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Sunday, July 31, 2011
World Cup Draw 2014: Are the United States Winners or Losers?
On Saturday, July 30, the preliminary World Cup draw took place in Rio De Janeiro. For CONCACAF, this was the draw for the second round of qualifying. There were 30 remaining CONCACAF nations, and the six top-ranked teams get to skip the second round of qualifying.
According to the FIFA World Rankings, the top six squads in the region are the U.S., Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Cuba. (I can't believe Cuba is ranked ahead of Panama and Canada, but the rankings used were from before the Gold Cup.) The four pots of teams ranked from seven to 30 were made into six groups of four, with most of the teams minnows, who have no chance of qualifying.
Then, after the second round had been drawn, it was time for the third round. There were three pots. Pot 1 included the U.S., Mexico and Honduras, while Pot 2 included Jamaica, Costa Rica and Cuba. Pot 3 was made up of the possible winners of each second-round group.
They were drawn in to three groups of four. The U.S. was drawn in Group A with Jamaica, the winner of Group E (Grenada, Guatemala, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize) and the winner of Group F (Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Mexico landed in Group B with Costa Rica and the winner of Group A (El Salvador, Suriname, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic) and the winner of Group B (Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados and Bermuda).
Meanwhile, Honduras ended up with Cuba and the winner of Group D (Canada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and Saint Lucia) and the winner of Group C (Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua and the Bahamas).
So, did the United States win or lose? Well, considering no matter what the groups turn out to be they should top their group anyway, you could say they won. But they probably didn't do as well as they hoped. Drawing the winner of Group E (who I think will be Guatemala) and the winner of Group F (probably Haiti) isn't the bad part. It's easily Jamaica. They definitely drew the best and most talented team from Pot 2, and although the U.S. beat them 2-0 in the Gold Cup quarters, Jamaica showed us they are very much on the rise. Nonetheless, the States should win their group handily and progress to the fourth and final stage of qualifying.
As for Mexico, they landed with Costa Rica, a tough, physical team. They will also face the winner of Group A (most likely El Salvador) and the winner of Group C (probably Panama, but Nicaragua could sneak up). So, if El Salvador and Panama come through, they will have to face three physical and defensively tough Central American teams, one of whom was a semifinalist in the Gold Cup. But they are expected to, and should, handle it.
And finally, Cuba is snickering. They got a draw with the Honduras, by far the worst team in Pot 1. The only bad side, is they got drawn with the two most quality second-round groups, with Canada and Panama likely emerging from them to form the most interesting group of qualifiers, in my opinion.
We won't even know the actual groups until November 2nd, when the second round of qualifying ends. But until then, I think the United States got a good draw.
Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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Paul Lake was a brilliant footballer, but a man who suffered through injury and depression and lived to tell the story. He tells his story to Sportsmail...
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Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa | Barclays Asia Cup match report
? Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa
? McEachran 2, Torres 59
Fernando Torres's scriptwriter has finally earned his money. The Spaniard's ineffective form in pre-season was jettisoned in timely fashion here as Chelsea bade farewell to the far east with victory, the Barclays Asia Trophy and a striker looking more like his old self. The goal guided in with the Spaniard's first touch just before the hour-mark was instinctively pilfered and hardly celebrated. It was also hugely welcome.
Torres's lack of impact had been a recurring theme over the fortnight Chelsea have spent flitting from Malaysia to Thailand to Hong Kong, his performances too peripheral and his demeanour rather downbeat. His had been a hangover from last season's toils, when 18 appearances for his new club had yielded a solitary goal. By the end here, though, the World Cup winner signed for �50m was more recognisable.
His reward had come seconds after his introduction as a substitute alongside Didier Drogba, the first time the pair have been utilised together under Andre Villas-Boas away from the training pitch. The touch, shimmy and burst away from Stephen Warnock to create a subsequent opportunity, saved by the excellent Shay Given, was just as reassuring. These were positive signs for the Londoners.
Chelsea had looked further along in their pre-season preparations than Villa from the outset ? this was their sixth game, all of which have now been won without the concession of a goal, to their opponents' three ? with their tempo upbeat through the centre and their wingers tearing into full-backs with gusto. The Londoners have been in the far east for two weeks and will naturally have become more accustomed to the steamy heat by now so, while Villa laboured, they thrived.
Given's excellence had retained some level of order up to the interval, though Chelsea still retired with the lead gleaned within the opening 36 seconds. Josh McEachran's finish, rammed high into the net, had actually been cruel on the Irish veteran goalkeeper. Given had done well to deny Nicolas Anelka, liberated by Daniel Sturridge's pass, and even better to keep out Florent Malouda's follow-up at the far post, but McEachran was not to be denied. This was a first senior goal to cap off a tour in which the 18-year-old has increasingly felt like a key member of the senior set-up.
His team-mates appeared to be relishing the occasion as much. Yuri Zhirkov, starting at left-back, and John Terry might have converted, while Given produced another staggering save to keep out Frank Lampard's header as the hour approached. Villas-Boas' reaction was to fling on Drogba and Torres, with the latter duly connecting with Malouda's dragged attempt. There was to be no respite for their flustered opponents.
Villa will not be panicked and have games at Derby County and Braga still to come to fine-tune their own fitness, with work still to be done. Stephen Ireland, a player with much to prove at the club, had started this game only to pass up their best opportunity by blazing over from Gabriel Agbonlahor's lay-off. Otherwise, the midfielder was starved of possession for long periods. Stilian Petrov and Darren Bent both skied over, but that was the closest Villa came thereafter, with this contest long since settled.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic (Alex, h-t), Terry (Chalobah, 89), Zhirkov (Van Aanholt, 58); Lampard (Kalou, 86), Mikel, McEachran (Drogba, 58); Sturridge (Torres, 58), Anelka (Benayoun, 74), Malouda.
