke, meanwhile, have been one of the most consistent sides this season and continue to defy expectations with their eighth-place standing on the Premier League table.
Pulis’ men cruised to a 2-0 win at home against Bolton over the weekend before beating Cardiff by the same score on Tuesday to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Stoke manager has no fresh injury concerns, with strike duo Mamady Sidibe and Eidur Gudjohnsen the only players under a fitness cloud.
For Fulham, Belgian striker Moussa Dembele will be better for his half-an-hour against Wigan after returning from eight weeks out with an ankle injury, while David Stockdale will retain goalkeeping duties in place of Australia’s Mark Schwarzer who is competing at the Asian Cup.
Matthew Briggs’ calf injury rules him out, while Bobby Zamora and Philippe Senderos remain long-term absentees.

International friendly: Botswana 1 Sweden 2

Sweden continued their preparations for Euro 2012 qualifiers with a 2-1 win over Botswana in Cape Town on Wednesday.
It was a largely under-strength Swedish outfit which took on the Africans at the neutral venue in South Africa, but Erik Hamren’s side did enough to come away with a victory.
Helsingborg striker Alexander Gerndt opened the scoring on 34 minutes after he crept in behind the Botswana defence to put Sweden into the lead.
But the Africans hit back just two minutes after the restart when Joel Mogorosi found the back of the net to level the match at 1-1.
Former Southampton midfielder Anders Svensson settled the matter in the 74th minute, burying his strike to give Sweden back the advantage and ultimately the victory.
Sweden have one more friendly match, against Cyprus in February, before they resume their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign against Moldova on March 29.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Fans flock to welcome Ronaldinho

Brazilian star Ronaldinho was greeted by more than 20,000 fans at his unveiling at new club Flamengo.
The former World Player of the Year has joined the Brazilian Serie A club from Italian powerhouse AC Milan and was given the number 10 shirt at the presentation on Thursday.
Ronaldinho was delighted with the fans reception and said he hoped he could repay the adulation on the pitch.
“I hope I can give back all your affection on the pitch. Thank you for your that,” Ronaldinho said.
“Let’s go, black-and-red nation, we are together. I am on your side, I am now Flamengo.”
Ronaldinho, 30, hopes a return to regular club football in his home country will help his future with the national team, with Brazil to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
A desire to help his nation with a sixth World Cup – in front of the nation’s fans – was a driving factor in his decision.
“I decided to come to Brazil because of that,” he said.
“Many times I thought of coming back to Brazil to finish my career. After all that happened – with the possibility of playing in an Olympics and a World Cup, and after many years abroad – everything motivated me to return.”
“And I want to get back into the national squad and stay there until the World Cup.”
The attacker hopes to replicate the feats of Zico, who became a legend for the club: “(I signed) because of the club’s history, because of all the players who wore this jersey, because of Zico, who is and was always my biggest idol,” he said.
Ronaldinho will make his Flamengo bow in the state championships, starting in January.

Redemption on Bruce´s mind

Steve Bruce wants to avenge the worst day of his managerial career when Sunderland face Newcastle for the first time since their 5-1 thrashing.
That October day at St James’ Park in the English Premier League – when his in-form side were utterly blown away by the Tynesiders – will be etched in Bruce’s memory forever, but this Sunday he hopes will begin the road to redemption.
“I’ve been counting the days for this game to come around,” he admitted. “We were awful at their place.”
“Too many of our players didn’t turn up. We’re a young side and the occasion got to them but we’ll be better this weekend I promise you that – we couldn’t be any worse.”
“I’ll never forget it. Nothing can be anything worse than that. We’ll try to eradicate it, but unless we win 5-1, it’ll still be there because I lost a derby 5-1.”
Bruce will welcome back Nedum Onuoha for the game, with the on-loan Manchester City right-back having recovered from the hamstring injury which ruled him out of the last three games.
He will go straight back in the side, but the game looks to have come too soon for Danny Welbeck (hamstring) and Lee Cattermole (back).
“In an ideal world we’d both be meeting each other with our strongest squads,” Bruce said.
“It would have been great for us to have had a full-strength central midfield of David Meyler and Lee Cattermole had they been fully fit.”

