Football Spot Light

Brazil vs Peru 3-0 Goals Highlights [2010 FIFA World Cup South America Qualifiers][01.04.09]

2009-04-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

Barcelona 2 A Bilbao 0 7mar09

2009-03-08T01:07:00.001-08:00

Fulham vs Manchester United 0-4 fa cup 07.03.2009 goals highlights

2009-03-08T01:06:00.001-08:00

resume du match Coventry vs Chelsea 07/03/2009

2009-03-08T01:05:00.001-08:00

Man Utd vs Tottenham Penalty Shootout + After Match Celebration HQ English Commentators

2009-03-02T00:55:00.001-08:00

Man u v Spurs

2009-03-02T00:54:00.001-08:00

Milan shock a San Siro

2009-02-27T21:05:00.001-08:00

Arsenal Vs Roma

2009-02-25T13:05:00.001-08:00

Watch Arsenal vs Roma | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

InterMilan Vs Manchester United

2009-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

Watch Inter Milan v Man Utd | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Lyon 1 - Barcelona 1

2009-02-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

Watch Lyon vs Barcelona | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Roman Calderon Resigns

2009-01-16T23:12:00.000-08:00

In the wake of Ramon Calderon's resignation, opinions are divided as to what sort of legacy he has left behind.

In the wake of Ramon Calderon's resignation as Real Madrid president, opinions are divided as to what sort of legacy he has left behind.

Will he be best remembered as the man who helped bring the glory days back to the Spanish giants, or will his place in history be defined more by unfulfilled transfer vows and the role he played in last summer's tiresome Cristiano Ronaldo saga?
Madridistas can have few complaints as the Spanish superpowers have been awash with silverware since Calderon took up his post.

Prior to Calderon's election, Madrid's football team had not won a single major trophy since 2003 but, with coaches Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster and now Juande Ramos pulling the strings, there have been two more Primera Liga titles and the Spanish Supercopa added to the club's list of achievements.

Calderon said at the end of last season: "This league title will be more special for me because it will be my second. It will also be the first time we win two consecutive league titles in 18 years. I think we are doing a great job."

It was a similar story on the basketball side of things, with Madrid winning the league and the ULEB Cup - their first European title in a decade - while Calderon was still in his first 12 months of office.

That was the first time in 21 years that both the Madrid football and basketball teams have been league champions at the same time.

On the flip side though, Calderon detractors could point out that while the 57-year-old lawyer was the figurehead of the club, sporting success was down to the performances of players, coaching staff and the technical team, and had little to do with the president himself.

And Madrid's transfer record during his tenure has hardly been a resounding success, with plenty of money being spent but a number of big fish slipping through the net.
However, when it comes to big transfers, former Madrid president Florentino Perez casts a long shadow indeed.

Perez's so-called 'Galacticos' policy of signing at least one star name every summer - whatever the cost - established Madrid as the most powerful club in the world, but it also set a precedent that future presidents would struggle to match.
Proof of that was in the 2006 election race to find the long-term successor to Perez, who stepped down that January after six years in charge, citing the need for change having not won any major silverware since 2003.

Five men including Calderon challenged for the position, and each of them made extravagant promises about which players and coaches they would bring in should they be elected.

It is impossible to tell how successful the other candidates would have been in fulfilling their respective pledges, but Calderon's player promises proved largely hollow.

Of the three big-name players he claimed would be bought, Kaka and Cesc Fabregas stayed put, and while the third, Arjen Robben, did end up moving to Madrid, it was not until 12 months later, for a fee of more than £20million.
Madrid's transfer failings during Calderon's presidency were not limited to those players either.

The club's long chase for Manchester United winger Ronaldo, in which Calderon played a very vocal role, has so far failed, and also landed Madrid and Calderon in the English giants' bad books.

The European champions lodged an official complaint with FIFA over Madrid's pursuit of the Portugal international and United coach Sir Alex Ferguson also hit out at Calderon following his comments about player slavery.

"In terms of great clubs, Barcelona have far better morality than Real Madrid will ever have," said Ferguson.

Calderon, however, responded by insisting his club had "conducted themselves exquisitely" in the whole affair.

He added: "We are not going to start a conflict. We're sorry that Manchester United, a club with which we have an excellent relationship, is annoyed with us because Real Madrid have nothing to do with that aspect."

Ronaldo was not the only player to shun Madrid this summer though, with both David Villa and Santi Cazorla reportedly ignoring overtures from the Spanish champions and committing their futures to Valencia and Villarreal, respectively.

That meant Madrid's only summer signing for this season was Rafael van der Vaart, and they were also unable to keep hold of forward Robinho, who left on transfer deadline day for Manchester City despite Calderon saying 24 hours previously: "There will be no player coming in and no player leaving."

Madrid's lack of success in the transfer market combined with Robinho's determination to leave suggested the club can no longer lay claim to being every player's dream destination - something unimaginable not so long ago when they were prising the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Brazilian ace Ronaldo away from reluctant sellers.

That said, as long as Madrid continued to pick up trophies, off-field matters would have stayed in the background. But this season they have stuttered, allowing a 12-point chasm to open between them and leaders Barcelona.

They were knocked out of the Copa del Rey last week and face a tough tie against Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Calderon, who once said "this club wants its money to be on the pitch, not in the bank", would no doubt have tried to put things right by splashing more cash in this month's transfer window and in the summer, but now he will not get the chance.

Inter Milan 1-1 Cagliari

2009-01-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

Valencia 3 - Villareal 3

2009-01-10T23:38:00.000-08:00

Everton 2 - Hull City 0

2009-01-10T23:35:00.000-08:00

Arsenal 1 - 0 Bolton Wanderars

2009-01-10T23:26:00.000-08:00

Results - Barclays Premier League Week 21

2009-01-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom

Davies 18:13 Morrison 48:05
Agbonlahor 40:15

Everton 2-0 Hull

Fellaini 18:00
Arteta 45:00(0:08)

Arsenal 1-0 Bolton

Bendtner 83:2

Newcastle 2-2 West Ham

Owen 18:16
Carroll 77:46

Middlesbrough 1-1 Sunderland

Alves 44:25 Jones 81:07

Stoke 0-0 Liverpool

SEO Busby Web Solutions

2009-01-10T01:22:00.000-08:00

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There are many ethical SEO professionals offering their services on the web, one among the best is Software House.

Busby Web Solutions again hold a contest with the name Busby SEO Test II was opened on Oct. 1 2008 and will dikahiri on 31 January 2009. Prizes will be awarded on the winner between 1 to 5.
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Inter and Barca to bid for Villa?

2009-01-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan and Barcelona could start an unprecedented bidding war in the offseason for Valencia’s David Villa.

Villa was expected to make a mega money move following a stellar Euro 2008 outing with Spain last summer, but ended up remaining with his current team, Valencia.
Los Che have slapped a 50 million Euro price tag on the forward, but some clubs have been willing to pay even more than that for Villa to ply his trade at their stadium.
Barcelona allegedly had a 35 million Euro bid rejected in the offseason, and are braced for a bidding war with Serie A giants Inter Milan in the next transfer window.

The Nerazzurri are in search for the perfect partner for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their strikeforce, and Villa seems to fit the bill in his ability to play off a dominant striker. Barcelona are also reportedly in the market for another attacker.
However, with Samuel Eto'o having reconciled with everyone at the club and Barca coach Pep Guardiola keen to dole out playing time to develop youngster Bojan Krkic, the Catalans are unlikely to make their interest concrete unless one of their strikers leaves the club.

In another development, Manchester City are also said to be interested in the Spaniard, and could bid for the player given their current spending power.

Defoe to Spurs

2009-01-06T07:28:00.000-08:00

Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe is set to clinch a return to Tottenham after a fee was agreed for the player.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie have been in talks over the weekend to negotiate a deal in the region of US$22 million.
The 26-year-old is thought to be scheduled for a medical with the club he left just under a year ago.

"Portsmouth can confirm a fee has been agreed with Tottenham for Jermain Defoe," read a statement from Pompey.

Jermain Defoe's career in pictures!

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp bought Defoe for Pompey in the 2008 January window and his return had been suggested since the change of manager at White Hart Lane two months ago.

Tottenham fans continued to sing his name while Defoe went on a run of eight goals in his first seven Pompey games. He has added nine goals in this campaign.
"I wouldn't have sold him if I was manager at Portsmouth and Tottenham came back in," Redknapp admitted. "I'd be keeping him."

Redknapp has prioritised a striker and a left-sided midfielder in the current window, with Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing also subject of a bid from Spurs.
Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah is on trial at Spurs this week and could sign until the end of the season.

Preston North End 0-2 Liverpool

2009-01-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

Arsenal 3-1 Plymouth Argyle (FA Cup)

2009-01-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

Barcelona 3-1 Mallorca

2009-01-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

Spanish Media Exaggerated On Ronaldinho - Henry

2009-01-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

Barcelona striker Thierry Henry talked about the Spanish media's harsh treatment of Ronaldinho in his last season at the club before he joined Milan.

Many people were highly skeptical when Milan signed Ronaldinho from Barcelona last summer in what was certainly the biggest move of the year. However, the Brazilian superstar has silenced the skeptics in these first months at the club by scoring several goals and providing a number of assists.

A number of fallouts with coach Frank Rijkaard and reports of wild nights out on the town led the Spanish press to describe him as a finished player, although his allegedly poor physical condition didn't help either. His declining reputation was also reflected in last summer's transfer period, as there were only two clubs interested in signing him from Barça: Manchester City and Milan.

