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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Malmo?s toils shows both strength and weakness of Allsvenskan
We're off to Scandanavia as Derek Wilson brings us news from Sweden where clubs are struggling for consistency and regualr success both at home and on the European stage.
Cardiff loses out as ECB invites bids to host 2012 West Indies Test
? ECB move follows Glamorgan missing cash deadline
? Bidding process opens to other international grounds
Cardiff will lose its Test against the West Indies next year and the match will be put back out to tender, the England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed. The decision was made by the ECB management board after Glamorgan failed to meet an end-of-June deadline for paying the staging fee for hosting this season's Test between England and Sri Lanka in Cardiff.
Glamorgan lost more than �1m on that Test, in part due to bad weather. Poor attendances prompted questions over whether South Wales had enough public interest to support regular Test cricket.
Lord's believes that is have a right to host the West Indies Test, which was awarded controversially to Glamorgan, whose bid was substantially lower than the MCC's, of �1m. But Lord's will now have to join a bidding process that will be open to all-comers.
All bids to stage international cricket are assessed according to a balanced "scorecard" that is based on finance, ticket prices, logistics, geography and facilities, but the reasoning behind Cardiff's successful bid has never been explained.
The ECB chief executive, David Collier, said: "This decision has been taken following close consultation with Glamorgan CCC and with a view to assisting the club in developing a sustainable long-term business plan for staging international cricket. [The] ECB recognises that the club has made considerable investment into developing and upgrading the Swalec Stadium and that this has brought considerable benefits to the wider game in England and Wales.
"Glamorgan CCC has assured [the] ECB that it will fully comply with the terms of the staging agreement in relation to its future international matches and further discussions will take place between both parties to ensure that the club continues to remain on a sound financial footing.
"While it will not be permitted to stage the West Indies Test match next year, the club will continue to host a one-day international against India later this summer and South Africa next year. It will also be free to bid for the ECB's new match packages for 2013-2016 along with all other international venues and any application received will be considered on its merits."
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Giggsy Wiggsy
"Is George Best the old Ryan Giggs...?"
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Football Weekly Extra: Wayne Rooney v Sir Alex Ferguson
Podcast: Will Wayne Rooney ever play for Manchester United again? Last night's Champions League results and a weekend preview
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Giuseppe Rossi's Barcelona transfer has gone up in smoke - agent
The Italy forward is now "looking at different opportunities" over his future after seeing a move to Camp Nou fizzle out, his representative has explained
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Beyond The Pitch - Warren Barton
Phil and Anto are joined by famed Newcastle and Winbledon defender to discuss what FIFA has done to the game when awarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. Given his background in England and covering the sport here in America Warren has an excellent perspective to offer. Warren also coaches a professional team called the San Diego Flash and we openly consider what the impact will be on the US game.
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The Champions League Final ? Betting Specials
It's that time of year again; except it isn't is it? Thanks to the corporate slags within the football industry, the Champions League final is now on a Saturday and not in it's standard Wednesday night slot. This means the various play-off finals that will also occur this weekend get bumped down (or up) to Old Trafford and will not take centre stage.
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Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Gavin Henson's World Cup hopes linger on fitness test
Gavin Henson's World Cup hopes depend on a fitness test at the Wales camp on Thursday. The centre will be examined when he reports to the Wales squad's HQ.
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Aberdeen striker Maguire joins Championship Derby
Aberdeen
Derby County
Scottish Premier
Derby County have agreed compensation with SPL outfit Aberdeen and completed the signing of Chris Maguire.
The Scotland international had turned down the offer of a new contract with Aberdeen in favour of testing himself in the Championship next season.
The 22 year old has signed a three-year contract at Pride Park and he becomes Rams boss Nigel Clough's seventh capture of the summer.
"Chris is an exciting talent who has great potential to improve further," Clough told the club's official website.
"He is a creative player and someone who can bring a spark to the team.
"He's still young and will develop and improve, but having played in the Scottish Premier League and made his international debut he already has the quality to be competitive in our squad and team."
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Manchester United and Arsenal set to miss out on Barcelona's Alcantara
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of promising Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, after he signed a new deal.
Aston Villa manager England Under-21 Sportcenter Fair play system Premier League fixtures
Denmark 2011 ? Day Five Review ? Iceland win but crash out with the Danish
Having lost their opening two games in disappointing fashion, Iceland knew that only maximum points against the tournament hosts in their final UEFA European Under-21 Championships group game would be enough. Once victory over Denmark was assured, as convincingly as possible, would they be able to consider the awkward scenario that would see them sneak into the semi-finals with just three points. Unfortunately for Iceland their deserved 3-1 win wasn?t enough and they crashed out of the tournament along with Denmark.