Leicester announce Yakubu coup

Championship side Leicester City have confirmed the capture of Everton striker Yakubu until the end of the season.
The Nigeria striker will link up with Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men at the Walkers Stadium on-loan and will be a key signing in the 12th-placed Foxes’ promotion push.
Eriksson believes the signing will be ‘tremendous’ for the club and is expecting big things from the former Portsmouth and Middlesbrough frontman.
“Yakubu is a tremendous signing for Leicester City. He will bring pace, power and experience to the club,” Eriksson told the club’s official website.
“He has captained his country, played in major competitions and is a first-class footballer, who I am certain will help us to achieve our aims of moving up the Championship.”
“We are delighted that he is joining us until the end of the season and I’m sure that the supporters will enjoy watching him in action.”
Yakubu declared the opportunity to work with Eriksson made his decision to drop down a division an easy one.
“It means a lot to me to be joining Leicester City and to be given this chance,” Yakubu said.
“When I had the option to come here, I didn’t think twice. The manager is one of the greats in football history and to work with him presents a special opportunity for me.”
Yakubu joined Everton for over 11.25 million pounds in 2007 but has struggled with injury and fitness at the Merseyside club.
He has made just eight English Premier League starts for one goal this season and, with Louis Saha and Jermaine Beckford preferred by David Moyes, he sought first-team football elsewhere.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Ronaldinho returns to Brazil

Former AC Milan forward Ronaldinho has signed for Brazilian club Flamengo until 2014, the 30-year-old confirmed on Monday.
The 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil, Ronaldinho fell out of favour at the Serie A club, and has signed with Flamengo for an estimated US$900,000 a month, he confirmed on his personal website.
Ronaldinho began his career with Gremio as a teenager, before stints with Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, Spanish giants Barcelona, Milan and most recently a return home to Brazil with Flamengo.
Flamengo president Patricia Amorim also confirmed the signing of the high-profile player.
“This is a very special day for Flamengo. Flamengo can finally celebrate, Ronaldinho is ours,” Amorim said.
The Brazilian superstar was on the verge of joining his former side Gremio, so much so the club organised a party to celebrate his homecoming, but more demands from both Ronaldinho and AC Milan stopped the deal.
Ronaldinho is following in the footsteps of Ronaldo and Adriano, both former national team-mates of the Flamengo signing, and have all returned to Brazil to reinvigorate their careers.

Emerton relishing Rovers´ return

Australian international Brett Emerton said he hoped to face a battle for first-team action at Blackburn when he returns from the Asian Cup.
Emerton provided assists to both Everton’s Tim Cahill and AZ Alkmaar’s Brett Holman in Australia’s 4-0 win over India in their Cup opener on Monday.
He said before the kick-off in Qatar that he wants to fight for his place in the Rovers starting line-up when he returns to England.
“Hopefully when I come back I am struggling to get a place in the side, that means we will have done well,” the midfielder said.
“With the January transfer window and a lot of the boys coming back from injury, hopefully there will be a battle for me to get back in the side.”
“Obviously we always welcome fresh faces and new talent. As a group of players we want to be the best we can be and finish as high up the table as we can.”
Emerton said he hoped manager Steve Kean could use the funds from owners Venky’s to buy fresh talent in the January transfer window, to help boost them from ninth placing on the English Premier League table.
“If we can have the addition of a couple of players who can strengthen our squad then all of us should welcome that,” the 31-year-old said.
“Competition is always healthy within a squad and I think you need that to succeed. Otherwise you can get a little bit lazy and you need to be looking over your shoulder to make sure you play well every week.”
Should Australia make the Asian Cup final, Emerton could return to action with Rovers on February 2 when Tottenham visit Ewood Park.

The hardest ever caretaker manager job!