Considering the player's form with the Rossoneri so far this season, however, it seems those judgments were highly exaggerated. Blaugrana striker Thierry Henry also believes the Ballon d'Or was treated unfairly by the Spanish press.

"I never accepted the way they treated a player like Ronaldinho, who gave a lot to Barcelona," he said to 'Sport'. "He certainly didn't go through a happy period last season, but he didn't kill anyone either. He's a lad with a big heart and the team were very sad to read what was being said about him."

Ronaldinho has scored seven goals in Serie A so far, making him the team's top scorer along with Kaká, and two in the Uefa Cup.

Transfer News! Podolski to Spurs?

2009-01-03T06:09:00.000-08:00

German striker Lukas Podolski claims that Tottenham have approached him about a move to London. - Corriere dello Sport

Mexican club Chivas have declared their interest in signing Spurs' forward Giovani Dos Santos - Setanta Sports

Jose Mourinho ruled out a move for Newcastle and England striker Michael Owen. - La Gazzetta dello Sport

Jermain Defoe might have played his last game for Portsmouth with strong rumours that he will make a return to former club Tottenham Hotspur. - The Telegraph
Chelsea are set to table a bid for CSKA Moscow's Yuri Zhirkov as a replacement for Wayne Bridge if the England left-back joins Manchester City. - Daily Mail

Mark Hughes wants to take West Ham midfielder Scott Parker to the Eastlands. - The Times

Valencia are prepared to offload their star striker David Villa for the right price with Manchester City seemingly keen. - The Independent

The Hammers will let Australian defender Lucas Neill leave the club on a free transfer to lower their wage bill. - The Sun

Serie A giants AC Milan are reportedly eager to take
Chelsea's Brazilian defender Alex to the San Siro. - The Sun

Shay Given might be leaving the Magpies with Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal the supposedly interested parties. - Daily Mirror

Internazionale's French midfielder Olivier Dacourt is keen on a move to join Gary Megson's Bolton Wanderers. - The Sun

Hull City are pondering whether to make a move for Wigan's hard-tackling midfielder, Michael Brown. - Daily Telegraph

Cristian Rodriguez of Porto and Juan Arango of Mallorca will become Spurs' next best options if they fail to land England winger Stewart Downing. - The Times

Sir Alex Ferguson kicked off his January spending by securing the services of Serbian duo Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic from Partizan Belgrade

Redknapp: US$29 million for Defoe

2009-01-03T06:04:00.000-08:00

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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp believes Portsmouth want 'in excess of US$29 million' for England striker Jermain Defoe.

Defoe wants to leave Fratton Park but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could not agree a fee with Pompey chairman Peter Storrie when the pair met yesterday.

Redknapp, when asked how much Pompey would want, said: "I think it's in excess of US$29 million probably.

"The two clubs are miles apart in their valuation of the player so I think we'll have to move on."

Pompey manager Tony Adams insists he will have the final say over whether Defoe leaves the club.

Defoe may miss today's FA Cup visit of Bristol City as he was absent from training after phoning in sick and Adams revealed the club sent a doctor to the striker's Hertfordshire home to assess his condition.

Adams said: "Peter Storrie had a meeting with him last Wednesday, which I sat in on, and Jermain expressed a desire to leave.

"I think Peter is talking to a few clubs about him but the final decision will be mine and I have a price in mind of what I think he is worth.

"He is a superb player and a great goalscorer but I have not yet made up my mind whether or not I am going to sell him.

"I have to make a call on that like I had to with Lassana Diarra when Real Madrid came knocking.

"If I wanted to play him against Bristol City I could because he is still a Portsmouth player but it looks as if his illness has taken that out of my hands."

Champions League Knock out Draws

2008-12-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

Atlético Vs Porto 24/02 » 11/03 »

Lyon Vs Barcelona 24/02 » 11/03 »

Arsenal Vs Roma 24/02 » 11/03 »

Inter Vs Man. United 24/02 » 11/03 »

Real Madrid Vs Liverpool 25/02 » 10/03 »

Chelsea Vs Juventus 25/02 » 10/03 »

Villarreal Vs Panathinaikos 25/02 » 10/03 »

Sporting VsBayern 25/02 » 10/03 »

Ronaldo very happy at United

2008-12-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

Crisitiano Ronaldo has insisted that he is "very happy" at Manchester United despite ongoing the Real Madrid saga.

The Manchester United winger has been back in the headlines again over the past 48 hours, thanks to more speculation linking him with Real Madrid.

But comments from Real director Pedro Trapote have been greeted with disdain at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson claiming 'I wouldn't sell them a virus' following his team's 5-3 Club World Cup victory over Gamba Osaka.

Ronaldo opted not to get embroiled in the war of words between two clubs, who may get drawn together in the Champions League knockout round tomorrow.
However, he has confirmed he remains happy with life at Old Trafford - after Ferguson persuaded him to stay last summer.

"I don't care what people are saying," he said.

"I have not read it. I am here in Japan and I know nothing about what is going on around me.

"But I am very happy playing for Manchester United."

After the intense speculation that surrounded him last summer, it seems Ronaldo must once again get used to being the centre of attention.

The Ballon D'Or winner preferred to talk about his goalscoring contribution to United's latest triumph.

After heading home a Ryan Giggs corner in first-half stoppage time, Ronaldo has moved into double figures for the season.

As he prepares to be confirmed as the best player in the world at a glitzy FIFA ceremony next month, Ronaldo confirmed life at the moment is going well.

"It would mean a lot for me to be a world champion," he said.

"It would be fantastic to win this trophy - and now there is a good chance, not just from a personal perspective but for Manchester United.

"We might only have one opportunity and we have to take it."

Ronaldo knows the bare minimum about Sunday's opponents, Ecuador's South American club champions LDU Quito.

They were not that impressive in beating Pachuca in yesterday's semi-final, but Ronaldo knows any club capable of overcoming the might of Brazil and Argentina must be respected.

"We are expecting a difficult game," he said.

"The second match is always more difficult than the first, and we have to prepare well.

"Quito are a good team, with a lot of experience.

"We have a couple of days to study them and to see who the best players are, but the most important thing for us is to put the ball in the net."

Van Persie to Barca?

2008-12-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

League leaders Barcelona are reportedly interested to bring Arsenal forward Robin van Persie to Camp Nou.

Marca reported that Barca made their intentions known and has received positive response from the player's associates.

Arsenal on the other hand has been trying to tie Van Persie down to a longer contract with his current deal running out in 2011.

Barca's technical secretary Txiki Begiristain has been scouting for a new left-sided attacking player with Thierry Henry unlikely to stay on after this season.
Some other notable players linked with Catalan giants is Valencia's explosive winger David Silva while another Arsenal player, Cesc Fabregas is a long-term target that will unlikely be available this summer.

With Sylvinho also rumoured to be on his final season at the club and French international Eric Abidal keen on a move back to Olympique Lyonnais, Barca's priority in the transfer marker will be to solve the left-sided void that could spell trouble if not plugged swiftly.

The Blaugrana are no strangers to signing Dutch players with Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and the De Boer brothers just some of the Oranje players who have plied their trade under Barca colours.

Adriano to play in All-Star Game

2008-12-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan striker Adriano will take part in a benefit All-Star Game organised by Brazilian legend Zico next week.

Adriano's participation is the match, which is due to be played next Tuesday at the Estadio Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, is a curious situation given Inter allowed him to return to his homeland earlier this week because of a muscle injury.

The striker had been ruled out of Inter's game at Siena on Saturday because of the injury, prompting the club's decision to allow him to return to Brazil ahead of the upcoming winter break.

However, he looks set to play some role in Tuesday's match after an organiser of the event, Junior Coimbra, confirmed his participation.

"Adriano has arrived in Rio and confirmed his presence in the All-Star Game," he said.

"We are still waiting for the confirmation from a few other players, both local and international."

Money collected from the game will be donated to charity and to help the thousands of victims of the floods in the state of Santa Catarina which killed 128 people.

Sunderland 4-0 West Bromwich

2008-12-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

Tottenham H. 0-0 Manchester U.

2008-12-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

Wigan Athletic 3-0 Blackburn R.

2008-12-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

Panathinaikos 1-0 Anorthosis

2008-12-10T05:35:00.004-08:00

Panathinaikos v Anorthosis

AS Roma 2-0 Bordeaux

2008-12-10T05:35:00.003-08:00

Roma v Bordeaux

Chelsea 2-1 CFR Cluj

2008-12-10T05:35:00.001-08:00

Chelsea v CFR Cluj

Basel 0-1 Sporting Lisbon(09.12.2008)

2008-12-10T05:34:00.001-08:00

Basel v Sporting Lisbon

PSV Eindhoven 1-3 Liverpool(09.12.2008)

2008-12-10T05:33:00.000-08:00

PSV Eindhoven V Liverpool

Barcelona 2-3 Shakhtar Donets (09.12.2008)

2008-12-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

Barcelona v Shakhtar

Juande Ramos: Real Madrid Job Is A Dream For Me

2008-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

The new Real Madrid coach has described his appointment as Bernd Schuster's successor as a dream job after he penned a deal that will keep him at the club until the end of the season at least

Juande Ramos agreed a deal to take over as Real Madrid coach over breakfast on Tuesday morning, he revealed at a press conference where he was officially presented as the new coach of the club.

The former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur has signed an agreement until the end of the current season and both sides will then sit down and discuss a longer contract if they are happy.

Describing the appointment as a dream come true for him, Ramos also said that Madrid could add to their squad again in January once he has analysed the squad.