Subs not used Hil�rio, Cole, Ferreira, Clifford, Rajkovic.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Given; Young, Dunne (Clark, 82), Collins, Warnock; Petrov (Gardner, 74), Delph (Makoun, 75); Albrighton (Heskey, h-t), Ireland (Bent, 62), Delfouneso (Bannan, 62); Agbonlahor.
Subs not used Guzan, Beye, Hogg, Herd, Marshall, Lowry.
Booked Albrighton, Petrov.
Referee M Dean.
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Castro happy to stay at Mallorca, and hopes the same for Webo
Mallorca?s Chori Castro has refused to be drawn on his future, even as reports continue to link him with a move away from the island side.
The Uruguayan midfielder was one of the side?s stronger performers last term and in light of the club?s continued status in administration, President Jaume Cladera has confirmed Castro is one a handful of the team?s better players available, should a decent offer come in.
The player himself though, has spoken only of his uncertainty of the future, and that he would only move if the deal was good for both the club and himself, ot
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Hungarian Grand Prix 2011 practice: in pictures
In pics: all the colour and action from Friday's practice sessions at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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AFC Wimbledon feel 'sense of wonder' after odyssey to Football League
Nine years after Glenn Mulcaire scored their first goal, the Dons who wouldn't die have reached the promised land
Nine years ago AFC Wimbledon began a story that continues to flare as a beacon in football's era of greed and commercial imperative. When Terry Brown sends out his side against Bristol Rovers for their debut in the Football League on Saturday, a quest that was dreamed up in the Fox and Grapes on Wimbledon Common on 28 May 2002 will have been achieved.
The odds they had to overcome were immense, but the determination of hardcore Dons fans was unbending and the mood of the sporting gods favourable. AFC's passage to League Two was secured on 21 May when Danny Kedwell, the captain, thumped home the deciding penalty to defeat Luton Town 4-3 in the Blue Square Premier play-off final at Eastlands, following a goalless game.
That Tuesday nine years ago had begun with a Football Association commission voting two to one to allow Wimbledon FC, the alma mater of the Crazy Gang and the 1988 FA Cup winners, to be ripped from south London where they had been since 1889, and relocated to Milton Keynes as the MK Dons.
The bitterness regarding a decision taken by Raj Parker, a solicitor, and Steve Stride, a former Aston Villa director, still lingers (FA Council member Alan Turvey voted against). Adam Crozier, then the FA chief executive, described the decision as "appalling".
Dave Boyle was recently forced to resign as the chief executive of Supporters Direct after sending offensive tweets to Parker when AFC's promotion was confirmed, with the Premier League threatening to withdraw its �1.2m funding to SD due to the row.
Yet beyond the disgust is the glow of deserved satisfaction. Erik Samuelson, the club's chief executive, says: "Looking back I feel an immense amount of pride on behalf of everybody involved. And a sense of wonder: that we did it, somehow. If you think about where we started, on Wimbledon Common, and ended up, about to step out for our very first game in the Football League."
AFC's first match was a friendly on 10 July 2002 in front of 4,654 at Sutton United's Gander Green Lane. It featured Glenn Mulcaire, of phone hacking infamy, who is feted as the scorer of the club's inaugural goal. The starting XI sent out by the manager, Terry Eames, in a 4-3-3 formation reads: Andy Hunt; Drew Watkins, Simon Johnstone, Kevin Tilley, Dave Towse; Neil Northcott, Mehmet Mehmet, David Fry; Joe Sheerin, Dean Martin, Mulcaire.
AFC lost 4-0 but the result hardly mattered. Tilley, then 43, recalls: "I'd played for the side in the 70s that had kicked, bollocked and bit and got itself in the Football League. Terry called me out of the blue and asked if I could help out. I did a bit of pre-season training and then played at Sutton. It was really just to get the club going, proving the name doesn't die."
They began in the ninth tier of the pyramid, five promotions from professional football. How did the club rise so quickly? "In the early years we were [one of] the most powerful clubs in the Combined Counties and in the two leagues of the Ryman," Samuelson says. "We had financial muscle and we were able to build a really strong team. In the first season the original budget for the team was �700 a week. Our average crowd was 3,000 and the adult cost of getting on to the terrace was �9. It doesn't take you long to work out we had quite a lot of money to spare. We got 111 points that season and didn't get promoted because two other teams outspent us.
"In the second season we weren't extravagant, but thought: 'We are not having this.' So we made sure we won the league. When we started to stall [between 2005 and 2007] it was a combination of getting the right manager [Brown], making sure that he felt absolutely supported, and that the fans understood completely what we were trying to do so that everyone stayed on board.
"One of the things we said all the way through was that we wanted to do things properly. Whether it be getting into the Football League: get in through the pyramid. Or when dealing with the fans and public: do it properly."
Brown has guided AFC to three promotions since taking over in May 2007, with AFC still playing at Kingstonian's old ground, Kingsmeadow, which they bought after initially sharing. Samuelson says: "It was obvious that we would only really thrive if we owned our own ground. We paid �2.4m for an established stadium that was capable of being upgraded to league standards."
Kris Stewart, AFC's founding chairman, who will be at Kingsmeadow on Saturday, speaks of the "weird" and "sad" atmosphere on that evening at the Fox and Grapes before the crusade for renewal replaced potential oblivion. There are now 2,500 members in the trust who own AFC, so could another club ever be uprooted in a similar, harrowing fashion? "Probably not. But then it probably wouldn't have happened in the first place. There was a very unusual set of circumstances that allowed it," Stewart says. "There is still that culture that exists [at the FA] of the independent commission nonsense that says: 'Here is an important decision about football, let's find people who don't really know what they're talking about and devolve our responsibility for running the game to them.'
"One of the most annoying things was that those people who made the decision will never have to account for it. The FA should have the guts and the balls to run football in this country."
Now, though, an odyssey can be enjoyed while Brown blends his summer recruits Max Porter, from Rushden & Diamonds, Jack Midson (Oxford United), Matt Mitchell-King (Crewe Alexandra), and Charles Ademeno (Grimsby Town) into the squad.