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Birkir Bjarnason stunned the expectan
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Everton?s Howard apologizes for Gold Cup outburst
Everton
USA goalkeeper Tim Howard has released an apologetic statement following his comments after Saturday?s CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
The Everton gloveman was unhappy with the fact that the post match ceremony for winners Mexico was presented in Spanish despite the match being played in California and made his feelings public by saying: ?I think it was a [expletive] disgrace that the entire postmatch ceremony was held in Spanish. You can bet your ass if we were in Mexico City, it wouldn?t be all in English.?
But Howard has since responded by issuing an apology for his language but stands by his decision to criticize the closing ceremony of the tournament.
?First, I would like to apologize for my language,? Howard?s statement read. ?I am the father of young children, and I certainly do not believe profanity is appropriate in public comments. I was caught up in the heat of the moment.
?In any important international match with postgame ceremonies, you would hope the tournament organizers would make sure that the primary language of each participating team is used so that the participants can understand what is being said,? the statement continued. ?To fail to do this is, in my opinion, disrespectful to the players.
?When this occurs on your home soil, it is particularly insulting. We, as American players, were asked to participate in a postgame ceremony at a match in Los Angeles and we are standing there trying to show good sportsmanship and yet the ceremony is going on and we are just looking at one another struggling to understand a word.
?It was, to be honest, humiliating, and I firmly believe the tournament organizers should not have put us in that position.?
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Jenson Button confident about McLaren closing gap with Red Bull at European Grand Prix
McLaren hope that an F1 crackdown on engine electronics could help the team's performance at Valencia on Sunday.
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Penarol carving out a new history
Measuring 309m by 46m, the flag unfurled on 12 April by fans of Uruguayan club Penarol is apparently the biggest in the world.
Draped across much of Montevideo's Centenario stadium, it hung in celebration of the fact that the club had made it through to the knockout stages of the Copa Libertadores for the first time since 2002.
Two months later, there is much more to celebrate. Penarol have gone all the way to the final, for the first since they won the last of their five titles in 1987.
This Wednesday they are at home in the first leg against Santos of Brazil, who are chasing their first title since 1963. It is a replay of the 1962 clash between these first two winners of the Libertadores. This is a match dripping in history, and it could hardly have a more appropriate setting than the Centenario, the legendary old ground built for the 1930 World Cup.
In recent years a different flag has often been on show in the stands of the stadium, one which suggests that a rich footballing history can be as much a burden as an asset.
When the Uruguay national team play at home a frequent sight has been a big sky blue banner with '1950' on it - a reference to the last time the Uruguayans won the World Cup, when they came from behind to beat Brazil in Rio.
National team coach Oscar Washington Tabarez refers to the aftermath of this triumph as 'the complex of 1950' - something profoundly negative for Uruguayan football. The 1950 side were considered the true champions. For decades afterwards Uruguayan sides were judged against the standards set by that team, were weighed and found wanting. "The crowd would give the players ten minutes," says Tabarez, "and then a horrible silence would descend" as the fans reached their melancholy conclusion on the merits of the men they were watching.
Uruguay's exploits a year ago, when they reached the semi finals in South Africa, would seem to have buried the complex. A new generation has its own idols to applaud - Diego Forlan of Atletico Madrid, Luis Suarez of Liverpool, Edinson Cavani of Napoli.
Of course, they all play abroad. With a population little bigger than 3m, these days Uruguay is clearly unable to hold on to its best players.
Aguirre (left) has used young and hungry players to great effect at Penarol. Photo: Getty Images
Before taking charge of the national team for a second spell in 2006, Tabarez spent time reflecting on the effects on Uruguayan football of the globalisation of the game. With the stars spending their peak years abroad, he saw that it was inevitable that Uruguayan club football would be full of teenagers and veterans. But the culture of the game in the country was still strong. Players could still be produced, and Uruguay could use its youth sides to groom them in such a way that they would be prepared for the demands of top level modern football.
He went in search of team players, capable of passing and pressing the ball as part of a collective. He was also looking for youngsters who could cope with the pace of the contemporary game - not just those with quick movement, but also those technically gifted enough to give them speed of execution, or sufficiently intelligent and cool-headed to take rapid decisions.