With all the managerial changes, one that has gone largely unnoticed is the sacking of Roy Keane from Ipswich. I’m not going to dwell on that sacking as it was probably the right move and had become inevitable.
Unenviable
Rather than look at the sacking I would rather discuss the totally unenviable job inherited by caretaker boss Ian McParland. You really have to feel sorry for him.
McParland stepped up to take the role with Ipswich sitting in a terribly disappointing nineteenth place in the Championship only three points above the drop zone. They have one only one of their last nine league games and confidence amongst the players was at rock bottom.
Experienced
The forty-nine year old Scot has only experienced management at one other club and that was Notts County where he was the manager for two years until the ill fated Sven Goran Eriksson take over at the club. He has been a coach at Nottingham Forest and has been assistant to Roy Keane since November 2009. He stepped into the breach when Keane was sacked last Friday.
His first task was to take his beleaguered team to Stamford Bridge for a ridiculously tough third round FA Cup tie against Chelsea. You could say that he had nothing to lose, but it was hardly a game for the temporary boss to be able to make his mark.
Battled
As it turned out his Ipswich side battled well until the thirty-third minute when two goals in a minute knocked the stuffing out of them. Chelsea then used the rest of the game to try to build some confidence and get their big players scoring goals again. They did just that and ran out 7-0 winners.
After the game McParland tried to remain positive.
Pride
“The boys are a bit shell-shocked, with the manager going. For half an hour, we were doing okay, we were in the game but we gave them three bad goals. I’ve never been beaten like that. It hurts my pride but I’ll bounce back. Let’s not forget who the lads were playing against. Some Premier League clubs were beaten seven or eight here last year, so maybe we’re in good company.”
His pride was hurt but at least it couldn’t get any worse. Yesterday news arrived that Ipswich had appointed former Bradford, Wigan and Derby boss Paul Jewell as their new manager. It isn’t known whether McParland will stay on the staff but it seems unlikely as a new man usually brings in his own people.
Disastrous
It was also announced that Jewell wouldn’t be taking over the role until after Ipswich’s game on Wednesday evening. McParland will be in charge for that game as well as the one against Chelsea. He will have a tenure of just two matches. Let’s hope that the second game isn’t as disastrous as the first one was.
Who are Ipswich playing? Arsenal.
The second and final game of Ian McParland’s short spell of management is the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against the Premier League’s third placed team and second top scorers.
Daunting
After that game McParland will hand over to Jewell who will face games against Millwall and Doncaster. Doesn’t sound quite as daunting does it?
I’m sure McParland is enjoying his short spell in the spotlight but I doubt if any caretaker manager has ever had such a hard spell in charge. For a struggling Championship team to take on those two sides at the best of times would be asking close to the impossible but in these circumstances, it is even more difficult than that.
I wish him well on Wednesday because unless his pride is to take another knock he will need every piece of luck going.

Bresciano move to Genoa blocked

Mark Bresciano’s hopes of a move away from Lazio have taken a turn for the worse with Genoa president Enrico Preziosi ruling out a loan deal.
While Lazio had earlier said that Genoa might want a loan deal for the Socceroos miedfielder, Preziosi said while his club were interested, they needed to find a striker.
“Bresciano is a player who interests us, but we would not know where to put him,” Preziosi told a local radio station. “At the moment our priority is the attacker and we can not wait for that.”
The Rossoblu are 13th in Serie A, five points out of the relegation zone. The president said his team would rather pursue Wigan Athletic striker Mauro Boselli as a replacement for Luca Toni, while striker Giuseppe Sculli’s future is also up in the air.
“I like Boselli,” the president said. “He is an interesting player in perspective.”
“We want to dismantle the old house and rebuild another that can give satisfaction to our fans, not to repeat the mistakes.”
It was thought Lazio’s interest in Sculli might see Bresciano go to Genoa, but Preziosi’s comments appear to rule that out.
Bresciano has endured a frustrating time with the Rome-based club after moving from Palermo in the off-season.
The 30-year-old, who ruled himself out of playing for Australia at the Asian Cup, has played just 239 minutes of football for the season and started just twice.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Mancini praise for Leicester