"I would like to thank the club the faith that they have placed in me. I am very excited about the prospect of coaching Real Madrid," Ramos said to reporters.

"It is every coach's dream and I do not want to let anyone down in their choice and hope to bring success to the club.

"The speed of the agreement has surprised me. I was invited to have breakfast with the directors this morning and we talked about a deal then and it was all signed then.

"In most of my previous jobs I have had short contracts and I will be here until the end of the season. It was a quick agreement and if both sides are happy then we can sit down in the summer and maybe extend the agreement.

After reports that Bernd Schuster's comment that Real Madrid could not beat Barcelona on Saturday, Ramos said that he would focus on the Blaugrana game after the Zenit game.

"They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I have not doubt that they are playing very well at the moment, but Real Madrid has the capability and the prestige to take on any team at any stadium in the world," he continued.

"Real Madrid can only look to the next game and that for us is Zenit and when that game is played we will then think about Barcelona."

Ramos takes over a squad with several players absent through injury and stated that he could well be dipping in to the transfer market in the winter window.

"In January we may have to do something, but we have to be clear about who we need and who will be right for this club," he added.

Real Madrid Sack Bernd Schuster, Juande Ramos In

2008-12-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Madrid have announced that they have dismissed their coach on Tuesday morning and reports state that Juande Ramos has been installed and will take training at the club this afternoon.

Bernd Schuster has been sacked by Real Madrid, the Spanish giants have confirmed after a series of meetings on Tuesday morning and is reported to have been replaced by Juande Ramos.

With Predrag Mijatovic said to have been at the forefront of the move, he had already lined up Ramos and the former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur coach will take training on Tuesday afternoon after a brief presentation.

The German coach has paid for the turmoil on the pitch and apparently for his comments off it after he stated that Los Merengues could not beat Barcelona this weekend.

Despite leading the club to the league title last term, his inability to produce an attractive and consistent team this season has meant that he has now paid the price.

Sporting director Mijatovic was reported to have been very unimpressed by the trainer's outburst to add to the poor performances in recent weeks and was intrumental in his sacking.

Ramón Calderón had previously wanted to retain Schuster's services for fear of a backlash against him, but he was persuaded to make the move after Sunday's defeat by Sevilla.

Madrid are now said to have appointed former Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur coach Juande Ramos and he will be at the Bernabéu for the game against Zenit on Wednesday.

Schuster, 48, took over at the Bernabéu after Fabio Capello was dismissed because his style of play was not said to be entertaining enough despite securing Madrid's first championships for four seasons and now the club have removed another title-winning coach.

The former Madrid, Atlético and Barcelona player was warned about his conduct in the press room last term and while results were going his way there was little outcry, but now the team has faltered his latest outburst about the impossibility of winning at Camp Nou has cost him dearly.

Ramos made his name by winning five trophies in 15 months at Sevilla and he added to that by leading Tottenham to the Carling Cup last term, their first major trophy for nine years.

Despite the north London club's subsequent dip in form, the Andalucian trainer's stock held up in Spain and he was tipped to join Real Madrid as soon as it was announced that he had lost his job at White Hart Lane.

Ronaldinho: Private Issues Led To Poor Barcelona Form

2008-12-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

The former World Player of the Year has been discussing the reasons behind his below par performances for the Blaugrana last season.

he Brazilian superstar has found a new lease of life at his new club Milan, where he is an integral part of their Serie A title challenge.

But some of his displays for Barcelona last season led to speculation that the 28-year old no longer had the drive to perform consistently at the highest level.

However, 'Ronnie' has spoken out about his final months at the Camp Nou, and insists his dip in form occurred as a result of personal problems off the pitch.

He told Italian publication Corriere della Sera, "Many thought I was in decline and that I would never come back to my best level, but the truth is that at the beginning of this year I had an accident that created many problems."

The attacking midfielder, who scored 70 goals in 145 games for Barcelona in his five years at the club, refused to go into further details regarding the nature of the problems, but made it clear that the snipers who had criticised him at the time left an indelible mark on his confidence.

He added, "They said and published many things that were hurtful to me. I wanted to prove to them that I am not finished."

With Ronaldinho as their top scorer so far this season, Milan lie in second position in the Serie A table, while Barcelona are riding high at the summit of the Primera Division.

Sergio Ramos Ready To Shackle Lionel Messi

2008-12-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster will be forced to shuffle his back-line for Saturday’s critical El Clasico clash, but it appears that he has found a solution for the problem known as Lionel Messi.

Real Madrid will head into Saturday’s showdown with bitter rivals,Barcelona without at least half of their first team.

With injured players littered across every position and department on the pitch, Madrid’s most vital absence, however, will be in the left-back slot: the flank Lionel Messi will attack from.

Marcelo is suspended and Miguel Torres is out injured, while at this stage Gabriel Heinze appears to be doubtful. And even if he does recover from a muscle ailment in time, he will be short on match fitness: a defect that can be brutally fatal against a player like ‘Little Lionel’.

Madrid-based daily AS has speculated that coach Bernd Schuster will turn to the versatile Sergio Ramos in an attempt to put the brakes on the mercurial Messi. With Pepe also sidelined, Christoph Metzelder will most likely partner Fabio Cannavaro in the centre of defence, but this will leave the right-back position up in the air.
While Ramos may look like the perfect solution to stop Messi, the bad omen for Madridistas is that the only two occasions where he has been employed as a left-back since joining Los Blancos occurred back in 2007 under Fabio Capello, against Deportivo La Coruna and Real Valladolid. Madrid lost both matches.

The possible absences of midfielders Wesley Sneijder and Royston Drenthe will pose another selection headache for Schuster. If the pair fail to recover come kick-off, the German-born coach will have to deploy Rafael van der Vaart, Javi Garcia and Guti just infront of Fernando Gago.

Arsenal Vs Wigan Athletic

2008-12-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

Lazio 0 - InterMilan 3

2008-12-07T07:03:00.001-08:00

Blackburn 1 - Liverpool 3

2008-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

NewCastle United 2 Vs Stoke City 2

2008-12-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hull City Vs Middlesbrough

2008-12-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

Tottenham 0 - Everton 1

2008-12-01T00:42:00.001-08:00

Chelsea 1 - Arsenal 2

2008-12-01T00:41:00.003-08:00

Manchester City 0 - Manchester United 1

2008-12-01T00:40:00.001-08:00

Getafe 3 - Real Madrid 1

2008-11-29T20:53:00.001-08:00

Sevilla 0 - Barcelona 3

2008-11-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

Barcelona 1 - Getafe 1

2008-11-29T02:22:00.001-08:00

Liverpool 1 - Marseille 0

2008-11-29T02:21:00.000-08:00

Barcelona 2 - Lisbon 5

2008-11-29T02:19:00.000-08:00

Big head-to-head clashes ahead in La Liga

2008-11-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

Before the Christmas break, there are five days of football in which all of the top teams will be going at it face to face, and the shape of the Spanish Liga could change completely.

The 2008/09 championship has started with five teams edging ahead of the rest of the pack: Barça, Vila-real, Valencia, Real Madrid and Sevilla, in that order. Over the next five weeks, many of those teams will be meeting each other, and we could either see teams extending their leads or dropping away from the leading group.

Barça have all four in a row

After playing Getafe on Sunday, FC Barcelona have back to back games against their four main pursuers. Next up are Sevilla, then its home to Valencia, a week later Real Madrid at home and before Christmas they still have to tackle Vila-real.

Josep Guardiola knows they need to make sure of the three points against Getafe and have something of a safety net as they go into the toughest part of their league schedule yet. A margin for error will be comforting, yet even if Barça won all of their next games it will still be too early to celebrate anything with half the league programme still to go.

Sevilla first

The first of the big guns to face the league leaders will be Sevilla. Manolo Jiménez’s side will first receive Valencia this Saturday at 22.00 and after that they too play the big teams in Barça, Madrid and Vila-real, in that order.

Valencia, bit by bit

Valencia follow their game with Sevilla with a game against Betis, and after that they’ve got Barça. Valencia then get to ‘rest’ for a week against Espanyol before facing Vila-real. Valencia will end their run of games against fellow leaders on the weekend of January 10 and 11, 2009.

Real Madrid, with Christmas in between

Real Madrid also have four games in a row against their fellow leaders, but have the Christmas break in between. In two weekends time they have Sevilla, in three weeks time it’s Barça and in four its Valencia. They then have a fortnight off for Christmas, and return to their difficult string of matches by entertaining Vila-real.

Finally, Vila-real

Pellegrini’s side will be the last of the sides to take on a run of games against the other top teams. By Christmas, Vila-real will have only played Sevilla and Barça.

The fixture list
Week 12 (23/11/08)
FC Barcelona – Getafe
R.Madrid – Recreativo
Sevilla – València
Vila-real – Valladolid

Week 13 (30/11/08)
Sevilla – FC Barcelona
València – Betis
Getafe – R.Madrid
Recreativo – Vila-real

Week 14 (07/12/08)
FC Barcelona – València
R.Madrid – Sevilla
Vila-real – Getafe

Week 15 (14/12/08)
FC Barcelona-R.Madrid
Sevilla-Vila-real
València – Espanyol

Week 16 (21/12/08)
R.Madrid – València
Vila-real – FC Barcelona
Mallorca – Sevilla

Thrashing Victory for Manchester City against Arsenal

2008-11-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Arsenal's poor form continue to run extending their losing streak to 2. Stephen Ireland drew the first blood of Arsenal for Man City at the 45th Min. Ten Minutes later Robinho's Spectacular chip shot helped Man City to double their lead. As Man City continued to attack Arsenal as the Eastland fans continued to chant their team song. The final goal for Man City came from Struddige in the dying minutes from the penalty.