Sheerin, part of that original AFC XI and rated the club's finest player, suggests the heritage of the Crazy Gang is intact: "The spirit was what kept me at the club for three seasons ? we probably got away with more stuff because we were non-League. I'm trying to think of something that's not X-rated. We did once have a naked protest on the back of the coach because the driver wasn't allowed to stop at the off-licence after a match. I don't think that company used us again, and the chairman at the front was not too pleased."
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Blackburn fullback Salgado: Real Madrid always bigger than Man City
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Blackburn Rovers
Manchester City
Blackburn Rovers fullback Michel Salgado says Real Madrid will always be bigger than mega spending Manchester City.
Salgado reckons City's millions will never compete with the rich history of Spanish giants Real.
He said: "City need to win trophies now as quickly as possible.
"They have the money but the history of Real is different.
"They have a great past and are the best team in the world over the last century.
"If you ask a player to sign for Real you join, perhaps, the best club in the world for history or City, which is the most powerful in terms of money."
Click here for the No1 coverage of all the gossip and transfer news around Real Madrid.
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Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tottenham news - Vucinic exchange plan, Bastos a target, Afellay coy on Spurs link
Vucinic exchange plan.
Tottenham fringe players David Bentley, Niko Kranjcar and Robbie Keane have been offered in discussions over a possible deal for Roma striker Mirko Vucinic, according to the Daily Mail.
Vucinic is keen on a move to White Hart Lane, but is rated at �15m by Roma and Roma boss Luis Enrique is looking for a cash bid from Juventus. Enrique is also not a fan of the three players Spurs boss Harry Redknapp offered in the deal and Vucinic?s desire to move to England could be stopped by the lack of money Spurs have shown.
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Football Weekly Extra: Blackpool add to Liverpool's problems
The pod hails Blackpool and Ipswich, looks at Uefa's fair play rules and is excited by the weekend's fixtures
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Premier League transfers - 2011 summer
Sportsmail will keep you bang up to date throughout the summer with all the very latest player ins and outs for all 20 Barclays Premier League sides...
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Josh McEachran hopes to sate home-grown hunger at Chelsea
? 'Expectation has been hard, but Chelsea are supportive'
? Villas-Boas says teenager's midfield flexibility is important
Josh McEachran has passed his latest test. Perhaps for the first time since being clad in the kit of a Chelsea first-team player, the teenager had appeared uneasy in the spotlight as he took his seat beside Andr� Villas-Boas in a room on the 11th floor of a plush Hong Kong hotel. Before him sat banks of inquisitors not seeking evidence of footballing ability on the pitch, but of eloquence off it. The flurry of nerves was understandable.
The responses to the questions flung his way were brief if clearly delivered. Who did he admire? "Growing up, Zinedine Zidane. Everything he did on the ball ? his touches, his goals ? he was just the complete all-round midfielder. When he retired, Frank Lampard and [Andr�s] Iniesta." Where does he prefer to play? "Higher up the pitch, but if the manager sees me as a goalkeeper, I'm happy to play there." The guarded nature of some of his responses was understandable, with Villas-Boas observing how this club's bright youngster coped with unfamiliar pressure. He will be better for this experience.
Not much has flummoxed the 18-year-old since he edged quietly and confidently on to the scene under Carlo Ancelotti last season, impressing in cameos whether in European or domestic competition before a first start in the final home game of the campaign against Newcastle. What McEachran lacks in build ? he is 5ft 10in and slight of frame ? he makes up for in calm authority in possession. His vision and delivery have already marked him out as Chelsea's answer to the other emerging talent across the capital, Arsenal's Jack Wilshere. The pair have taken to texting each other best wishes before games. The temptation is to earmark them as national team-mates of the future.
There is still much for the Oxford-born midfielder to experience before the extent of his talent can truly be gauged but, having been smoothly integrated into the first team on the pre-season tour of east Asia, he feels more likely to remain in this squad than seek playing time out on loan. "The flexibility he offers us is important," Villas-Boas said. "We've used him as a No6, where he touches the ball more and can face the play and see attacking options, but he can also play in that No8 further forward. He has the technical and tactical awareness to do well there." He will be employed as a No8 at some stage against Aston Villa in the final of the Barclays Asia trophy here on Saturday.
Chelsea, who have lavished fortunes in the transfer market under Roman Abramovich, have yearned for home-grown talent to emerge into the senior team. Not since John Terry has the club's youth set-up yielded an English junior capable of thriving at the top level. McEachran, it should be noted, predates even Frank Arnesen's revamping of the academy at Cobham, having been associated with the club since the age of eight.
Roberto Di Matteo, the assistant manager, said: "He's an exceptional talent and has a very bright future, which is good for England as well. He has all the ingredients. He's technically very good, has good vision and his distribution is excellent. He never really comes under pressure as he gets himself into good positions. He checks and sees what he's going to do before he receives the ball. In Italy we would feed him pasta to build him up but, as he's still growing, he'll get stronger. It depends now if he keeps his head and goes in the right direction. Early indications show that he will."
It may be the expectation that hampers him most of all. Clubs crave locals who make the grade, elevating them to talismanic status almost overnight. There was frustration last season when Ancelotti, wary that his side were labouring, appeared reluctant to throw the youngster in sooner from the start. In the long run, the Italian's caution may prove to have been beneficial. If McEachran is still learning how to play the defensive midfield shield, his passing has been as impressive as that of his team-mates over the three pre-season contests in Asia to date. This is a player who rarely feels flustered.
McEachran certainly seems comfortable among the side's plethora of senior internationals. "My first senior training session was with a couple of other young ones, but [Luiz Felipe] Scolari asked us up," he said. "I was a bit taken aback by it ? I was 15 ? but the lads were good to me. The expectation has been quite hard, but Chelsea have been very supportive. They've kept me grounded.
"I need to keep my head down, keep training hard and keep progressing. I just want to get more minutes this year. Obviously I'd love those to be at Chelsea. It's not really up to me, but it's up to Andr�. If he thinks I'm ready to play for Chelsea, I'll stay. If he thinks I need to go out on loan, I'll do that."