These qualities would stand them in good stead in European club football, but they have grown up with a strong emotional link with their national team and a firm grounding in their country's footballing identity.
The outcome has been a succession of good displays from Uruguay at under-20 and under-17 levels, and a conveyor belt of players feeding through to the senior side. Cavani and Suarez are graduates of Uruguay's under-20 team of 2007. Striker Abel Hernandez and midfielders Nicolas Lodeiro and Gaston Ramirez came up via the class of 2009. And defender Diego Polenta, captain of this year's under-20s, looks like another with a long career ahead of him in the senior ranks.
Uruguay's return to football's top table, then, is the result of a well thought-out process. But what does this have to do with Penarol? After all, as we have seen, the leap in quality given by the national team does not have much to do with the domestic game - and yet Penarol have become the first Uruguayan club to reach the final of the Libertadores in more than two decades.
In part this might be put down to the feel good factor, a general euphoria in Uruguayan football arising from last year's World Cup. But there is also an overlap.
Current club coach Diego Aguirre is not just the striker whose goal in the final minute of extra time gave Penarol their last Libertadores title back in 1987. He has also been involved in the process with Tabarez, taking charge of the under-20s in 2009.
Surely aided by this experience, Aguirre has made sure that his Penarol side avoided a trap the club have fallen into so often over recent years. The tendency to bring back old favourites well into their thirties has frequently left the side too slow to cope with the pace of international competitions.
Not this year. Thirty-five-year-old former star Tony Pacheco, a minor hit in Spanish football, is left on the bench, his place as support striker taken by the nippy, interesting Argentine Alejandro Martinuccio.
If Penarol are not the most talented team in the competition, then they follow a clear idea based on breaking at pace. The back four stay close together, they can play up to effective target man Juan Manuel Olivera, with Martinuccio buzzing behind him. The midfield work as a block, Nicolas Freitas closing down and tackling alongside the talented all rounder Luis Aguiar, Matias Corujo full of lung power on the right, while the long-striding Matias Mier looks like a real discovery on the left.
And there is something else. Penarol have lost five of their 12 matches in the competition. They have conceded more goals than they have scored. But in round after round they have delivered when it really counts. There can be little doubt that Santos are clear favourites to win this year's Libertadores - but they should be aware that Penarol are playing like a team inspired, rather than intimidated, by their club's great history.
Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag;
Q) Simple question: Why isn't Marcelo called up to play for Brazil? I, like many Real Madrid fans, have been impressed with his improvement over the years. And he blossomed under Jose Mourinho. Why isn't he on the Copa America roster? What more does he have to do?
Jesse Acevedo
A) Beats me - it's now almost five years since he scored a cracker on debut against Wales, and he's had very few opportunities since. When Dunga was coach the argument was that Marcelo was playing on the left of midfield rather than at left back - and then he went with Michel Bastos, who'd been playing on the right wing at Lyon!
Marcelo was supposed to play against Scotland at the end of March but picked up an injury in training and hasn't been selected since - I've no idea what he has done to irritate consecutive Brazil coaches. Maybe he doesn't sit up straight for the national anthem.
A) I was wondering what you thought of Ronaldo's selection for Brazil in the recent friendly with Romania? A nice sentimental touch? Or, a strange decision weeks before a major tournament?
Scott Harrison
B) I'm more inclined to the second point of view. I'm not a fan of these farewell games - which is seen by many here as an excess of Anglo-Saxon coldness. He only played for 15 minutes, but, especially in the eyes of the crowd, it did overshadow the efforts of his team-mates preparing for the Copa America.
Paraguay got in the act as well - their midfielder Roberto Acuna was stuck on 98 caps, so they brought him back to play a few minutes in their two recent friendlies so he could reach the 100 mark.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Roma join Barcelona in race for Sporting Gijon's Jose Angel - report
The young defender appeared to be on his way to Camp Nou, but a surprise move to Serie A could now be on the cards, after the Catalans cooled their interest
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Henderson to debut against former club
Liverpool new boy Jordan Henderson will make his debut at anfield against his former club Sunderland on the opening day of the new Barclays Premier League season on August 13th.
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Incredi-Bull Feat Saves Man's Life
Our very own Gatorhippy makes a contribution this week:
Since the end of the 2010 season, news in the world of CFB has seemingly been filled with nothing but stories of lying coaches, players that play for cash, bowl execs being bribed and other doom and gloom scenarios. While it does make great fodder for the debate of overbearing rule making or loading the gun to take potshots at a rival or hated program, it certainly gets old after a while. Finally, we're treated to a story of heroism rather than one of infamy in the BCS thanks to Greg Auman of the St. Pete Times.