Portsmouth Vs Hull City

2008-11-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

VS

Portsmouth 2 - Hull City 2

20' [1 - 0] P. Crouch

54' [1 - 1] M. Turner

63' [2 - 1] G. Johnson

85' P.B. Diop (YC)

86' D. Windass(YC)

89' [2 - 2] N. Pamarot (o.g.)

90' S. Davis(YC)

Johnson's spectular long range left foot volley increased the confidence of portsmouth for the victory. But the tigers bounced back and equalised by a late goal.

Newcastle's Anti - Football

2008-11-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

VS

New Castle, today, played an anti football against Chelsea at stamfor bridge. New Castle didnt tried to take possession of the ball and attack chelsea's defence. New Castle's full intention was to get a point. So they adopted the coward's method of playing antifootball.

Inspite of New Castle's anti football chelsea created few chances to score a goal. During the 89 the minute Ballack's went wide off the post.

Aston Villa vs Man Utd Preview

2008-11-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Vs

Aston Villa are in good form and confident of their victory against Manchester United today. Martin O'Neil has admittied that the victory will be a boost for them if they can beat Manchester united after 13 year.

Berbatov's injury and tevez madrid move talks will be a blow for Ferguson. Besides berbatov injury, united boss is confident of his top players like rooney and ronaldo.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United:

15th November vs. Stoke City (H) won 5-0 (PREM)

11th November vs. Queens Park Rangers (H) won 1-0 (CARLING CUP)

8th November vs. Arsenal (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)

5th November vs. Celtic (A) drew 1-1 (CHAMP LG)

1st November vs. Hull City (H) won 4-3 (PREM)

Aston Villa:

15th November vs. Arsenal (A) won 2-0 (PREM)

9th November vs. Middlesbrough (H) lost 2-1 (PREM)

6th November vs. Slavia Prague (A) won 1-0 (UEFA CUP)

3rd November vs. Newcastle United (A) lost 2-0 (PREM)

29th October vs. Blackburn Rovers (H) won 3-2 (PREM)

TEAM NEWS

Aston Villa:

Spanish centre back Carlos Cuellar (thigh) misses out on the visit of Manchester United. Villa fans will be happy to hear that John Carew and Nicky Shorey will feature after recent injury absences.

Last starting XI (vs. Arsenal): Friedel, Cuellar, Laursen, Davies, Luke Young, Ashley Young, Sidwell, Petrov, Barry, Milner, Agbonlahor.
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Carew, Knight, Salifou, Reo-Coker, Gardner.

Squad: Friedel, Guzan, L Young, Shorey, Davies, Laursen, Knight, Milner, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Barry, A Young, Osbourne, Salifou, Carew, Agbonlahor, Harewood, Delfouneso, Gardner.

Manchester United:

Sir Alex Ferguson is reeling from the news that Wes Brown (ankle) will be out until January and Dimitar Berbatov (hamstring) will miss United’s next two games. They join Paul Scholes (knee) and Owen Hargreaves (knee) on the sidelines. Rio Ferdinand (back) faces a late fitness test.

Last starting XI (vs. Stoke City): Van der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher (Gibson 63), Park (Welbeck 63), Tevez (Manucho 74), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Anderson, Nani, Rafael Da Silva.

Squad: Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, Rafael, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Park, Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, Tevez, Welbeck.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa: As Gabriel Agbonlahor sped past William Gallas, he sealed Villa’s 2-0 win against Arsenal and confirmed the Midlanders' position in the race for 4th place. Agbonlahor was sensational, causing the Gunners problems throughout the game as his pace stretched their defence to breaking-point. He put in a good shift again in mid-week for England as he nearly capped off his first start with a goal. If he can continue this form, then the Villa might have enough to break their United hoodoo.

Manchester United: In the absence of many England regulars, Michael Carrick performed admirably in Berlin. Calmly retaining possession and breaking up German play, Carrick was one of the Three Lions' best performers in the 2-1 victory. The ex-Spurs man was continuing his good form since his return from injury. This has even included goals against Hull City and Stoke City. With Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves injured, plus Anderson suffering jet lag from his trip to Brazil, Carrick must continue to step up to the plate for his club.

PREDICTION

Going by the form book, this is one of the easiest games to predict in the Premier League.

Last weekend’s trip to the Emirates could have changed all that for Martin O’Neill’s men. They were top-class then and a repeat of that performance will test the champions' mettle.

United should still come out on top, but it won’t be an easy day out in the Midlands for the Red Devils this time.

Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United

Reports raise doubts over Gallas Future at Arsenal

2008-11-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

William Gallas's Arsenal future is in doubt after he was stripped off his captaincy and dropped from the squad.

The 31-year-old centre-back has revealed rifts in the Gunners dressing room, a blazing row during the interval of the 4-4 draw with rivals Tottenham and a problem with an unnamed team-mate unsettling Arsene Wenger's squad.

Wenger had to decide whether to give Gallas the armband at Eastlands, with the website of respected magazine France Football suggesting the defender has lost it and is not travelling for the City clash.

Manuel Almunia and Gael Clichy have been billed as alternatives this weekend, as Cesc Fabregas is suspended and Kolo Toure injured.

Former Arsenal full-back Nigel Winterburn believes changing the captaincy would place Gallas' future in doubt.

"If he takes the captaincy away he's almost saying he doesn't trust him as a player and then maybe he shouldn't be playing within the team," said Winterburn on Sky Sports News.

"It shows how disappointed Arsene Wenger is. He must be seriously hurt to take the captaincy away. If he does not travel it could be the end of him at Arsenal."
Gallas has been quoted in the Evening Standard as being open to an eventual return to France for the final stages of his career, which adds fuel to questions of his long-term commitment to Arsenal.

He said: "It's true that I'd like to return to France for one or perhaps two seasons to finish my career."

Tevez joining Madrid next season

2008-11-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid will sign Manchester United and Argentine forward, Carlos Tevez in time for the start of next season.

Spanish sports daily, Marca, reported that the ‘Apache' as Tevez is commonly known, has said yes to Madrid after seeing his starting berth go to new United signing, Dimitar Berbatov.

Madrid themselves have had problems of late and with star striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy out for the rest of the season, Tevez's arrival will be deemed necessary.

Bernd Schuster's men are currently sitting in fourth position and are five points behind Primera Liga leaders, Barcelona.
Whether or not Marca's report is correct has yet to be confirmed by the Los Blancos.

Cudicini to join Spurs?

2008-11-19T06:35:00.001-08:00

Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini might make the short journey to join another London side, Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs' Brazilian keeper, Heurelho Gomes has had a nightmarish first few months in the English game as his costly errors have proved costly to his side in their relegation fight.

New manager, Harry Redknapp is said to be eyeing a short-term replacement to give Gomes some competition and Cudicini is at the top of the list.

Cudicini has had to settle for a role on the bench since Petr Cech joined Chelsea and with the limited playing time he has gotten, a switch to Spurs might be tempting.

If a bid for Cudicini fails, Redknapp may just head back to Fratton Park to lure England keeper, David James to the Lane

Is This The Best Barça Ever?

2008-11-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

It is early days still to begin to judge Pep Guardiola's Barça; however, the statistics speak for themselves: after 11 league games Barça have made their best start ever to a league campaign - nine wins and a draw = 28 points which is one more than Bobby Robson's team won in the first eleven games of 1996/97 (eight wins and three draws).

The current team have now won nine league games on the trot. The team of 2005/06 hold the record for concecutive league victories having won 14 straight games between October 2005 and January 2006. Many of you may remember some of the fantastic football played at that time including the 0-3 win at the Bernabeu with Ronaldinho at his unbelievable best. That team went on to lift La Liga and the Champions League trophy so until Pep's boys do the same perhaps there can be no comparison. But just for the hell of it I will compare the figures. In the 14 wins of 2005/06 Barça scored 38 goals (an average of 2.714 goals a game) and only conceded seven. In the current run of nine games Barça have scored 35 (an average of 3.889 goals a game!) while conceding six.

There is still quite a road to climb to equal the fourteen wins, the next five league games are Getafe (home), Sevilla (away), Valencia (home), Real Madrid (home), and Villarreal (away); if we come through that lot victorious we will only have to beat Mallorca at home at the start of January to break the record.

As we all know records count for nothing at the end of the day, and the only really important thing is to win some silverware at the end of the season, Bobby Robson's team, for example, ended up in second place to Madrid at the end of the 1996/97 season. Also to really go down in history you expect a team to consistly win things over a period of three or four seasons as Johan Cruyff's famous Dream Team did between 1989 and 1994. Cruyff's team played some incredible football in that time but they also had their off-days and in the end won three of their league titles (1992, 1993, 1994) thanks to the slip-ups of their rivals on the last day of the season.

We cannot see into the future but the signs and sensations so far this season are all positive, we are bound to have some bad games: no team can win always. However, for now we should enjoy the ride, it is not often that you can see football played at such a high standard as we have seen in the last few weeks. We must hope we can continue at this level for when we face the likes of Real Madrid, Villarreal, Sevilla and Valencia, I look forward to these games with relish at the prospect of tearing these teams apart. For now they are just my dreams, but I really can't wait to see those dreams coming true.

Wenger Analyses Qualities Of ‘Dangerous Mérida’

2008-11-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

During Arsenal’s incredible journey in this years Carling Cup, it’s been the same set of names who have taken the most credit for the team’s success and achievements, in every round. Strikers Carlos Vela, Nicklas Bendtner and Jay Simpson have hit the headlines, along with midfield duo Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey.