That was offered up as a stream of consciousness, perhaps the only moment the teenager's guard truly dropped. The club could yet decide a spell of regular football elsewhere in the top flight might suit, just as Wilshere gained from six months with Bolton, but McEachran's future is clearly at Stamford Bridge.
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Alvaro Morata, Real Madrid?s ?fourth? striker who could become their third
?[Real Madrid] have signed players whom we felt were important to complete a squad that was already very strong. In my opinion, and in that of everyone, we are missing one more man, one more attacker,? Jose Mourinho told realmadrid.com, as the team began their pre-season tour of the US.
Real Madrid?s preparations to end Barcelona?s domination next season have been as thorough and wide-ranging as they have fast, but despite spending ?55.5m in transfers even before pre-season began, the search remains open for a third striker. However, is that striker already on the club?s book
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The Irish in Europe: First Leg Results
Robbie Deighan rounds up this week's adventures in Europe for League of Ireland clubs Shamrock Rovers, St. Patrick's Athletic and Sligo Rovers.
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Essex v Leicestershire | County Championship match report
? Essex 144 & 372; Leicestershire 202 & 34
? Leicestershire's second-innings total is lowest of season
Garon Park, a scruffy hinterland on the outskirts of Southend, might not be the most romantic venue but for David Masters it will always hold special memories.
Masters, the 33-year-old Essex seamer, is in many ways the archetypal journeyman cricketer but here he seized the advantage of a helpful pitch and a dispirited opposition to claim the outrageous figures of eight for 10 as Leicestershire were brushed aside for 34 in 88 balls. Not only is that the lowest total this season; it is Leicestershire's lowest total since 1965. For a team that finished fourth last season it is a remarkable decline.
Masters may not be blessed with great pace but, moving the ball in the air and off the seam, he bowled admirably straight and full in harnessing the conditions. But Leicestershire, who were bowled out for 48 by Northants six weeks ago, wereshamefully fragile. This 280-run defeat left them rooted to the foot of Division Two and revived Essex's faltering promotion hopes.
It would be a shame, however, if Masters's career-best performance detracted all attention from Ravi Bopara's batting. Leicestershire's struggles to deal with the pitch serve to highlight what a supreme demonstration of technique and temperament Bopara's 178 represented. As Masters said: "Ravi's batting set it all up. It was a good pitch to bowl on ? it was seaming and swinging ? so his innings was outstanding. It's an unbelievable day for me, too; the sort of thing you dream about as a kid."
It was perhaps typical of Bopara's luck that his return to form should be overshadowed. While England's batsmen struggled at Trent Bridge, their forgotten man was providing a timely reminder of his enduring class.
Some will dismiss the relevance of this innings on the grounds of the modest opposition. There are those who think that Bopara now inhabits territory occupied in the past by Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hick, a place where achievements at county level no longer matter.
Bopara's place in the Lions team next week suggests he is not quite in that position, however. He is only 26 and, despite the emergence of players such as James Taylor and Ben Stokes, it is too early to discount his return to the Test arena.
Besides, it is not just the statistics of Bopara's innings that impressed. Yes, he batted for nearly seven-and-a-half hours ? more than double the time anyone else managed ? but it was the context that made this innings special.
When Bopara came to the crease his side were two down and 10 in arrears. Even when Adam Wheater was the sixth Essex man out, Essex were only 127 ahead and Bopara was left with just the tail to accompany him.
Yet Bopara scarcely played a false stroke. His defence was solid, his concentration unwavering and, when the opportunity arose, he showed he could still time the ball with a sweetness granted to very few.
Masters, with 48, granted admirable support. Together the pair added 111 in 40 overs for Essex's seventh wicket, with Masters contributing his highest score since April 2010 and Bopara going on to register his highest score since August 2009.
Bopara did have one moment of fortune. When he had 80, he played back to a delivery only to see the ball roll off the face of the bat and on to his off stump. Somehow, however, the bails remained unmoved. He didn't give another chance until he had 172.
Generally, however, this was an innings of which Trevor Bailey, who lived just down the road until his untimely death in February, would have been proud. There is no higher praise than that.
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Shane Long is a Liverpool Target
Possible Liverpool target Shane Long will come at a price after West Ham are told to raise their bid
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Friday, July 29, 2011
BBC sacrifice F1 to Sky in bid to save Wimbledon
Financial pressures at the BBC to preserve the current level of coverage of Wimbledon and The Open forced the broadcaster to relinquish to Sky their exclusive rights to show all grands prix live.
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Beyond The Pitch - Jonathan Wilson
Anto is joined by Inverting The Pyramid author Jonathan Wilson to talk about his newest venture - The Blizzard - which has brought together a number of highly successful journalists to create a new paradigm in Global Football coverage where traditional editorial models have been eroded to give the reader a totally different perspective on the world game. We also discuss the changing demographics in the sport, the impact that social media and the internet has had in breaking down some important barriers and whether the preconceived notions we have about our football teams can hold up against scrutiny. The Blizzard comes highly recommended if you are seeking football commentary that allows for more thought and exploration.
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Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby ruled out for 10 weeks with ankle injury
Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has undergone an ankle operation and will be out of action for up to 10 weeks.
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Cotterill desperate to add numbers to Portsmouth squad
Portsmouth
Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill is looking to quickly add to the 15 players at his disposal, with the new season just eight days away.
"The owners have been very good since they have come in and backed me very well," Cotterill told The News.
"You can't be asking for something every week. They have already spent a lot of money since they came in. They know the squad is light and we are trying to address that but, obviously, we are chasing time again, pretty much like we were last year.
"Every summer this club has had a new ownership. It probably won't have a new one next season and will be a lot better for it. We've got some good players but want to add to them and are still trying to do that.