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini admitted Leicester City’s 2-2 draw in their third-round FA Cup clash was a worthy result.
Despite Leicester taking an early lead, goals to James Milner and Carlos Tevez saw City take edge in front.
But a brave second-half performance from the Championship outfit led to Andy King’s equaliser – a goal which was well-deserved according to Mancini.
“Leicester played very well. They did not deserve to lose this game,” Mancini said.
“Now we understand that if we want to win the FA Cup, we have to play at 100 percent. When you play against a team in the Championship, it is never easy.”
“It’s important we understand the competition, and to win it we must be better.”
King’s goal – his 10th of the season for Leicester – came from a Joe Hart mistake, but Mancini defended his shot-stopper.
“Joe made a mistake but this can happen. He saved us in the first half and he has saved us in a lot of games,” he said.
Mancini said it was ‘important’ his side have another chance to progress when they host the replay and is looking forward to new signing Edin Dzeko, who cost 27 million pounds from Wolfsburg, making an impact with the club.
“Dzeko will be an important player, he is very different from the other strikers we have here. He will be important for the rest of the season. He will play next weekend and be available against Wolverhampton,” he said.
Leicester manager Sven-Goran Eriksson praised the impact of defender Sol Bamba, after he starred in his debut since joining from Hibernian.
Bamba scored in the first half and forced Hart into a terrific save, leading to praise from his boss.
“Sol Bamba is very dangerous at set-pieces – I knew that from when I was in charge of the Ivory Coast for the World Cup,” Eriksson said.
“He scored in a practice match and that was when I saw how good he can be. I hope he continues to perform like that for the rest of the season.”
Eriksson was proud of the way his side, 12th in the Championship, took the game to their more-fancied opponents.
“I must be pleased with the performance and it was a good football match. I’m very proud of my players and they should be proud of their display,” he said.
“We stood up to Manchester City, one of the best teams in the country. All the players were brilliant.”
“You could not see much difference between the teams although, of course, it will not be easy up there for the replay.”

Spurs´ second-half blitz pleases Bond

Tottenham assistant manager Kevin Bond was pleased with his side’s second half as they overpowered Charlton 3-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Bond saw his side go into the half-time break deadlocked with the League One outfit, with Charlton causing problems for Spurs in a London derby.
But Tottenham scored three second-half goals in an 11-minute hot streak, with 19-year-old Andros Townsend netting his first ever goal for the North London side before Jermaine Defoe converted a quick-fire double.
“The second half was a good performance,” Bond said.
“I think we upped the tempo in the second half. We were a little bit slow and deliberate in our passing; it allowed them to get them back behind the ball.”
“They made it extremely difficult for us, I don’t think we really troubled the keeper in the first half but we upped the tempo in the second half.”
Bond hailed the impact of half-time substitute Luka Modric, claiming the Croatian made a ‘big difference’, while he also praised the teenage Townsend.
“I certainly like Andros Townsend. The way he played today would have given the manager something to consider,” he said.
“We know what his strengths are. He has come into the side today and done himself no harm at all and certainly has given the manager something to think about in terms of another option for him. I thought it was a terrific performance for somebody making their debut.”
Bond also believes that England midfielder David Beckham will link up with the club as rumoured, but not in a playing position.
“I am led to believe that he will come here in a training capacity. He is not going to sign for us to play. He is going to be here for a short time to train which should be interesting,” he said.
“I think everyone will be looking forward to seeing him and seeing how he conducts himself, he how he trains. I am sure a lot of people could take a lot from him and seeing about he goes about his work.”
Charlton’s caretaker manager Keith Peacock was impressed with his side’s performance despite the loss.
“I had a lot of pride in the way the players performed,” Peacock said.
“Obviously I would have been happier if we had managed to get a goal or two but I was very proud of the way we got together and performed exceptionally well in the first half.”
“After that terrible little patch, from our point of view where they undid us, we kept going right until the end.”
Peacock said it would be wrong to comment on Charlton’s search for a new boss, adding that there is no time scale for a new appointment, but was more willing to speak on the performance of Modric, who he said changed the match.
“Modric is a player I like very much and he is a player who you like to see on the ball when you are watching but not when he is against you,” he said.
“We found it difficult to negate his influence in the first 15-20 minutes of the second-half.”