Yet one man, or should I say boy, has been quietly but effectively keeping the Gunners midfield ticking over as well as adding vital width when needed. His name? Fran Mérida Perez. After joining Arsenal via Barcelona - like Cesc Fàbregas - and occupying a similar position to that of the iconic number 4, it’s no wonder comparisons have been made between the two.

Analysing from the touchlines in training and during games, Arsene Wenger believes it’s a mistake to say the Catalan pair are identical players.

“Merida is different to Cesc [Fàbregas], but he is still very dangerous in the final third. If you analyse a game and look who gives the ball every time in the final third, you will see Fran.”

The high praise continues for the exciting youngster, who came out of his shell against Wigan and was prepared to share the burden with Mark Randall of getting “stuck in” to the Latics. This complemented his usual expert passing range, and it’s doing the difficult things like playing those killer balls which Wenger highlights.

“That’s is the most difficult part of the game and that is where Fran is strong.”

He’s going quietly about his business in the Arsenal midfield, but there is no doubt that the 18-year-old will be a key component in any Carling Cup success.

Serie A Week 48 Fixtures

2008-11-17T04:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday 22nd November 2008

Fiorentina vs Udinese Artemio Franchi 17:00

Inter Milan vs Juventus San Siro 19:30

Sunday 23rd November 2008

Chievo vs Siena Bentegodi 14:00

Bologna vs Palermo Renato Dall'Ara 14:00

Reggina vs Atalanta Oreste Granillo 14:00

Napoli vs Cagliari San Paolo 14:00

Lecce vs Roma Stadio Via del Mare 14:00

Lazio vs Genoa Stadio Olimpico 14:00

Sampdoria vs Catania Luigi Ferraris 14:00

Torino vs AC Milan Delle Alpi 20:30

* All times are in GMT

LFP Fixtures

2008-11-17T04:29:00.000-08:00

* All times are in GMT

Real Madrid vs Recreativo Huelva Santiago Bernabeu 16:00

Villarreal vs Valladolid El Madrigal 16:00

Osasuna vs Almeria Reyno de Navarra 16:00

Sporting Gijon vs Real Betis El Molinon 16:00

Mallorca vs Malaga ONO Estadi 16:00

Numancia vs Atletico Madrid Nuevo Los Pajaritos 16:00

Sevilla vs Valencia Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan 16:00

Deportivo La Coruna vs Athletic Bilbao Riazor 16:00

Racing Santander vs Espanyol El Sardinero 16:00

Barcelona vs Getafe Camp Nou 16:00

Barclays Premier League Fixtures - Week 48

2008-11-17T04:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday 22nd November 2008

* All times are in GMT

Chelsea vs Newcastle Stamford Bridge 15:00

Liverpool vs Fulham Anfield 15:00

Middlesbrough vs Bolton The Riverside Stadium 15:00

Portsmouth vs Hull Fratton Park 15:00

Stoke vs West Brom Britannia Stadium 15:00

Man City vs Arsenal City of Manchester Stadium 15:00

Aston Villa vs Man Utd Villa Park 17:30

Sunday 23rd November 2008

Tottenham vs Blackburn White Hart Lane 13:30

Sunderland vs West Ham Stadium of Light 16:00

Recreativo 0 Barcelona 2

2008-11-17T02:22:00.001-08:00

5 Star Bacrcelona Secured First place

2008-11-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

Second half goals from Lionel Messi and Seydou Keita gave Barcelona victory at Recreativo

Huelva tonight as the Catalans opened up a three point lead at the top of the Primera Liga.
Barca struggled to break down the Andalusians in an evenly-matched first half, but Messi

popped up to score from an improvised free-kick six minutes after the break.
Substitute Keita added a late second to seal a ninth straight league win for Pep Guardiola's side.

Valencia vs Sporting Gijon 2-3 Goles 15.11.2008

2008-11-16T06:14:00.001-08:00

Recreativo Huelva vs Barcelona - 16.11.2008

2008-11-16T06:08:00.001-08:00

VS

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has warned his side they have not achieved anything yet this season despite winning their last eight Primera Liga matches.

Guardiola's reign as coach has begun in style and Barcelona lead the standings by a point from Villarreal following 10 rounds of the championship.

But the former Barca midfielder and captain says there is still a long way to go.

"What we have done up until now has been good, but in some games we find it harder to attack than in others, and we haven't achieved anything yet," he said.

The Catalans travel to struggling Recreativo Huelva tomorrow and Guardiola insists his team still have a lot to prove.

"We still have a lot to do and we have to show what we're about again on Sunday because we saw against Benidorm how difficult it can be," he said.

Guardiola's side laboured to a 1-0 home win over the seasiders in the second leg of the two teams' Copa del Rey last-32 match on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi scored from the spot to save the Catalans from an embarrassing draw against the Second Division B outfit and seal a 2-0 aggregate win.

Guardiola rested several key players for that match, with Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, Victor Valdes, Xavi and Rafa Marquez all left out of the starting line-up.

All could return to the side for tomorrow`s game in Huelva, when Barcelona will be looking for a ninth straight Primera Liga success.

Nevertheless, Guardiola expects Recreativo to provide a tough test for his side.

"They held Valencia to a draw and lost by a single goal at Sevilla; they are well-organised with two banks of four, and in attack (Javier) Camunas, Javi Guerrero and Sisi have a lot of talent," he said.

Eto'o scored four goals as Barcelona thrashed Real Valladolid 6-0 at the Nou Camp last weekend.

The Cameroon striker is the league's top scorer with 13 goals, while Barcelona boast an impressive total of 34 strikes from just 10 games.

The team's goal average of over three per game is the best in all of Europe and their tally of eight goals conceded is also the joint lowest in the Primera Liga, along with Sevilla.

On Sunday, Guardiola will be without Gabi Milito, Eric Abidal and Andres Iniesta, who all remain sidelined.

Recreativo parted company with previous coach Manuel Zambrano last month and have tightened up under new man Lucas Alcaraz, securing three consecutive draws prior to last weekend's narrow defeat at Sevilla.

However, the Andalusian side remain in trouble at the wrong end of the table, now lying above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

Alcaraz's side also went out of the Copa del Rey to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, despite beating the Basque side 2-1 in the second leg.

Ersen Martin picked up an injury in that clash and is unlikely to feature tomorrow.

Camunas is set to return from injury, though, and Iago Bouzon is back from a ban.

Despite the daunting prospect of facing the league leaders, Alcaraz says he is more concerned with his own side than Barcelona.

"We have to worry about ourselves and play the best we possibly can, in order to carry out what we have been working on; and from then on, the result will depend on a lot of circumstances," he said.

Funny Moments - Premier League

2008-11-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid 0 - Vallaloid 1

2008-11-16T05:58:00.000-08:00

Premier League 16 Nov Results

2008-11-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

Bolton 0-2 Liverpool

Nolan 62:45
Kuyt 27:48

Man Utd 5-0 Stoke

Ronaldo 2:39
Carrick 45:00(0:21)
Berbatov 48:10
Welbeck 83:27
Ronaldo 88:12

West Ham 0-0 Portsmouth

Newcastle 2-2 Wigan

Owen 79:11
Martins 86:18
Beye 48:53
Taylor 2:38
Bramble 88:21

Blackburn 1-2 Sunderland

Samba 45:00(1:35)
Jones 48:27
Cisse 70:52

Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa

Young 18:38 Saved
Clichy 69:10
Agbonlahor 79:37

West Brom 0-3 Chelsea

Bosingwa 33:24
Anelka 37:26
Anelka 45:00(0:49)

La Liga Fixtures

2008-11-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

All the times are in GMT

Saturday 15th November 2008

Valladolid vs Real Madrid Nuevo Jose Zorilla Stadium 19:00

Valencia vs Sporting Gijon Mestalla 21:00

Sunday 16th November 2008

Espanyol vs Numancia Olimpic Lluis Companys 16:00

Real Betis vs Racing Santander Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera 16:00

Getafe vs Sevilla Coliseum Alfonso Perez 16:00

Malaga vs Villarreal La Rosaleda 16:00

Almeria vs Mallorca Juegos Mediterraneos 16:00

Atletico Madrid vs Deportivo La Coruna Vicente Calderon 16:00

Athletic Bilbao vs Osasuna San Mames 18:00

Recreativo Huelva vs Barcelona El Nuevo Colombino 20:00

Barclays Premier League Fixtures

2008-11-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

Saturday 15th November 2008
All times are in GMT

Bolton Vs Liverpool Reebok Stadium 12:45

Blackburn vs Sunderland Ewood Park 15:00

Arsenal vs Aston Villa Emirates Stadium 15:00

Man Utd vs Stoke Old Trafford 15:00

Newcastle vs Wigan St James' Park 15:00

West Ham vs Portsmouth Upton Park 15:00

Fulham vs Tottenham Craven Cottage 15:00

West Brom vs Chelsea The Hawthorns 17:30

Sunday 16th November 2008

Everton vs Middlesbrough Goodison Park 13:30

Hull vs Man City Kingston Communications Stadium 16:00

Wenger the king; Nasri the prince; Wilshere the princeling

2008-11-14T23:49:00.000-08:00

Yeah, people talking 'nuff less smack about my boys Arsenal this week. Nasri, yet another testament to Wenger's eye for talent, showed why we won't miss Hleb this season. He's as dynamic as Hleb, but he actually shoots! Now that's proper. But what impressed me most in the Man U game was how the zig-zagging runs off the ball pulled Man U's defense to pieces. I do still think we need a bit more experience in when deal seasons opens in bit (one massive center back and one defensive mid and we're set, son), but it's fun to watch what's possible with the boundless energy of youth.