This past FebruarySouth Florida OL Danous Estenor stopped by a campus eatery on his way home for dinner to get a snack (like any self respecting offensive lineman would do) and wound up performing a life saving feat worthy of Superman or the Hulk. Hearing screams for help in the parking lot, Estenor looked across the lot and saw the cause of those screams: a tow truck driver had become pinned under the rear tire of a 1990 Cadillac Seville and the driver's wife and two other men were frantically attempting to get the driver out by lifting the boat of a vehicle off of him. The 300 pound lineman quickly jumped into action.
"I just see his legs," said Estenor, 21, a child of Haitian immigrants from Palm Beach. "The car is crushing him. He's not moving. I'm thinking, 'Oh, God, this guy is going to die.' ""I tried to lift the car, and when I first tried, it didn't budge. I backed up. I don't know. But I felt this energy come, and I lifted it. I don't know how, but somebody pulled him from the car."
The driver, Pedro Arzola, and his wife couldn't be more thnakful for the heroic efforts of the 21 year old Estenor.
Maria Uribe had been sleeping in the cab of her husband's truck when she heard Arzola, 34 and a father of four, yelling "Ayudame!" ? help me. The scene looked "like a horror movie ? a lot of blood," she said. The Cadillac's front right tire had run over Arzola's torso and dragged him about 10 feet..."I said, 'God, bring an angel to my side, help me,' " Uribe said. "In Spanish, we say, 'milagro' (miracle). I appreciate (Estenor) doing what he did, saving my husband's life. If nobody helps me, I don't know if he is in the room right now."
Estero's story wasn't believed by teammates until one day after a spring practice when Coach Skip Holtz called him up in front of the squad and read them a letter from the manager of the campus eatery where the incident had occurred praising guard's "quick thinking, willingness to help and strength."
Now Estero fields the good natured teasing from his teammates that ask where his cape is or call him "hero." Danous has also used the incident for motivation and the realization that if he can lift a nearly 2 ton vehicle that pancacking opposing players shouldn't be so tough.
With all that's been shown to be wrong with CFB over the last year, it's sure nice to finally a true hero show up on the scene.
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WOMEN?S WORLD CUP: USA begin tournament with three points
The USA were made to work hard by North Korea for their 2-0 Group C win, with both goals arriving in the second half after an even first forty five minutes.
The North Koreans more than matched the USA in the first half with Song Jong Sun a constant threat down the right. A series of half-chances fell to the North Koreans but after the break the USA found their shooting boots and eased to the win.
Lauren Cheney and Rachel Buehler scored the goals which helped get USA off to the best possible in front of nearly 22,000 spectators in Dresden.
The American team's next game will be on July 2, against Colombia, who lost 1-0 to Sweden on Tuesday.
?It's always good going forward,? U.S. coach Pia Sundhage said.
?Two great goals, and we're moving on.?
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Tottenham news - Blackburn in for Keane, Blues plan Bale plus Modric bids, Reds eye Lennon
Blackburn in for Keane.
Robbie Keane?s Tottenham career looks like coming to an end after Blackburn have emerged as leading candidates for his signature according to the Metro. The Irish international has struggled to hold down a regular place in the last couple of seasons and has been sent on loan to Celtic and West Ham.
Spurs are keen to get him off their wage bill as he is understood to be one of the highest paid players at the club. However there has been very little interest thus far.
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BCS Standings - Week 8 - Oct. 18, 2009
The initial BCS Standings for games played through October 17, 2009.