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A glimpse at the girl watching habits of Cristiano Ronaldo
With Real Madrid in the U.S. for their preseason tour, Spanish TV channel Cuatro sent their cameras out to the States to track the movements of the team out in the wild. Naturally, the cameras zeroed in on Cristiano Ronaldo and they ended up with a piece all about him watching an attractive blonde woman who happened to be in his field of vision. This is basically what would happen if Mtv produced nature documentaries.
It starts out with Ronaldo first spotting her (even with the distraction of music pumping through his earbuds). He watches the woman from a distance with sidekick Marcelo. He stares at her, probably thinking about his devotion to swimsuit model girlfriend Irina Shayk. Jose Mourinho eventually joins Ronaldo to scope her out, too, covering his mouth like a mafioso trying to hide from government lip readers, then busting up with laughter before walking away.
And then the tale of Ronaldo looking at a woman comes to an abrupt end. This video has well over 100,00 views on YouTube. This is what people care about.
UPDATE: The blonde woman is apparently Lena Gercke. She is Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira's new girlfriend. Uh-oh.
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Zaheer Khan out of England-India clash at Trent Bridge
England's quest to be the world’s No 1 Test side has been boosted as India strike bowler Zaheer Khan lost his fitness battle for the second Test at Trent Bridge.
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Q & A on the mystery of the murky transaction that puts F1 in the headlines for the wrong reasons
Telegraph Sport asks key questions following the accusation levelled at Bernie Ecclestone that he paid a bribe.
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Should Hillsborough influence the safe standing debate?
27 July ~ While fans continue to be discouraged from standing in all-seat stadiums, a leading voice in football stadium management is urging the authorities to allow safe terraces. The Football Licensing Authority website (http://www.flaweb.org.uk/) carries details of a March 21 meeting, hosted by Bath Lib Dem MP Don Foster, between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the football authorities, supporter groups and Football Safety Officers Association (FSOA) among others, who were “invited to share their thoughts on the reintroduction of standing at all seated grounds”.
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
Beyond The Pitch - Eric Wynalda
Phil and Anto are joined by US Hall of Fame forward and Fox Soccer Channel studio analyst Eric Wynalda to discuss the Chicago Fire managerial rumors that do not seem to go away given the performance of the team and Eric steps to the plate to explain if he is actually interested in going to Chicago as its new manager. We also get into some of the problems that American managers have in getting jobs and spend a moment to review the Real Salt Lake experience in CONCACAF. We also get into the rash of season-ending injuries in MLS and the possible return of DeMarcus Beasley from Europe and whether the former US International has something to offer the league in present form. We also talk a bit about the Portland-Seattle rivalry that reaches back to the NASL days and the new Fox Soccer Channel show Soccer Night in America to add an element of an event to the way The Beautiful Game is televised in the United States. Eric is always very candid and speaks his mind and gives us a wonderful view on the US game.
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You ask, college football coaches answer!
In what may be the last absolute fluff piece of the off-season (hey... I said of the OFF-season!), the Seattle Times completed a survey of 29 FBS coaches to find out what they *really* think.
A few highlights:
Most Admired Coach:
Mack Brown of Texas, followed by Ohio State's Jim Tressel, and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Penn State's Joe Paterno. (What?! No Urban Meyer!)
Least Admired Coach:
Although most politely deferred on this question, USC's Lane Kiffin got the most mentions, followed by Brian Kelly of Notre Dame, Nick Saban of Alabama and Mike Locksley of New Mexico. (What?! No Urban Meyer!)
What does the NCAA need to change?
Playoffs got a few mentions, but I was more than a little surprised to see some others, like adding a fifth year of eligibility, adding more spring practice times, allowing early signing day, and permitting pre-season games.
And finally, the most important question: Where's a good place to eat?
Metropolitan Grill, Seattle
City Hall Steakhouse, Scottsdale, Ariz. (two votes)
Del Frisco's in Dallas (two votes)
Dreamland Barbecue in Tuscaloosa, Ala
The Crab Trap in Fernandina Beach, Fla.
Joe's Stone Crab in Miami
Handsome Harry's in Naples, Fla.
Chicken and More in Spokane
The Precinct in Cincinnati
Pascal's Manale in New Orleans.
Wow. Two of my favorites and even a hometown spot make the list!
OK... now it's your turn... most admired coach, least admired coach, NCAA change, and out-of-town restaurant. GO!
Comment on You ask, college football coaches answer!...
Tactical dissections Frank Rijkaard A curling free-kick European qualification Europa League preview
Anichebe looking for injury-free run with Everton
Everton
Everton striker Victor Anichebe is hoping he can steer clear of the treatment room and start to produce consistently next season.
The 23-year old Nigerian endured a difficult run last season due to an ankle injury but after getting himself back to full fitness is looking for a change of fortune next term.
?Last season I felt so good in pre-season and I got injured right towards the end of pre-season,? Anichebe told the club?s official website.
?I think I took that one a lot harder that when I got injured off the tackle from Kevin Nolan.
?I thought I was doing really well, I felt fit and strong and then I got injured.
?It was a bitter blow to swallow but I had good friends, family and the manager who showed a lot of faith in me.
?Sometimes you need to take your mind away from football, it?s our job and we love it but there?s a lot more to think about.
?It puts things into perspective when you?re injured, it helps you learn.
?I pray that the injuries are past me and that I can show what I?m capable of.?
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Everton transfer market news and gossip.
Old Trafford New total football Ryan Giggs Dimitar Berbatov Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes
Random acts of kindness with: Mario Balotelli
How has your week been, Mario?
Not so good. Everyone got upset about my backheel in the match against L.A. -- the manager, the fans, everyone. But that was whatever. I also didn't have any money on me when a homeless man asked for some and I tried to save a family of geese, but one died.
You saved a family of geese? How did that happen?
I'd rather not -- it's still very painful. Can't we talk about the backheel? I was just trying to give the people a show and-
Please Mario?