Speaking of the energy of youth, how about that Arsenal peach fuzz brigade, schooling Wigan in mid-week? Simson showed me true confidence. He'll be ready for the big leagues soon. Vela's lob was obviously a sick attempt to better his effort in the last Carling Cup game for Gunner goal of the year. But honestly, it's all about Wilshere. That boy bossed that game. Only 16? Are you kidding me? Arsenal legend Liam Brady said he's honored that Wilshere's getting compared to him so much. Umm. Wow.

And for those nincompoops wo were heaping abuse on Wenger last week, the best response comes from an unexpected source.

"How can you criticise Arsenal's Arsene Wenger?"

There are Arsenal fans out there who are not happy with Wenger, I know, and I would love to sit down with those guys and ask the reason why. As far as I am concerned, he should be a template for any young coach or manager. Any one wanting to get started in the game, should study Arsene Wenger.

Ha ha. Nah, not just because of the above piece, but I've always respected Phil Brown. When Hull shocked us to burst my bubble (we haven't been quite right since then), my first reaction was frustration, but my second was admiration for Hull City and their fantastic manager. They have always played wonderful football, and unlike the likes of Stoke, they beat us not through savage and negative tactics, but by matching our energy all over the pitch (and Man U have demonstrated how difficult that is).

Anyway, let's hold the line, Gunners. And to my fellow gunner fans. Let this week's triumphs be a lesson for you to back your club no matter what. Of course, I should be careful. The last time I waxed lyrical about The Arsenal they immediately went into an extended stumble...Hull, Stoke, Fener,...Tottenham (say it ain't so, not the ex-lolspurz!) But hey, I ain't superstitions. Bring on Aston Villa!

FIFA 09 PC tricks

2008-11-10T05:28:00.001-08:00

Barca's Thrashing Victory over Real Vallaloid

2008-11-08T22:11:00.000-08:00

Samuel Eto’o scored four goals before Eidur Gudjohnsen and Thierry Henry added one each to give Barça a convincing victory against Real Valladolid and return to playing at their best in front of an adoring Camp Nou crowd.

Eto'o opened the scoring after 12 minutes, adding a second on the half-hour mark and completing his hat-trick in the lead-up to half-time.

The African striker then added a fourth goal a minute before the interval to round off a superb first half for the Catalan side.

With the first goal scored Barça were able to enjoy themselves more and Valladolid chose not to change to a very defensive formation and continued to try and find a way past Gerard Piqué and Rafa Márquez. But by doing that they allowed the Blaugrana more time and space to play their own game and Eto’o took advantage.

Eto’o was given the honour of a standing ovation after being taken off before the end shortly before Messi thought that he had scored in the week when he was visited by Diego Maradona, but his effort was ruled out for offside. A sixth was not long in coming though as Aliaksandr Hleb edged into the box behind the Valladolid defence and he clipped a pass across the face of goal and Henry was able to take a touch before hitting the ball into the net.

Barca's win keeps them two points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid, but Villarreal can draw to within a point of the Catalans if they beat Almeria on Sunday.

Arsenal won against Manchester United

2008-11-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

Samir Nasri's double helped Arsenal to walk in the victory path. Nasri scored the first goal in 21st minute. Arsenal created many chances but failed to finish them. Bendtner right from the start struggled to score a goal for Arsenal. Ronney missed a wonderful chance from C. Ronaldo. When Clichy was looking ronaldo to shoot the ball, but ronaldo passed the ball to Rooney. But rooney failed to finish the ball. In the 90th minute, Rafael da Silva scored his first goal against Arsenal for ManU. After his stunnign goal, ManU was back on action. Besides ManU's goal, 6 min added time also haunted Arsenal. Arsenal excellently defended their lead till the game. Final final whistle blew at 96th min and Arsenal won the game against ManU.

Match Result

FullTime
89:13 Man Utd Goal 2:1 - R Da Silva
85:04 Arsenal Substitution: K Toure for V Diaby
77:33 Arsenal Substitution: L Fabianski for M Almunia
76:22 Man Utd Substitution: CA Tevez for W Rooney
76:37 Arsenal Substitution: A Song Billong for T Walcott
71:33 Man Utd Substitution: R Giggs for OLdA Anderson
65:59 Man Utd Booking: M Carrick (Unsporting behaviour)
62:37 Man Utd Substitution: R Da Silva for G Neville
51:16 Arsenal Booking: G Clichy (Unsporting behaviour)
47:09 Arsenal Goal 2:0 - S Nasri
SecondHalfStarted
HalfTime
39:48 Arsenal Booking: B Sagna (Unsporting behaviour)
37:37 Man Utd Booking: P Evra (Unsporting behaviour)
26:43 Arsenal Booking: W Gallas (Unsporting behaviour)
21:50 Arsenal Goal 1:0 - S Nasri
KickOff

Arsenal
Formation: 4411
1 M Almunia, 3 B Sagna, 10 W Gallas, 18 M Silvestre, 22 G Clichy, 14 T Walcott, 4 F Fabregas, 15 N Denilson, 8 S Nasri, 2 V Diaby, 26 N Bendtner
Substitutes: 21 L Fabianski, 5 K Toure, 12 C Vela, 16 A Ramsey, 17 A Song Billong, 19 J Wilshere, 20 J Djourou

Man Utd
Formation: 442
1 E Van der Sar, 2 G Neville, 5 R Ferdinand, 15 N Vidic, 3 P Evra, 7 C Ronaldo, 8 O Anderson, 16 M Carrick, 13 J Park, 10 W Rooney, 9 D Berbatov
Substitutes: 29 T Kuszczak, 11 R Giggs, 17 L Nani, 21 R Da Silva, 22 J O'Shea, 23 J Evans, 32 C Tevez

AC Milan 1 - Braga 0

2008-11-07T02:12:00.000-08:00

The Brazilian Magician's stunning goal in the stoppage time led AC Milan to the victory path.

Arsenal Vs Man United

2008-11-06T22:16:00.000-08:00

Wenger Vs Ferguson

Genesis

Before Sir Alex could even offer Arsene a private post-match glass of red, he publicly whined: "He comes over here from Japan and tries to tell us how to run English football." Welcome to England Arsene, do enjoy your bonny sojourn.

Relations continued to sour in 1998 as the new Arsenal boss and his north London side were crowned Premier League victors for the first time in its new format - Manchester United claiming the trophy for four of the previous five seasons. Marc Overmars not only netted a crucial goal against the M16 team on their march to the league, but also scored the first of two in that year's FA Cup final against Newcastle. The Gunners sealed a glorious double at the expense of United.

And so began years of title tug-of-wars between London and Manchester that would increase in scurrilousness with every passing season. Each side's venom for the other ironically boiled down to the same vented belief: a disgust at the other side's disrespectful arrogance.

Exodus: Fergie's Flying Boot (February 2003)

The sixth round of the FA Cup in 2003 pitted the two adversaries against each other at Old Trafford. Three yellow cards within the opening seven minutes were issued indicating a tumultuous tie had rightly been anticipated. Jeff Winter, officiator for the emotive afternoon even appealed to captains Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira for peace. Arsenal emerged triumphant due to an Edu free-kick that took a deflection off David Beckham, and a neatly slotted side-foot courtesy of then record-signing Sylvain Wiltord.

Despite the highly charged nature of the match, it was really the calm before the storm, as a controversial melee kicked off in the home side's dressing room that David Beckham would later pay testament to in his autobiography My Side.

Beckham was deemed to be at fault for the first of Arsenal's goals. "I was getting bullied in public, and was backed into a corner for no reason other than spite," he said. Sir Alex was issuing his infamous hairdryer treatment to the team, but Becks was bearing the brunt of it. The fiery Scot then lashed at a football boot that socked the Golden Boy's brow. Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, and Ruud van Nistelrooy then had to hold Beckham back as he 'went for the gaffer'. The midfielder emerged the next day in front of the paparrazi with his hair tightly pulled back showing off his cut to the world and his wife.

Ferguson later apologised, but Beckham was still sold that summer.

Battle Of Old Trafford (October 2004)

Pizzagate. The nadir of their competitive rivalry unraveled in front of an estimated 500,000,000 people. Arsenal had gone the previous season unbeaten and were on a 49-game run without loss. The equivalent fixture the season before (September 2003) saw Van Nistelrooy miss a last minute penalty, who was then duly molested by an over-excited Martin Keown and a Motley Crue of furious Gunners. The whole match was marred by petty gamesmanship, with Vieira getting sent off for a kick at Ruud. Four Arsenal players were banned as a result of their altercation with van Nistelrooy and had to pay a collective fine of £275,000. Two Red Devils were also fined for improper conduct.

The Battle of the Buffet, as it had been dubbed with hindsight, was to be no different.

Claims of unsporting conduct, vicious fouls, cheating, penalty calls, and poor refereeing were made throughout the 90 minutes and beyond. Manchester United defeated the 'Invincibles' by two goals to nil. But it is the post-match antics that are of more interest as a gastronomic riot erupted in the tunnel.

In My Defence, Ashley Cole's autobiography released after the 2006 World Cup, he revealed: "This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush. All mouths gawped to see pizza slip off this famous face and roll down his nice black suit."

It didn't end there. Coffee was hurled, pea and/or tomato soup was lobbed, and Paul Johnson - Arsenal's equipment manager - was seen to have claret dripping from his nose.