Liga Sagres wrap: Benfica cruise, Naval break long drought

Benfica won their fifth league game in succession with a 3-0 away triumph at Uniao de Leiria in the highlight of Sunday’s Liga Sagres action.
The result sees Benfica five points ahead of third-placed Sporting Lisbon and Jorge Jesus’ side will be hoping to continue their current run of form in the chance of a slip-up from Porto, who are aiming for the seventh title in the last nine seasons and are already eight points clear at the top of the table.
Both sides entered the game in good form, with Uniao de Leiria unbeaten in six league matches, but the hosts were quickly on the back foot.
Argentine forward Javier Saviola gave his side a 27th-minute lead to notch his seventh goal in as many matches.
With the home side pressing, Benfica managed a second 10 minutes from time with Saviola’s compatriot, Nicolas Gaitan, securing the result with his finish, before Oscar Cardozo also got his name on the scoresheet in injury time.
Bottom side Naval 1 de Maio won just their second match of the season and snapped a 14-match winless streak with a 2-1 away win at fifth-placed Vitoria Guimaraes.
Joao Alves’ gave Vitoria the lead after 13 minutes to get the hosts on their way and they looked like there would only be one winner when Naval defender Carlitos was given a straight red card on the hour mark in what was a spiteful contest.
But Fabio Junior silenced the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes with 19 minutes remaining, grabbing an equaliser against the run of play.
If Naval getting a point was a shock, getting a win was unbelievable – but Marinho made it a reality with his goal three minutes from time to secure a terrific come-from-behind victory.
Olhanense won their first match in five with a 1-0 away win at strugglers Rio Ave, with Mauricio’s 22nd minute goal good enough to secure victory for the visitors, while Nacional and Beira-Mar and Academica and Pacos de Ferreira played out goalless draws.

Draw frustrates Zaccheroni

Japan manager Alberto Zaccheroni was disappointed his side could only manage a 1-1 draw with Jordan in their opening Asian Cup match on Sunday.
It was a poor start for Japan – one of the favourites for the tournament – as they were frustrated by their opponents who defended resolutely and packed men behind the ball after they took the lead on the stroke of half-time courtesy of Hassan Abdel Fattah.
Maya Yoshida’s injury-time winner saved the day for Japan and was enough to avoid an embarrassing defeat but Zaccheroni said it was still not good enough.
“I am not satisfied with the result. Japan controlled the match over the 90 minutes while Jordan played defensively,” Zaccheroni said.
“It was the opening match and I knew it would be difficult. I knew we did not have much space on the pitch, so to cope with that we needed to speed up our play. We could not get a goal despite the fact we had chances and we conceded a goal through our own doing.”
“We had plenty of shots so whenever we played the ball around each other we had a chance to get a goal.”
The draw sees Japan needing a win on Thursday when they face Syria, a side who are also likely to pack men behind the ball, which won’t surprise Zaccheroni, who said his side ‘always play to win matches’.
“They (Jordan) scored first and from that they gained confidence against us. That goal influenced the match,” he said.
“But for me I was not satisfied with the first half and the second half was only so-so. I imagine that other teams, and not just Jordan, will play like this also.”
Jordan boss Adnan Hamad was pleased with the spirit shown by his players, but admitted he was disappointed at the fact they failed to hold on for all three points, despite 75 places separating the two countries in the world rankings.
“This was a good match and I would like to extend my thanks to my players for their good discipline on the field,” Hamad said.
“They played with confidence and victory was possible. With regards to the result it is not as good as it could have been and though it is not a bad result it is a sad one for us.”
“The final score perhaps makes sense but the goal in the last minute was something we did not expect. We had high hopes of getting three points.”
Hamad also said the result will give his side ‘a boost for coming matches’ in their bid to qualify from the group.

Macheda delight at Serie A debut

Sampdoria loan signing Federico Macheda was pleased with his first appearance at the Serie A club in their 2-1 win over Roma on Sunday.
The Manchester United forward was substituted on in the final 20 minutes with the score at 1-1, and although he did not score the winner, the 19-year-old was thrilled to be involved in the win.
“The team played well. We have won after making a good recovery and this is really important. I’m very satisfied with my debut. It would have been even better if I scored a goal, but for now it’s okay. What is important is that the team wins and we achieve good results as we have done today,” Macheda said.
“Well, I had a chance (on goal), but it didn’t end up at best. I’m happy since it was important for us to win the match and I’m happy to have contributed to this.”
The Italian starlet said he was impressed with the welcome he received by his colleagues at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris.
“I have to say that this is a good team and they’re all good guys. I was very impressed since it’s not so simple to find team-mates that support you from the very first minute. I’m happy to have found such good guys as they are,” he said.
Macheda said he hoped his six-month stint in Italy would help him grow as a player to help United’s assault on the Premiership trophy next season.
“I hope I’ll achieve the best results, since I came here with the willingness to improve both professionally and personally, since these are two important aspects. I hope I’ll have the chance to improve in any aspect during these six months,” he said.
Sampdoria moved to ninth in the league with the win on Sunday, closing to within six points of fourth-placed Roma.