Fine. Well, I left the L.A. match at halftime to blow off some steam. I sped off in a rental Maserati that was a lot like the one I have back home, except it smelled like someone I don't know. Anyway, I was driving around the city and listening to Elliott Smith because it seemed appropriate being in L.A. and because his music just really speaks to me. Right in the middle of "Speed Trials" I saw this family of geese trying to cross the street, but all the other cars ignored them. It seemed really dangerous, so I pulled over, put my hazard lights on and tried to move them across the street as fast as I could. Except, there was one that I couldn't get in time. It got hit. The driver didn't even slow down.
How many did you manage to save?
Eight, including the mother.
That's great. Really, Mario.
I guess. I only think about the one, though.
I'm sorry to hear that.
The good news is that I was able to track down that same homeless man later that night and I gave him a week's wage. And guess what he said his name was..."Goose."
Photo: Getty; Previously: Mario performs an emergency tracheotomy
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Chelsea?s Mikel expecting difficult season
Chelsea
Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel feels the upcoming season will be one of the hardest the club has had to face.
The Blues came away empty-handed last term after taking out the Premiership/FA Cup double the campaign prior and Mikel is well aware that there is much more competition in England now, making it a hard task to win silverware.
"It will be tough to win a trophy this year, I think this will be the toughest season Chelsea will have," he told the Evening Standard.
"Everywhere teams are spending money or getting better. But Chelsea are tough, too.
"We know we need to improve but the most important thing is that we know we can improve. We should not be afraid."
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Chelsea transfer market news and gossip.
New total football Ryan Giggs Dimitar Berbatov Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes Johan Cruijff
Tottenham back in for Internacional striker Leandro Damiao
Barcelona
Internacional
Manchester City
Tottenham
Tottenham are again being linked with Internacional striker Leandro Damiao.
The Brazil international saw two offers from Tottenham earlier this summer rejected by Inter and he has since penned a new contract.
Globoesporte says Damiao is now back on the agenda of Tottenham and could move to London with Inter settling terms for Manchester City striker Jo.
Jo would arrive as a direct replacement for Damiao, who is also interesting Barcelona.
Real Madrid Tottenham defender David Villa Manchester United FC Barcelona
World Cup Daily: Stylish Spain but boring, boring Brazil
Spain turn on the style against Chile, but Brazil and Portugal fail to impress as the group stages come to an end. Plus, a look forward to the start of the second round games: Uruguay v South Korea and USA v Ghana
Premier League clubs Club training ground Aston Villa manager England Under-21 Sportcenter
Swansea agree fee with Middlesbrough for Leroy Lita
? Striker discussing personal terms after �1.7m fee agreed
? Tony Mowbray warns that deal still has some way to go
Leroy Lita could be set for a move to Swansea after the Premier League newcomers agreed a fee with Middlesbrough for the striker.
Swansea have been tracking the former England Under-21 international all summer and had an offer, believed to be in the region of �1.75m, accepted by the Teesside club on Tuesday, but Lita still has to discuss personal terms with the south Wales club.
"We have agreed a fee for Leroy with Swansea, but that doesn't mean much in the modern day," the Middlesbrough manager, Tony Mowbray, told the club's official club website.
"When deals happen close together there are lots of things which enter the equation. It's the clubs, the player and a multitude of agents, so we will wait and see.
"I've had a good chat with Leroy. In bf he does the deal then I wish him well. He has the chance to play in the Premier League and good on him. His talent has earned him that chance.
"If he comes back here then I'm sure he will get his head down and work hard to get in this team and make an impact on our season."
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Cristiano Ronaldo England Team Tactical dissections Frank Rijkaard A curling free-kick
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
DTotD: Cristiano Ronaldo takes down opponent with Putin judo
It seems Cristiano Ronaldo has been watching his Vladimir Putin judo instructional videos over the offseason because he put those moves to use against Chivas on Wednesday night. Getting a little frustrated, Ronaldo took Patricio Araujo down with authority, earning a yellow card in the process (see the judo comparison at the end of the clip to check his form).
Of course, shortly after that Ronaldo scored a hat trick in a span of nine minutes to give Real Madrid a 3-0 win. And he did it with his collar popped.
Video via 101gg
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Lord Coe says athletes on recreational drugs must not get shorter bans
? London 2012 chairman attacks new proposal as flawed
? UK Anti-Doping wants to relax penalties for some substances
The London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, has claimed that proposed changes to the list of banned substances that would differentiate between recreational and performance-enhancing drugs represent "the morality of the knacker's yard".
UK Anti-Doping has confirmed that it has proposed to the World Anti-Doping Agency that some recreational stimulants, including cocaine and MDMA, should be reclassified as "specified" substances, thereby giving athletes found with traces of them in their system the opportunity to make their case for a ban of less than two years. They would still be banned but athletes would be able to argue in mitigation that they were ingested unknowingly or that they did not have any impact on their performance.
But Coe, speaking at the newly opened aquatics centre on the Olympic Park, said that no exceptions should be made and that, if he took up a position at the International Association of Athletics Federations after the Games, he would seek to double the minimum ban to four years. "Let's get real here. What are the messages we are putting out to young people?" he said. "The messages are very clear. There is no ambiguity. This is not arcane naval law. If you want to be part of this project, don't take drugs. Full stop.
"What is the message to kids out there when you say you might take a view on ecstasy or cocaine? It's the morality of the knacker's yard. You've got to fight this and you've got to be strong about it."
Coe recently said he planned a bigger role in athletics after the 2012 Olympics: "I am standing [again] for the [IAAF] vice-presidency [at the world championships] in Daegu and I am very clear that track and field is the reason I will stay in sport. That will be my primary focus after 2012."
He said that, if he were in a position to push for a longer minimum penalty, he would do so. "This is not a case of sitting there thinking that two years is appropriate. If I'm ever in a position in track and field, we will move that to four years. You have to."
UK Anti-Doping, the stand-alone anti-doping unit set up last year with �6.5m of public money, confirmed that it had recommended the change among a series of proposals put forward to Wada for next year's code. "Among those recommendations we submitted this year was for some stimulants, such as cocaine, BZP and MDMA, to be reclassified as specified, in recognition of the fact that the use of these substances is almost exclusively for recreational, and not performance-enhancing, reasons," it said.