Arsene Wenger accused the referee, this time Mike Riley, of Manc favouritism and labelled Man U's poaching striker (RvN) a 'cheat'.

Tension was so tight that when the return leg was due at Highbury in February 2005, Metropolitan Police urged the warring managers to end their dispute for fear their personal battle would translate to opposition fans.

Revelation: Chelsea - The Rise Of The Common Enemy

The rise of London's next force - an Abramovich enriched Chelsea side - saw both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson unite in wanting to slay a common enemy. The arrogance of a newly-installed cocky Champions League-winning manager in Jose Mourinho, together with top-class signings such as Michael Essien and Shaun Wright Phillips in 2005, and then Michael Ballack, Ashley Cole, Salomon Kalou, and John Obi Mikel in 2006, were seen as a threat that would destabalise United's and Arsenal's ability to conquer.

The signing of John Obi Mikel to Chelsea diverted Sir Alex's attention away from Arsene, and toward Jose. In 2005 Manchester United offered Norweigan club Lyn Oslo £4million in order to buy their Nigerian midfielder, Mikel. The deal was struck, it was announced on the Red Devil's website, and Mikel even appeared in a press conference with red shirt in tow, expressing his delight.

However, around the same time, Chelsea countered United's claims that Mikel was theirs, and stated the player had even trained in front of Jose Mourinho. After a long-drawn out saga Chelsea paid £4million to Lyn Oslo, and £12million to United. Ferguson lost out on a prime target.

Mikel aside though, Ferguson and Mourinho always seemed to have a mutual respect for each other. The same could not be said of Mourinho and Wenger. The Chelsea manager accused Arsene of being a 'voyeur', claiming the Frenchman to be obsessed with his ranks. Wenger on the other hand regarded Mourinho as a man 'disconnected with reality'.

The emergence of Chelsea as a Premier League contender diluted the hostility between Ferguson and Wenger.

MY PREDICTION

Arsenal 1 - ManU 1
Nasri 53'
berbatov 78'

Sunday Savings: Gears of War 2 and 007 deals

2008-11-03T02:31:00.000-08:00

This Friday is the big day for Gears fans, because a wee lil’ game by the name of Gears of War 2 will be available at retailers worldwide. Grab the best deals from the following shops. Buy GOW2 from circuit city and 1600 Microsoft points free.
Circuit City: Free 1600 Microsoft points
Toys R Us: Free $15 gift card
Best Buy: 25% off strategy guide
Best Buy Canada: Free Lancer keychain / bottle-opener
Future Shop: Free Locust headshot figure
And for those who aren’t into Gears 2 or are just looking for other deals, Best Buy is also offering a free t-shirt with purchase of Quantum of Solace and free earbuds with HSM3. Over at Toys R Us, they’re giving out a $15 gift card with Quantum of Solace and Circuit City is selling the original Gears of War for $30 and the 360 Intercooler for $15. Enjoy!

Things Getting Worse for Arsenal

2008-11-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

I knew it would be tough at Stoke, but I thought we’d grind out a result. It’s not like the Gunners didn’t know about Delap (his throws providing both their goals). Van Persie decided he didn’t fancy playing the next three matches so he’d get himself sent off after only being on the pitch a matter of minutes (had he even touched the ball before shoving Sorenson into the back of the goal?). So the Gunners were going to bounce back after the draw against spurs? Looks like they didn’t order enough rubber!

Adebayor and Sagna hobbled off, Walcot was stretchered off with what looked like a dislocated shoulder and confidence couldn’t be lower. The only glimmer of hope I see at the minute for the match against Man U next week is the fact that they shipped 3 goals to Hull today, but on present form, Hull are a much tougher prospect than we are.

I’ve tried to be as positive as possible, after Fulham, after Hull, after Sunderland, and, tough as it was, after Spurs, but i’m running out of ways to see how they can pull this together and get our season going.

Finishing in the top 4 this year might just be Wengers greatest achievement.

5 Star Barcelona in top of the league

2008-11-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

Barcelona beat Malaga 4-1 on Saturday night to extend their winning run to 11 matches.
The first goal for Barcelona came off by a free kick from the Veteran Mid Fielder Xavi Hernandez. Xavi was down the order below Ronaldinho and Deco in the free kick takers list last season. This time he proved to be a worthy free kick taker.

Malaga equalised after 5 mins from Xavi's goal. Duda was the equaliser for Malaga with his impressive shot. Lionel Messi restored Barca's advantage after 18 minutes and Xavi netted a third for the Catalans shortly after the interval.

Besides the heavy rain, the game went on. The water logged pitch made conditions very difficult for the both sides. Players found themselves falling in the ground.

In the 19th minute, messi scored a goal from his low angle shot. Thirty four minutes later, Xavi scored yet another goal and put Barcelona in the dominating position. Thierry Henry brilliantly headed the ball from Eto's cross to unmarked Xavi , who swept a low left-footed drive under Arnau to give Guardiola's side a two goal cushion.

The catalans finally added a fourth goal, in the 80 th minute when Wellington Daniel Alves Free Kick. Now Barcelona are one point ahead of Valencia.

Tottenham's yet another victory

2008-11-01T20:59:00.001-07:00

Tottenham hotspurs won against liverpool last night. Thanks to Pavlychenko who scored the late winning goal in the 89th min. Dirk Kuyt scored a tremendous goal in the 4th min. Liverpool continued to attack throughout the game. Jimmie Carragher’s own goal gave tottenham a breakthrough. Now tottenham are in the 18th position with 9 pts. Liverpool went down to the third position.

Thrashing Win For Chelsea

2008-11-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

Chelsea 5 - Sunderland 0

Chelsea thrashed sunderland in todays match. Anelka scored a hatrick. The second goal by Anelka was an offside. In the second goal, alex was in the onside position but anelka was in the offside position. Lampard scored a goal by a simple header from Joe Cole. Joe Cole and Malouda they both played well in the todays match.

Match Goal Stats

****************
29:26 Chelsea Goal 2:0 - N Anelka
26:13 Chelsea Goal 1:0 - Alex

45:00(0:44) Chelsea Goal 3:0 - N Anelka

50:11 Chelsea Goal 4:0 - F Lampard

52:29 Chelsea Goal 5:0 - N Anelka

Transfers!!

2008-07-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

1. Alexander Hleb transferred to Barcelona for US $24 Million Dollars

2. Samaras of Manchester City transferred to Celtic.

3. United is on the verge of Signing Dimitar Berbatov.

4. Brazilian Magician Ronaldinho transferred to AC Milan.

5. Portsmouth needs chelsea winger Shaun wright philips.

6. Arshavin expresses his desire to play for FC Barcelona..

7. Barcelona targetting their Rival Striker, Robinho

SQUARE PASS!!!

2008-07-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Square pass can easily beat your opponents defenders. Try implementing this tactic in EA FIFA 08 or EA EURO 08. Square pass works best with 4-4-2 formation. Generally three players are used in this pass. The passing rule is 1 -> 2, 2 ->3, 3 ->1.....My favorite formation 4-3-1-2. I will explain the square pass in this formation.
RB -> RCM, RCM -> RB, RB -> RS, RS -> either RB or RCM

case (i) RS -> RB
a) RB -> CF (left Unmarked)
b) RB -> RS, RS -> CF

case (ii) RS -> RCM
a) RCM -> RB, RB -> CF
b) RCM -> RS, RS -> CF
same is the case for left wing. LCM, RCM must be good wingers. If you are using spain, Joaquin, Silva or Xavi, vicente will do. For france Ribery and Malouda. CF must be a target man (Rooney, Henry). RS, LS must be a speedster (Torres).. I will try to clearly explain this with pictures.Note: All the passes given must be a give and go pass!!!!

1. RB -> RCM

RCM -> RB

RB -> RS

case (i) RS -> RB

case (i) (a) RB -> CF (left Unmarked)
Either give long pass or through ball. You can also go for a shot if the line is clear

case (i) (b) RB -> RS

Case (i)(b) RS -> CF
Either give long pass or through ball. You can also go for a shot if the line is clear

This is 90% of exact square pass tactic. I haven't pictorially explained the second case.. but we can easily figure it out...

Transfers!!

2008-07-01T03:25:00.000-07:00

1. Deco Transferred to Stamford Bridge.

2. Lampard's move to Intermilan is getting closer.

3. United are not in hurry to go deep into the transfer market, yet they need Tottenham Hitman Berbatov.

4. Robbie Keane wants to go to Anfield.

5. As Juninho is not satisfied in Lyon currently, Rafa Benitez tries to bring him to Anfield.

6. Aston Villa fans are highly disappointed as Gareth Barry recently announced he is desperate to join Liverpool.

7. Arsene Wenger likes to line up David Silva in his first team.

8. Barcelona are prepared to offer Juventus Samuel Eto’o in exchange for David Trezeguet.

Transfers!!!!

2008-06-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

1. The Red Devils may swap C. Ronaldo for Real Madrid trio Sergio Ramos, Robinho, Sneijder.

2. K. Benzema futures eye on Real Madrid.

3. Giovanni Dos Santos transferred to White Hart Lane.

4. Pompey eyes on Barca's Gudjohnsen

5. The Gunners signed 16 year old prodigy Aaron Ramsey.

6. Mourinho targets Arsenal Hitman R. Van Persie and entices Lampard to the San Siro.

7. Felipe Scholari is the new coach for The Blues.

8. The UK press are tipping the Reds to move for Lyon's Karim Benzema, Ajax front man Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Tottenham Hotspur forward Dimitar Berbatov and Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz. Prices range from £15million up to £30m.