Ranieri refuses to blame Juan for loss

Roma manager Claudio Ranieri admitted his team had paid the price for two errors from defender Juan as they lost 2-1 to Sampdoria.
Roma had taken the lead through Mirko Vucinic at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, but after visiting goalkeeper Julio Sergio was sent off, Sampdoria rallied with a penalty from Nicola Pozzi and Stefano Guberti.
The Brazilian centre-back was at fault for both goals but Ranieri refused to be too critical of the defender.
“The match has been decided by those mistakes. It’s a pity since we were winning and playing a good match. They were two mistakes made by a champion. He has never made such mistakes before and I don’t think he will make them again in his career,” Ranieri said.
“He was so sorry, but these things can happen. Of course we’re disappointed because we were playing a good match but it doesn’t matter.”
The Italian boss said his side’s away form was a worry entering the second half of the season.
“We know that we have difficulties away from home. We’re top of the league when it comes to home matches but we have difficulties in the away matches. We wanted to change this situation and we came close today but it ended up in this way,” he said.
“We don’t give up and we should keep on battling up to the very last second and we should do our best in order to be able to compete when it comes to the final battle.”
The loss leaves Roma in fourth place, eight points behind league leaders AC Milan after 19 games.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

FA Cup predictions

No Premier League this weekend as the focus switches to the famous, if slightly devalued, FA Cup. Some of the clubs may well rest some players and not take this as seriously as they do the league games, but there isn’t one team taking part in this weekend’s third round who wouldn’t love to be lifting the trophy at Wembley next May.
Let’s look at the games involving the top five and bottom five teams in the Premier League.
SATURDAY 8TH JANUARY
Arsenal v Leeds
Not so long ago this would have been a game between two of countries giants. Now it is a chance for Leeds to commit a giant-killing act. That doesn’t sound right but it would be a remarkable achievement if they were to get a result.
Arsenal are expected to rest Nasri, Wilshire and van Persie as well as maybe some others, but they have a strong squad and will still field a formidable side.
Leeds have made great progress under manager Simon Grayson, winning promotion from League One last season and sitting in the play-off places in the Championship this time around. The slightly worrying thing for them is that they are on a run of four without a win and anything less than top form could lead to a long afternoon.
Soccernews prediction: 3-0
Doncaster v Wolves
Wolves are fighting for their lives in the Premier League and two wins in their last three games against no lesser teams than Liverpool and Chelsea have seen them climb out of the bottom three for the first time in a while. They may see this game as something of an unwelcome distraction and with Mick McCarthy’s previous for naming a reserve side in games he doesn’t feel to be important, I wouldn’t expect too strong a Wolves side to take the field.
Doncaster have been described as the Arsenal of the lower leagues due to the pass and move football they always play under manager Sean O’Driscoll. They are a small club with very limited resources and it is remarkable that they manage to maintain a mid-table Championship position. They have won two of their last three games as well and will fancy their chances of causing an upset.
Soccernews prediction: 0-1
Hull v Wigan
This would have been a Premier League game between two pretty poor teams last season but, of course, Hull got relegated to the Championship. Now, it will be an FA Cup game between two pretty poor teams.
Wigan are second from bottom in the league and have won only once in their last nine games. I watched them in their defeat to Newcastle and it was one of the worst displays I have ever seen from a Premier League side.
Hull have not set the Championship alight although they are now sitting in mid-table after a very poor start. They have only lost once in their last ten outings but many of those games have been drawn.
Soccernews prediction: 0-1
Reading v West Brom
This is a game between two teams who have spent much time in both the Premier League and the Championship in recent years. At the moment, it is West Brom who go into the game as the ‘big’ team.