| Rank | Team | Harris Poll | USA TODAY | Computer Rank | BCS average | |||
 | ||||||||
| 1 | Florida | 1 | 0.9832 | 1 | 0.9925 | 1 | 0.990 | 0.988566756 |
| | ||||||||
| 2 | Alabama | 2 | 0.9600 | 2 | 0.9478 | 2 | 0.950 | 0.952598870 |
| | ||||||||
| 3 | Texas | 3 | 0.9337 | 3 | 0.9397 | 6 | 0.800 | 0.891115076 |
| | ||||||||
| 4 | Boise State | 5 | 0.8032 | 5 | 0.7817 | 5 | 0.840 | 0.808284270 |
| | ||||||||
| 5 | Cincinnati | 6 | 0.7625 | 6 | 0.7485 | 4 | 0.850 | 0.786976906 |
| | ||||||||
| 6 | Iowa | 7 | 0.7175 | 8 | 0.7031 | 3 | 0.940 | 0.786864902 |
| | ||||||||
| 7 | USC | 4 | 0.8400 | 4 | 0.8386 | 11 | 0.630 | 0.769548023 |
| | ||||||||
| 8 | TCU | 8 | 0.7070 | 7 | 0.7247 | 8 | 0.710 | 0.713921102 |
| | ||||||||
| 9 | LSU | 9 | 0.7004 | 10 | 0.6746 | 7 | 0.750 | 0.708309049 |
| | ||||||||
| 10 | Miami, Fla. | 10 | 0.6653 | 9 | 0.6766 | 13 | 0.540 | 0.627291109 |
| | ||||||||
| 11 | Oregon | 12 | 0.5533 | 14 | 0.5214 | 9 | 0.680 | 0.584896422 |
| | ||||||||
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 13 | 0.5225 | 13 | 0.5281 | 10 | 0.660 | 0.570197245 |
| | ||||||||
| 13 | Penn State | 11 | 0.5684 | 11 | 0.6061 | 17 | 0.320 | 0.498174249 |
| | ||||||||
| 14 | Virginia Tech | 15 | 0.4484 | 15 | 0.4556 | 12 | 0.580 | 0.494671424 |
| | ||||||||
| 15 | Oklahoma State | 14 | 0.5039 | 12 | 0.5390 | 21 | 0.170 | 0.404280900 |
| | ||||||||
| 16 | BYU | 16 | 0.4246 | 16 | 0.3912 | 25 | 0.080 | 0.298582615 |
| | ||||||||
| 17 | Houston | 18 | 0.2926 | 18 | 0.2854 | 18 | 0.220 | 0.266018436 |
| | ||||||||
| 18 | Utah | 19 | 0.2200 | 20 | 0.2034 | 14 | 0.330 | 0.251129944 |
| | ||||||||
| 19 | Ohio State | 17 | 0.3288 | 17 | 0.3261 | 32 | 0.010 | 0.221624542 |
| | ||||||||
| 20 | Pittsburgh | 20 | 0.1912 | 19 | 0.2224 | 20 | 0.190 | 0.201200317 |
| | ||||||||
| 21 | Wisconsin | 38 | 0.0063 | 31 | 0.0176 | 14 | 0.330 | 0.117980969 |
| | ||||||||
| 22 | Arizona | 37 | 0.0067 | 40 | 0.0047 | 14 | 0.330 | 0.113804143 |
| | ||||||||
| 23 | West Virginia | 23 | 0.0965 | 22 | 0.1275 | 24 | 0.110 | 0.111316285 |
| | ||||||||
| 24 | South Carolina | 26 | 0.0758 | 23 | 0.0963 | 22 | 0.140 | 0.104020220 |
| | ||||||||
| 25 | Kansas | 21 | 0.1414 | 21 | 0.1505 | 33 | 0.000 | 0.097303994 |
| ||||||||
As my good friend Ben would say, there's a significant gap between Alabama at #2 and Texas at #3. The Horns are not helped at all by their computer standing; however, significant opportunities exist for UT to improve their standing by the weight of the remaining schedule (including a game with BCS #15 Okie State). If the Longhorns can hold serve for the balance of the year, an unbeaten Texas team could punch their ticket for the National Championship Game against the winner of the SEC title game.
Further down, it's difficult to see any substantial lift to Boise State (in other words, the Broncos will *not* be playing for the title). On the other hand, Iowa still has a nice slate that could help boost the Hawkeyes, but there's no question that they need some help above them, including losses by all but one of the teams ranked ahead of them (plus some significant wins by Ohio State to bring up the Big 10's status with the computers).
ALL THAT SAID... it's BCS week one and that means a lot can (and will) change.
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Comment on BCS Standings - Week 8 - Oct. 18, 2009...
England's women beat Australia in Twenty20 final
? England 132 for nine; Australia 116 for eight
? India up next in 50-over quadrangular series
England's women continued their impressive response to the loss of the Ashes last winter by beating Australia in the final of the NatWest quadrangular Twenty20 tournament at the Rose Bowl on Monday.
Holly Colvin was the pick of England's attack with two for 16 from her four overs as Australia, the reigning T20 world champions, were restricted to 116 for eight in reply to an England total of 132 for nine in which Lydia Greenway had top-scored with 48 from 36 balls.
England begin a 50-over quadrangular series against Australia, New Zealand and India when they face India in Derby on Thursday.
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