"These substances would and should remain prohibited. However, we want the prohibited list to distinguish those substances used exclusively for performance-enhancement and any sanctions should reflect this accordingly."
A Wada panel, including two British representatives, will meet in August to discuss the new list and publish findings in the autumn. The new code would come into force on 1 January next year.
The sports minister, Hugh Robertson, said the debate would have no impact on the Olympics: "I have a very simple view of all this. We make the policy and UKAD carry it out. The British Olympic Association's policy of banning people is supported by 93% of their athletes.
"I accept there is a distinction between recreational and performance-enhancing drugs but not one that will affect the bans for these London Games. That is absolutely clear." He said he would not support a distinction being drawn after the Games, whatever the scientific case.
"I think athletes have to remember that they're role models in a society that wants to discourage people from taking recreational drugs. They are also in receipt of public money, of course," he said.
Coe said that an absolute zero tolerance policy was required. "If you've got people out there in that stadium with any doubt that what they're watching is legitimate, and the athlete in lane four has any doubt this is anything other than hard work, great coaching and natural talent then you're knackered," he said. "We've got to win this one."
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Club training ground Aston Villa manager England Under-21 Sportcenter Fair play system
Power Ranking the Top 10 Teams in World Football
It is hard to quantify the best club in the world. You could name at least 20 that you take into consideration, but the higher up a list you go the harder it is to truly get it right.
Some teams will pass you to death, others will out score you and others will attack or defend you into surrender. But how do you quantify greatness?
The best answer is that you cannot. Any team could be the best in the world on any given day. For all we know right now, as Juventus plays Club America, one of them could be the best in the world. However, that is not the case.
We do know that it is results that prove a team's worth. Their ability to get the job done when the moment is of the essence. Can they come together in a time of crisis and come back from certain defeat in order to justify their placement at the top of the list? Are they able to get out in front and stay ahead?
In the end, some teams have it more than others, and those teams have made that list. Deciding whom to rank as the top 10 clubs in the world at this very moment is harder than many believe but I gave it my best shot.
You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my WebSite.
Football Facts & Stats Training ground Diego Armando Maradona Argentina Copa America Boca Juniors
Football Weekly: Birmingham's Carling Cup joy
Podcast: Arsenal crash to Blues at Wembley. Plus, Wayne Rooney's elbow, Ashley Cole's target practice, and the finest sausages in Germany
Bundesliga season Carling Nations Cup London Donovan Real Madrid Tottenham defender
Tottenham striker Defoe cold on Newcastle move
Jermain Defoe
Newcastle United
Tottenham
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is unlikely to leave White Hart Lane for Newcastle United.
Defoe has been linked with a move to the Northeast today.
But Sky Sports sources say Defoe would turn down a move to Newcastle if given the option.
England Under-21 Sportcenter Fair play system Premier League fixtures ARSENAL Arsene Wenger
Aston Villa 1 Blackburn 0: Bent fires winner to seal Premier League Asia Trophy opener
The good news for Alex McLeish and Fabio Capello is that Darren Bent’s goal instinct remains intact after the summer break. Bent ended last season by missing a sitter for England.
Old Trafford New total football Ryan Giggs Dimitar Berbatov Mark ‘Sparky’ Hughes
Beyond The Pitch - Petr Cech
Phil and Anto are joined by Chelsea and Czech Republic international goalkeeper Petr Cech to have a discussion about last season with the Blues and the road ahead for Chelsea with new manager Andre Villas-Boas now brought in to lead the team. Petr gives an insight into how he feels Chelsea could not recover its form at a key moment in the season when it strung together a patch of unexpected results and believes that the team will rebound and learn from the experience. We also discuss the arrival of Villas-Boas and whether controlling the expectations will be a key in his first season while recognizing that the core of the team is extremely strong and something on which the club will lean - especially at the back - where the team has extraordinary continuity and quality. We also evaluate the importance of the technical staff in general at big clubs like Chelsea and the impact these specialty coaches have on day to day performance and preparation in the highest level of the game. Petr also describes the very important work he does in the offseason back in the Czech Republic with kids to help them understand what it takes to play professionally and learn life skills. A great chance to hear one of the very top goalkeepers in the world talk about his career and his commitment to young footballers in his country this and every year.
Kenny Dalglish Steven Gerard Guardian football Old Trafford New total football
Copa Am�rica 2011: Why Uruguay should fear Paraguay's ugly ducklings
It is easy to mock Paraguay as negative bruisers and brawlers but there is much to admire in their shock journey to the final
There's something slightly comical about the fact that Sunday's Copa Am�rica final will feature Uruguay and Paraguay. In the past two Copa finals, Brazil have met Argentina, and the organisers did everything in their power to ensure a repeat. Even with both underperforming there was almost no possibility of them meeting before the final, something they ensured by both going out in the quarter-final.
Whether the rise of the less-fancied nations represents the increasing strength in depth in South American football or the lessening quality of the Big Two (or, more likely, both) is a question only time can answer. What we have now is a final between two sides noted for their pragmatism who, between them, have a goal difference of plus three for the tournament. Never mind whether goals are overrated; this tournament has suggested that winning is hardly worth the effort.
It would be easy to be scathing about Paraguay, to mock them as bruisers and brawlers who play dreadful negative football. They have, after all, reached the final of the Copa Am�rica without winning a game, and have drawn three of their five matches 0-0. They've had players sent off in each of their past two games, and their semi-final win over Venezuela climaxed in a mass on-field punch-up.
At the World Cup they were a case study in tedium, the grinding last-16 win over Japan so dull that it was only the sense that it was such over-the-top dullness that it must be self-aware, almost ludic, like some piece of post-Le Corbusier brutalist architecture, that prevented the game challenging the Ukraine-Switzerland stalemate from 2006 as the worst game ever played in a World Cup knockout stage. So it would be easy to condemn them, and in many ways it would be justified.