After looking as though they were more than capable of consolidating their top flight status earlier in the season West Brom have slipped to fifth from bottom and are on a horrible run. Their pitiful 3-0 defeat at Fulham last time out was their fifth defeat in a row.
Reading are threatening to make a serious attempt to get back to the Premier League this season and currently sit just outside the play-offs. They have lost just once in their last ten games and are particularly strong at home where they have lost only two of thirteen games.
I think this may be the best chance of an upset in these selected games.
Soccernews prediction: 2-1
Sheffield United v Aston Villa
Despite Aston Villa saying that manager Gerard Houllier is safe for the time being, this must be regarded as a big game in terms of his immediate future. In the drop zone for the first time in eight years, Villa haven’t won in four and for them, this game may come as a welcome relief from the pressure of the league.
Micky Adams has taken the manager’s hot seat at Sheffield United after Gary Speed left to take the Wales job. He has inherited a big problem. They are just one place outside the Championship drop zone and haven’t won in four. In those four games they have conceded thirteen goals.
Soccernews prediction: 0-2
West Ham v Barnsley
Avram Grant has a good record in the FA Cup and he will be hoping to continue that record in order to deflect criticism from West Ham’s league performances. They are rock bottom and after a promising run of games they came crashing back down to earth with a 5-0 horror show at Newcastle.
Barnsley have made something of a name for themselves as a team that Premier League sides don’t like to play. Chelsea and Liverpool fell foul of them a couple of years ago when Barnsley made it all the way to the semi-final. They are lower mid-table in the Championship and that is pretty good for a side who were predicted to struggle. They have only lost twice in their last nine games and will certainly give it a go.
Soccernews prediction: 2-1
SUNDAY 9TH JANUARY
Manchester United v Liverpool
There was a time when this would have been a game between two of the best sides in the league. Now it is a game between one of the best sides in the league and Liverpool.
I have no doubt that United will take the opportunity to rest some players but Fergie will want to beat Liverpool, make no mistake.
Liverpool and Roy Hodgson in particular, could hardly be more desperate for a win. The FA Cup is their only realistic chance of achieving anything this season and this game may be Roy’s last chance to keep his job.
Soccernews prediction: 2-0
Chelsea v Ipswich
A few weeks ago this game would have been an absolute home banker. It still is really but Chelsea’s run of one win in nine makes it a little more interesting.
Having said that, Championship Ipswich have just sacked their manager Roy Keane because of their desperate performances and their nineteenth place in the table when they were expected to challenge for promotion.
Soccernews prediction: 3-1
Leicester v Manchester City
Sven Goran Eriksson gets the chance to pit his wits against the club who he, and many others, thought unfairly sacked him after just one season at the helm.
Manchester City will certainly give a run out to some of their squad players as the league is definitely a far higher priority for them. Despite that, I would expect to see a rather more attacking performance from the country’s second placed club than we saw from them in the bore draw at Arsenal on Wednesday.
Leicester are four points away from the play-offs in the Championship but are on the verge of mounting a challenge for a top six place. They are a little up and down but had a good win over promotion chasing Swansea last time out.
Soccernews prediction: 1-3
Tottenham v Charlton
A London derby that would have been an all Premier League affair a few short years ago. Now, the two clubs could hardly be further apart.
Tottenham lost at Everton in midweek but that was probably a temporary blip in what has been a wonderful couple of seasons under Harry Redknapp. They are a formidable prospect at White Hart Lane and even if the likes of Gareth Bale are rested for this one, they will be red hot favourites.
Charlton have slid down to League One and manager Phil Parkinson was yet another to be sacked this week. They are in the play-off places but have fallen away after a great start. A 4-2 defeat at home to Swindon was the final straw for the club’s board. That was their sixth league game in a row without a win.

