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Manchester City Vs Tottenham Hotspur Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 22,2012.

2012-01-22T04:33:00.000-08:00

Manchester City Vs Tottenham Hotspur Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 22,2012.

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The new year has brought new emotions to both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Neither club has been in a title race for a long time. Spurs' last push for glory was back in 1984-5 where a promising new year position was frittered as Everton surged clear. Manchester City must look back to 1976-7 for their last tilt, and Liverpool were champions that year.

City have been frontrunners since October, yet have hardly looked unsassailable in recent weeks. Spurs spent weeks playing down their part in the title race only for their winning of a game in hand against Everton to force them to admit that this might just be on. A disappointing draw with Wolves later and the playing down is back as a defence against hopes being raised too far.

Roberto Mancini's relief at City's defeat of Wigan was tempered by the reaction to his unfortunate revival of his card-waving mime act. A man who does not change his ways too willingly would be best advised to cut out that foible as he has greater matters at hand. The lack of Vincent Kompany for a game against an attack of no little potency is a worry, as is the lack of a big-game performer in Yaya Toure. At least David Silva has been able to continue when it was feared that injury may keep him out for longer than the Carling Cup defeat to Liverpool.

Harry Redknapp's stated aim has always been a Champions League qualifying spot, a target no doubt shared by Tottenham's management accountants. He will not wish to fritter away what was once an eight-point advantage on Chelsea, though Arsenal's defeat at Swansea saw a gain on his North London rivals. A draw at City is the minimum requirement, as is some kind of vindication of a 1-5 home demolition. It is not just Arsenal seeking revenge for a Mancunian mauling.

Despite their avalance of goals this season, Manchester City have had to accept that it is Spurs who have been the team playing the most regularly exciting football in the division. Whether Redknapp opts for balls-out 4-4-2 against City's massed midfield will be just one of the tactical nuances to a game that may be accepting second billing to affairs at the Emirates Stadium yet just might be of far more importance to the destiny of the Premier League title.

Manchester City player to watch: Edin Dzeko

A goal against Wigan ended a significant period of drought, though his inexplicable intervention also prevented Sergio Aguero scoring one of the strikes of the season. "He scored this very important goal for us and I hope he continues it in the next game," said Roberto Mancini, pointing to his likely selection of a player who scored four when these teams last met. Back then, he was the most in-form striker in the land, and Mancini needs him to be so again.

Tottenham Hotspur player to watch: Luka Modric

A cast back of the mind to August and a consideration of Modric then will recall that he was all set on leaving Tottenham, and looked Chelsea-bound. One of the key factors in City's stroll to victory was Modric's pallid display in a game it was later revealed he had asked not to play in. Reunified with Redknapp since, he continues to be probably his club's most coveted player and last week's goal against Wolves exhibited a rarely sighted scoring power.

Key Battle: Stefan Savic v Jermain Defoe

Both players are standing in for star names. Savic is yet to convince as a replacement for the inspiration of Kompany, and though Wigan were held at bay, the 22-year-old has shown rather too much of a naive side. Passes to team-mates, in particular goalkeeper Joe Hart, and a sense of awareness are yet to be honed. He may be thankful he is not facing Emmanuel Adebayor, ineligible as he is still a City player, but he will face a man with something to prove in Jermain Defoe. Here is a shop window for the peroxide poacher to show off himself to Fabio Capello ahead of Euro 2012, and perhaps one of those suitors he denies he wants to transfer to.

Trivia: The seasons of title challenge mentioned above saw Sunday's opponent in vastly different circumstances. Tottenham were relegated from the old First Division at the end of the 1976-7 season, having finished bottom. Manchester City spent the 1984-5 season struggling to get out of the old Second Division, and did so by finishing third, but only on goal difference from Portsmouth.

Stats: Samir Nasri has created a scoring chance for team-mates every 24 minutes, a more regular rate than any other player. Either that shows off that he is worth more than a face value of some outwardly poor performances would suggest or that chance-creating statistics are not what they're cracked up to be. Liverpool fans may agree there.

Odds: A Tottenham win at 4.20 would seem a nice price to rule them back into the title race. City are on offer for a win at 1.83, while the draw, more use to the other Manchester club perhaps, is 3.75 at bet365.