FIFA MANAGER 08 TACTIC

2008-06-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

Movement

Formation

I am using 4-3-1-2
--------------------GK-----------------

----LB--------CD---------------CD----------RB------

------------------------DM----------------------

LM---------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------RM

-------------------------------CF-------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------ST

ST--------------------------------------------------------

Team:
David Marshall(GK) 'Excellant Keeper' I have trained him such that he is better than P.Cech and buffon.

R. Dunne(RB)

Juan(CD)

Planus(CD)

G. Bale(LB)

G. Barry(DM) ' Excellant defensive mid fielder
Quaresma(RM)

T. Walcott(LM)

F. Totti(CF) 'Man in form. perfect long range target man

T. Henry(ST)

F. Torres(ST)

SUB:

Ronaldinho

Bojan

Borowski

David Villa

Riquelme

S. Aguero

Van der Waart

I am playing with Norwich city. This tactic is helping me a lot. Recently i have bought Ronaldinho, Van der Waart, Riquelme. I am into my fifth season. I ve won coco cola championship, two premier league, one FA CUP, one champions league. Fourth league was my treble.

Individual Orders

RB,CB,CB,LB

Defending third, very defensive position, cautious passing, robust tackling, long shots, hold up

defensive position, closing down own half, cautious passing, long shots, hold up

RM, LM

Very Attacking Position, Closing down all over, risky pass, croosing position and freq (the sliding bars in the middle), long shots, passing directions - RM(left, centre) LM(right Centre).

very Attacking Position, Closing down all over, risky pass, croosing position and freq (the sliding bars in the middle), long shots, passing directions - left, right

ST
very Attacking Position, Closing down all over, risky pass, croosing position and freq (the sliding bars in the middle), long shots, passing directions - centre
i have postioned one wing up and one wing down because, in counter attacks the winger will fire a long shot to forward running striker. this will become one on one situation with GK. Try this tactic after several passes the striker go one on one with the keeper.

signing C. Ronaldo, rooney, messi, terry, kaka is my dream

Current Hot Transfer Info!!!

2008-06-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

You can very well expect a big, interesting tranfers by the Blues, the catalans, the rossoneri.

1. Jose Mourinho will join as the Inter's coach in a week.

2. "The special one" asked his president to sell Zlaton Ibrahamovic.

3. As Ibra is on the Transfer List, the blaugrana are ready to offer him.

4. The Catalans are constantly trying for David trezeguet to partner him with his french mate Henry.

5. Barcelona full back veteran defender Zambrotta signed for Milan.

6. Struggling Barca Striker Samuel Eto'o looking forward to play in premier league to face a new challange. The camaroon striker is also in chelsea's short list.

7. Chelsea's "Golden Boy" Lampard and Ivory coast striker Didier Drogba may move to Intermilan to unite with their former manager Jose Mourinho.

8. Tottenham Spurs are trying to bring Giovanni Dos Santos to White Hart Lane.

9. Liverpool are ready to offer 20 million euros bid to buy Ribery.

10. Deco interested to play either in premier league or in serie A. Possibly he end in premier league.

11. The Catalans are in the verge of signing Hleb.

Note:
Which ever big player is in the transfer list or good manager is free, chelsea will be the first club to bid for him.

England vs USA

2008-05-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

England won 2 - 0 against USA in the international friendly. John Terry, who made a blunder in the champions league final, scored the first goal in David Beckham's free kick. Wayne rooney and Defoe were the forward players for England. Rooney had an excellant game whereas defoe struggled a little bit. The score remained 1 - 0 during the half time whistle. Bentley came in for beckham and Barry came in for Hargreaves. Liverpool skipper, Steven Gerrard, scored the second goal. The goal scoring pass started from John Terry. Terry tackled the ball from the midfield and passed it to defoe. Defoe then made a quick pass to barry. Gareth Barry found the gap between the central defenders and gace a through ball to Steven Gerrard who then ran alone and scored a goal. Finally England won 2 - 0.

New Signings

2008-05-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

Didier Deschamps is on the short list for chelsea manager. He brought AS Monaco to the champions league finals for the first time. Also he promoted Juventus to serie A when they were relegated because of the match fixing activites.

*********************************************************************

Barcelona's Veteran Defensive mid fielder Edmilson have moved to Villareal. He rarely played one or two matches as he suffered from serious knee injuries.

*******************************************************************

As Edmilson moved to Villareal, the catalans signed a new defensive midfielder Keita from Sevilla.

***************************************************************

The Portugal star Louis Figo had said he will leave Internazionale if Robert Mancini stays in the club. Figo have not played most of the matches under Manchini.

********************************************************************

Grant Sacked!!

2008-05-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

Chelsea manager Avram Grant was sacked on saturday(24/5/08) after losing the champions league title to Manchester United. As a manager of Chelsea he had lost two matches (/w Arsenal and /w Manchester United). He was the only manager to bring chelsea into the finals. He was sacked not because of the results but the owner needs an attacking and attractive football style from chelsea. Former Manager Jose Mourinho was sacked due to the same reason.

Hunt for Ronaldinho!!!!

2008-04-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

After Ronaldinho fought with the manager and denying to play in Barcelona, the following Clubs are trying him.

Chelsea

The Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich hell-bent on bringing Ronaldinho to Stamford Bridge. He is ready to spend 100 million dollors for transfer fee and twice the salary in Barcelona.

Liverpool

Rafael Benitez needs Ronaldinho to pair him F. Torres. He feels with two playmakers, Steven Gerrard and Ronaldinho, Liverpool can win the premier league hands-down.

Manchester City

Sven Goran Ericksson feels that he can bring more laurels to Manchester City by bringing Ronaldinho. The Brazil forward, currently out injured, could leave Barcelona in the summer and his brother and representative Roberto De Assis was entertained at the City of Manchester stadium on Saturday by club directors

Tottenham Spurs

Ramos interested in buying ronaldinho as berbatov stay in white hart lane is in full doubt.

The 28 year old brazilian had almost turned down all these offer as he is not interested in premier league style of football.

Internazionale

Carlo Mancini also joined Ronaldinho Race in competition with their arch rivals.

A.C. Milan

Carlo Ancelotti had almost won Ronaldinho. He wants to pair him with brazilian team mate Kaka. Roberto De Assis have seen frequently dinning with AC Milan representatives. Also carlo anncelottin wants andry shevchenko to come back to his team.

Expected Destination

A.C Milan
Still there are few chances for Ronaldinho to stay in Barcelona.

Clash of the Titans!!!

2008-04-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Manchester United Vs Barcelona

Manchester United after beating one of the Italian Giants are now confident of winning the Champions League. Ferguson's men are in a great form. With men in form Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez Manchester United is marching towards Moscow. Gary Neville's return is an added advantage for Manchester United.

The catalans are very much struggling this season. Barcelona missing the play makers Ronaldinho, Deco are finding difficult to win a game. The defence have still weakend with puyol missing the first leg. Eto'o though he scores one or two goals, struggles a lot with the ball before scoring them. Henry , finding difficult to play in the left wing, cannot breakthrough the red devils defence. Bojan Krkic Perez, 17 yr star kid, is one of the hope for barcelona in scoring goals.

****************************************************************
Manchester United

C. Ronaldo (Reliable Goal Scoring Machine)
Rooney (Goal Scorer, Play Maker, also sometimes play Defence)
Nani (Fast and Explosive)
Giggs(Slow and Experienced)
Scholes( Experienced Play Maker)
Hargreaves (Magic Man)
Park ji Sung (Tactical Substituion)

+ No players missing and all the players in full form
- ?????

Barcelona

L. Messi (Come back advantage)
Bojan Perez (Young Scorer)
Eto'o (Struggling Striker)
Henry (Unsettled Position)
Iniesta (Most wanted Midfielder)
Xavi (Timely equaliser and late winner)
Gudjohnsen (still finding time to play in the right position and full game)

+ ??????
- Missing Ronaldinho, Deco, Puyol(first leg)
lack of form
slow and inconsistent
fan pressure
Manager controversies
Ronnie and Henry bids
******************************************************
No wonder if ManU wins the semi finals
******************************************************
Previous Encounter

1998 Champions League Group D

Camp Nou
Barca 3 - ManU 3

Old Trafford
Barca 3 - ManU 3

Heroes

ManU - David Beckham, Yorke, Schmichel
Barca - Rivaldo, Giovanni, Anderson
******************************************************
Expected Score

Camp Nou:
Barca 2 - ManU 2

Old Trafford:
Barca 1 - Manu 3

Aggregate:
Barca 3 - ManU 5

Game Programming course in New Zealand

2008-04-06T01:26:00.001-07:00

MEDIA DESIGN SCHOOL

Media Design School, located in Auckland, New Zealand, is a registered and approved private tertiary institute specialising in high-end undergraduate and graduate qualifications in 3D animation, 3D visualisation, visual effects, game art, game programming, graphic design, digital media, creative advertising (AXIS Adschool) and creative technologies.

Each qualification is highly relevant, teaching industry standard skills and knowledge and enabling direct entry to specific careers within the creative technologies sector. These careers include 3D animator, interactive designer, graphic designer, art director, game developer, visual effects artist and copywriter. Media Design School is very well resourced, offering some of the latest in hardware, software and technology. Our courses are intensive, production-based programs taught by industry professionals. Classes are small and are compressed into an active timetable of set labs, tutorials and production schedules, providing students the opportunity to achieve the highest levels of knowledge and experience in the least possible time