Inter rule out January signings

Inter technical director Marco Branca admits the club are unlikely to sign new players in January after bringing Andrea Ranocchia.
Andrea Rannochia arrived from Genoa at the start of the transfer window and it now looks he will be the only January signing for Inter.
Following Neroazzurri’s impressive victory over Napoli, Inter chiefs seem satisfied with the current squad.
“We feel as if we are a very competitive side,” Marco Branca said. “We’re hoping that we don’t need to sign anyone else.”
Inter were reportedly on the lookout for a striker but Branca denied the transfer speculations.
“We have Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev,” he added. “Then there are all of the midfielders that we have who offer their support in attack.”
[Source: Inter]

India captain doubtful for Socceroos´ clash 0Share

Injury-plagued India captain Bhaichung Bhutia remains in doubt for their Asian Cup opener against Australia on Monday.
Bhutia, who has been capped 102 times by his country, has been troubled by a calf muscle injury for several months adding to speculation that coach Bob Houghton would replace him in his 23-man squad.
But in a dramatic turn of events, the injury-prone 34-year-old striker was first dropped from the squad on Friday and registered as an official before being brought back in as a player.
In a late bid to regain full fitness, Bhutia called his doctor to Dubai for specialist advice so he could be fit for the match against Australia.
“Bhutia is not only the senior most member of the team, he is also our best player. India’s Asian Cup dream would not have been complete without Bhutia,” a team spokesman said.
In Bhutia’s absence, the skipper’s arm band will most probably go to Climax Lawrence, Gouramangi Singh, Subrata Pal or Surkumar Singh.
“The biggest concern for us over the last two months has been the injuries,” Bhutia said.
“Most of our first-choice players have had fitness issues but thankfully, they all have recovered just in time.”
“I assure you, the 22 players from this squad are fully fit. Only I have not managed to get in shape but I hope to be fine soon.”
“It will be disastrous for me if I cannot get fit in time. I have been waiting for my whole career for a stage like this to perform. To miss it will be a big disappointment.”

Turkish league leaders win friendly

Turkish club Trabzonspor defeated Bundesliga side Schalke 3-0 in a friendly at Mardan Stadium on Friday.
The Turkish domestic league leaders took the lead in the ninth minute, capitalising on an error in the Germans’ defence.
Defender Tayfun Cora pounced on the mistake and hit a stunning strike into the top corner, beating Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Trabzonspor doubled their lead in the 57th minute when striker Umut Bulut was unmarked in the area, and he slid a low strike home.
Forward Burak Yilmaz made up for an early blunder, in which he failed to score in front of an open goal, when he beat defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos to tap in for their third.

Soccer Goalkeeper

Helllloooo Guys hows going every thing..........im pretty fine........ Million of people in this world loves SOCCER. Uncountable number of people loves to watch soccer and thousands of people love to play the soccer.............. in this some love to offensive, some want to be in mid and there are some people who want be a "GOALKEEPER". Today im going to talk about "GOALKEEPER".
Goalkeeper is the one who prevents opponent team to score goal. This player has so much importance in winning match or loosing match. Goalkeeper must be the most skilled player of the team in order to defend goal effectively. He must be very quick and responsive in every minute of the game. He must also posses a focused mind as well as attentive to incoming opponent.

Usually, team members who are assigned as goalkeepers are those that are bigger than the rest of the team. A bigger and taller goalkeeper is advantageous since he can cover a bigger portion of the area of the net. The goalkeeper must also be strong enough to overcome the rush of the opposing team.

During the earlier years of soccer, as a tradition the goalkeeper is just stationed near the goal and does not leave his post. This has all changed in modern soccer. Soccer goalkeepers are now part of an attacking force and can even score goals just like the rest of the players.

The best professional goalkeepers are mostly those who spent years of playing which have gained a lot of experience with the sport. They are mostly older than other team members, thus they know every detail of the game.

Goalkeeping is not just keeping the ball out of the goal but must also be able to hold the ball long enough to prevent any scores from the opposing team and if necessary, to maneuver the ball into the advantage of its team.


If you have any QUESTION...... Then write it down i will answer......GOOD LUCK 

Warm Up

Hello ppl WELCOME to my blog my name is RJM.Today im gona talk about the "Warm Up".

Warm Up: To do light exercises to activate your body so that its works better and sufficiently.

ppl by word "Warm Up" you can understand that it means to rise the temperature of your body and make your body useful for every hard condition.
Warm Up helps to prevent muscle strain and injury when playing for 90 Minutes in football full match.
Warm Up not only necessary for soccer but also for every game. So mind it that warm Up before playing game.