Prediction: City need the win badly, Spurs would accept a draw. The latter looks likely in view of the relative form of each.

El Clasico Real Madrid Vs Barcelona Live Streaming Spanish Copa del Rey Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 18,2012.

2012-01-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

El Clasico Real Madrid Vs Barcelona Live Streaming Spanish Copa del Rey Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 18,2012.Watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona 2012 Online Live Stream. Watch El Clasico Online, Watch El Clasico 2012 Online, Watch El Clasico Live, Watch El Clasico 2012 Live, El Clasico Live Stream, El Clasico Live, El Clasico Stream, El Clasico.

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In the Copa Del Rey Quarter final match to be played on 18 January 2012 we will have Real Madrid taking on FC Barcelona in what will be a huge game in the cup competition. Real Madrid are coming into this match on the back of a a great run of form and they will be eager to draw the first blood as they take on them for the first leg of the match.

Real Madrid has only won twice in the last 12 games they have played against Barcelona, and although they are playing some sublime football this season, they just cant win somehow against their arch rivals and they will be looking to keep the god run of form going. Cristiano Ronaldo has been critised so much as his performences against the Champions have been blow par but his coach Jose Mourinho said that he has no issue with that and he went on to say that Ronaldo is playing some great football, scoring goals and hattricks and you can not ask much more than that.

FC Barcelona are kind of a team who are having a great season, although they are not as compact as last year but they do have this capability of getting wins in big games and that is why they will be confident of going into this match and actualy winning it against Real Madrid, although Pep Guardiola will be content with a draw in this match.

Here you can watch free online TV streams for Cristiano Ronaldo football games/matches, when playing for Real Madrid and Portugal. We'll try to always provide updated links a few hours or minutes before the games start, or in some cases, even during the games.

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For the fourth of at least six, possibly seven and as many as eight times, Real Madrid face Barcelona in another edition of El Clasico on Wednesday evening. The two teams managed to avoid each other all the way until the final of last year's Copa del Rey, but they have been drawn together in the quarterfinals this season. Their half of the draw features all four of the top sides in La Liga, and the winner of this tie will obviously become the clear favorite to lift the trophy.

This is the first of two Copa del Rey Clasicos, with the second being played a week from Wednesday at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. This means that anything less than an outright win could spell disaster for Real Madrid. They will look to contain Barcelona and will likely be the less positive side, but they will still attack with the knowledge that they need goals in this first leg.Pedro and David Villa are out for Barcelona, though neither was likely to start this match even if they were healthy. Real Madrid will be without Sami Khedira, while Angel di Maria is questionable for the match. There have been conflicting reports about whether or not he is healthy enough to play, and we probably won't know for sure until the teams have been named.

West Bromwich Albion Vs Norwich City Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

2012-01-14T06:31:00.000-08:00

West Bromwich Albion Vs Norwich City Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

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West Brom boss Roy Hodgson insists he is not worried about his team's lack of goals, despite them failing to find the net in their last three Barclays Premier League matches.

The Baggies are also the division's lowest scorers at home, with just seven goals in 10 games at The Hawthorns.

However, Hodgson believes there are mitigating circumstances for their goal drought.

"I don't compartmentalise to that extent,'' he said ahead of Saturday`s game with Norwich.

"We didn't score against Everton, a weakened team failed to score against Tottenham and I don't think that's such a major surprise.

"We got back to scoring goals against Cardiff (in the FA Cup) which is good, and lets hope that will continue tomorrow.''

Despite his team's lack of success in front of goal, Hodgson believes he is not in desperate need of a striker during the January transfer window.

"I wouldn't say so necessarily,'' he said. "Obviously, like everyone else at this level of football, if you can bring in two or three players in various positions at this stage of the season and let some players who have maybe not featured in your team move on and get regular football, you're happy to take that chance when it comes along.

"We're not unhappy with the squad we've got. I believe that the group of players we've got will get us through the season and help us to achieve our goals.

"But I would be lying if I didn't also say it would be good for the club if we could bring in several new faces.''