But let's at least make a case for the defence. Paraguay is a country of 6.5 million people. It has no great natural resources. That it's qualified for the final stages of four successive World Cups is remarkable; that it's in the final of the Copa Am�rica after an absence of 32 years even more so. The modern era of its football was essentially shaped by Sergio Markari�n, the Uruguayan who coached Peru at this tournament, when he was in charge of the national side in the early 90s. He imbued them with the characteristic Uruguayan virtues of toughness and organisation ? an export that, 20 years later, could come back to haunt La Celeste on Sunday.
In the group stage Paraguay were far more expansive than they had been at the World Cup. That they drew 0-0 in their opener against Ecuador was mystifying (this is more generally true; the goals per game ratio of this Copa is dire ? 1.92 ? but that is not only down to defensive tactics; there have been an awful lot of chances missed, the woodwork seems to have taken a pounding and a number of goalkeepers have been inspired. Certainly this has felt far less negative than the Africa Cup of Nations in Mali in 2002, which yielded only 1.5 goals per game).
Paraguay then conceded in the last minute to draw 2-2 against Brazil and conceded two in the final two minutes to draw 3-3 with Venezuela.
Marcelo Estigarribia sparkled on the left wing. Roque Santa Cruz played as a second striker with composure and intelligence. And at the back of the midfield, the hunched, rotund figure of N�stor Ortigoza mixed crunching tackles with eye-of-the-needle passes. They were second-top scorer in the groups.
The concession of those late goals, though, has taken a toll. The coach, Gerardo Martino, removed Ortigoza for the quarter-final with Brazil and replaced him with the far more defensive Victor C�ceres. Against Venezuela in the semi-final, it was Estigarribia who missed out, Cristian Riveros moving to the left as Jonathan Santana shored up the midfield. In both knockout games they rode their luck: Brazil missed a preposterous number of chances; Venezuela hit the woodwork three times. But when it came to penalties, they were the side who held their nerve, and the excellent Justo Villar was the goalkeeper who saved the crucial kick (although given Brazil missed the target with three of the four they took, he hardly needed to).
Even Villar seems a little stunned by how it has gone. "It feels like a miracle," he said. "But after two lots of extra-time we arrive at the final with almost no oxygen, with five or six injured and one suspended. Uruguay is in a different state. Their key players are rested, but we will fight to the utmost."
The absence of Santa Cruz through injury has cost Paraguay creatively.
Although Nelson Haedo Valdez is a sympathetic figure ? early in his career, he left home for a club 200km away, initially sleeping under a stand until he started collecting pay cheques ? he lacks finesse. It hasn't helped, either, that both first-choice left-backs were injured for the Venezuela game, leading Martino to select Ivan Piris, more naturally a right-back, on the left, which in turn presumably contributed to his decision to play a more defensive player in front of him.
So they have been negative, but there are reasons. Under duress it's only natural that they should return to the familiar safety-first industry that has served them so well over the past two decades. That might not be to everybody's taste, but it's reassuring to know it's there, that in an era in which international football is decreasing in importance, there is still a nation so determined to succeed at it that it will risk opprobrium for the way it goes about attempting to prosper in it. Paraguay's football may be brutalist, but football itself would be duller if everybody played the same way.
Difference, almost in itself is a good thing: there were campaigns, even, to save the Trinity Square car park in Gateshead when the bulldozers moved in last year. Paraguay, following the principles of Markarian ? Le Corbusier dressed as Sergeant Bilko ? are football's equivalent. Ugly, but effective and ultimately strangely admirable, if only for the two fingers they have waved in the face of the marketers by failing to lose to Brazil.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Frank Rijkaard A curling free-kick European qualification Europa League preview Barcelona Dani Alves
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Beyond The Pitch - Gabriele Marcotti
Phil and Anto are joined by Gabriele Marcotti to have a chat about Serie A after a very important weekend of results that dropped Juventus into something of a free fall after losing 1-0 to Milan at home, take a deeper look at the credentials of Udinese and Lazio who just seem to keep churning along with that fourth Champions League slot coming into view. We also discuss the deflating fortunes of Sampdoria and consider how long it will be before Javier Pastore leaves Palermo for greener pastures, perhaps as soon as the transfer window this summer. And then we take a look at the three fixtures ahead for each of the Italian teams in the Champions League.
Tottenham defender David Villa Manchester United FC Barcelona Kenny Dalglish
Khan should steer clear of Mayweather, warns former champion McKenzie
Former British and European light welterweight champion Clinton McKenzie has warned Amir Khan to avoid getting in the ring against Floyd Mayweather.
Johan Cruijff New York Red Bulls Football Association director Serie A scudetto La Liga Campeone
Questions over Norwich City's recruitment strategy
24 July ~ Paul Lambert may have led Norwich back to the Premier League after two successive promotions but that has not spared him from criticism over the summer. The discontent is rooted in a transfer policy of buying “young and hungry” players. Lambert’s time at the club has been punctuated by shrewd acquisitions – notably of striker Grant Holt from Shrewsbury and Peterborough full-back Russell Martin – but his most recent signings are causing frustration in Norfolk. After all, you do get £50 million for going up, don’t you?
League Cup final Cristiano Ronaldo England Team Tactical dissections Frank Rijkaard
Copa America Day 15 action round-up - Paraguay v Venezuela semi-final
Paraguay reached their first Copa America final in 32 years with a penalty shootout victory over Venezuela in the early hours of Thursday morning. The result was a bitter pill for La Vinotinto to swallow after they dominated proceedings for almost the entire 120 minutes preceding the dramatic denouement. The two teams were surprise semi-finalists; Paraguay having knocked out the holders Brazil in the quarter-finals, while Venezuela were making their maiden appearance in the last four after a fairy-tale run.
Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino made a host of changes from the side tha
Euro 2012 Championship Play off Champions League David Beckham Bundesliga season
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