West Brom on Friday unveiled their first signing of the transfer window in midfielder Scott Allan, who was signed from Dundee United in a deal worth around £300,00 and has gone straight into the squad for the game with Norwich.

Meanwhile, Norwich manager Paul Lambert admits he is frustrated he cannot attract players in the transfer window because the club cannot compete with the wages paid by the rest of the Premier League.

Lambert has handed a list of targets to the club but so far has drawn a blank in his attempts to persuade anyone to go to Carrow Road.

And that is despite a stirring first half of the season which has seen Norwich in the top half of the table with a healthy 25 points and playing free-flowing football.

Lambert said: "We're not making inroads. It's frustrating. We can't do the wages, that is a problem.

"The lads need a hand but you have to bring them (reinforcements) in to play. It's no good bringing people in here that I think are not going to play or be a squad player or just make up the numbers.

"At the minute we are not making any headway.

"People have the wrong perception of the money Norwich have got to spend. You hear funds are available all the time, but when you look at the prices we can't compete with that. We are nowhere near. It's hard.

"The club two years ago was flat on its face. We have a structure here which might stabilise it, but you still have to get players in you think could help.

"You'd love to be linked with players of £10million and £12million and pay their wages but we're not and that's the reality of it.''

Norwich visit the Hawthorns with revenge on their minds, considering Roy Hodgson's side won 1-0 at Carrow Road earlier this season. They can also strike a psychological blow ahead of their FA Cup fourth-round tie against Albion later this month

Lambert said: "We are playing very well. We look as if we can hurt teams and we are going there with a lot of confidence. I've got no problem with the lads who are here, they have been brilliant for me this season.''

Goalkeeper John Ruddy, who returns after missing the FA Cup win against Burnley after his partner gave birth to their daughter, will be looking to keep the first clean sheet of the season.

Lambert will make a late decision on defender Marc Tierney after a groin problem while Elliott Ward and James Vaughan are back in training after knee injuries but still a couple of weeks off returning.

Tottenham Hotspur Vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

2012-01-14T06:27:00.001-08:00

Tottenham Hotspur Vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

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Tottenham's strict wage structure means the club will always struggle to hang on to their top players, according to manager Harry Redknapp.

His comments come as Spurs are enjoying arguably their best season since they lifted the league title 51 years ago.

The Londoners will go joint top of the Barclays Premier League on Saturday if they beat Wolves at home after putting pressure on favourites Manchester City, and rivals United, with a 2-0 win over Everton on Wednesday.

Roberto Mancini's men will have the chance to pull clear of the chasing pack again at Wigan on Monday but a run of one defeat in their last 18 matches has left few doubting that Redknapp's squad have a real chance of challenging the Manchester duo for their first title since 1961.

But regardless of his team's ability to match the top clubs on the pitch, off it Redknapp concedes the likes of City, United and Chelsea are in a different league.

Spurs had to fight hard to fend off Chelsea's interest in Luka Modric last summer - when the Blues reportedly offered to triple the Croatian's wages - and Redknapp admits money, and not glory, is the prime motivation behind any top-flight footballer's thinking nowadays.

"Players play for a club and they enjoy being there but if someone comes along and offers them a contract that could blow their current one out of the water, then you've got a problem,'' Redknapp said.

"I'd be talking rubbish if I said people wanted to stay at Tottenham just because we're playing good football. I'd be dreaming. If you want to keep the best players, we have to find a way of doing a deal that's near to what they can earn elsewhere, otherwise it will be a problem.

"If you're a top player and someone wants to give you a fantastic contract, it's very hard to hang on to them.''

Spurs can breathe relatively easy for the rest of the season about Modric after Andre Villas-Boas confirmed he would not renew his interest in Modric this month.

But with the Croatian, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart all receiving rave reviews for their performances this term, the summer could prove the ultimate test of Spurs' ambitions of being regular title challengers.

Despite accepting it is part of the modern game, Redknapp laments players' desire to prioritise money over loyalty and another aspect of the game which he dislikes is the role of agents.

The Spurs boss has revealed a representative of Jermain Defoe, who is not first-choice despite being the club's top scorer, has been complaining about his client's lack of game time.

He said: "Jermain Defoe changes his agent and the new one is ringing up saying `He's not playing... this club want him, that club want him'.

"That's how they make their money. By getting them a new contract somewhere. They take their cut and that's how it all works.''

Midfielder Scott Parker (knee) remains a doubt for the clash with Wolves.

Defender Ledley King (hamstring) is not fit, Aaron Lennon could be rested as part of his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury while defender William Gallas and midfielder Sandro are out with calf strains.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy believes Tottenham can end the Manchester United-Chelsea-Arsenal stranglehold on the title this season.

Blackburn were the last side outside the Red Devils, Blues or Gunners to win the league in 1996.

McCarthy said: "Spurs are genuine title contenders. People say it's all about 'can you believe you can win it' when you get to the last six games.

"But they've got great players and I'm sure Harry Redknapp will be trying to add to that this window, also keeping everyone fit and making sure they all stay on the pitch.

"If they do, then, yes, they are a genuine contender for the title and it would be refreshing for someone else to win it.

"It would be a good thing and it does all get a bit boring when the Premier League is won by one, two or three teams and no-one else gets a sniff outside of those teams.

"It might put a bit of pressure on Harry on whether he wants that England job or not if he wins the league!

"But they are a fantastic side and as good as anyone in the top three or four.''

Midfielder Nenad Milijas is available after completing a three-match ban.

Skipper Roger Johnson is expected to recover from the ankle knock which forced him to be substituted during the FA Cup third-round draw at Birmingham last weekend.

Midfielder Dave Edwards should also be available again after recovering from tightness in his groin.

Former captain Karl Henry will make his 200th league appearance for Wolves if selected.

Liverpool Vs Stoke City Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

2012-01-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

Liverpool Vs Stoke City Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish believes captain Steven Gerrard could continue playing well into his late 30s if his fitness holds out.

The England midfielder, who will be 32 in May, signed an extension to his existing deal, but is already looking to go beyond his current contract.

Dalglish admits fitness will play a big part - Gerrard's last year has been dogged by a groin problem which required surgery and then an ankle infection - but sees no reason why the talismanic skipper cannot emulate Manchester United's Ryan Giggs.

"You have to wait and see how they get through injuries,'' said the Scot. "Giggs is 38, isn't he? That's seven years down the line - that's a long time to predict - but if he's fit there's no reason why not.

"I've not got a crystal ball. I'm just delighted he's done what he's done and we have got him here.''

Dalglish has always been considered Liverpool's greatest player but the Reds boss believes Gerrard must now come into the reckoning, saying: "I wouldn't disagree he has certainly made a huge contribution to the club but he wouldn't be far away from being mentioned as the best player.''

Gerrard will be involved in Saturday's clash with Stoke, alongside Jose Enrique.

Enrique was left out for tactical reasons in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg win over Manchester City but is likely to return.

Midfielder Jay Spearing sustained a minor hamstring injury in midweek and that is likely to allow Charlie Adam to regain his place.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis is hoping the encounter will not see the referee come under the spotlight again like in the previous two meetings between the sides this season.

Reds manager Kenny Dalglish was unhappy with several decisions made by match official Mark Clattenburg during his team's 1-0 league defeat at the Britannia Stadium in September.

Pulis' feelings were then similar after the Potters were beaten 2-1 at the same venue by the Merseysiders in the Carling Cup the following month.

The Welshman's criticism of referee Lee Probert on that occasion led to him being warned as to his future conduct by the Football Association and handed a £10,000 fine, which he subsequently appealed against and is still waiting to hear further news about.

There has been more controversy involving Liverpool this week after a two-footed tackle by Reds defender Glen Johnson on Manchester City's Joleon Lescott went unpunished, and Pulis does not want such issues to be at the fore once more in the game tomorrow.

"I think with every game you go into, you hope it is won and lost by the players,'' Pulis said. "You hope that referees don't affect it in terms of decisions that change a game of football.

"That is all you hope for, but they are human beings and they will make mistakes like every player and manager does.''

Pulis has concerns over a number of players.

Defenders Jonathan Woodgate, Marc Wilson and Ryan Shotton are all nursing what Pulis describes as "niggles'' and will be assessed.

Andy Wilkinson could return at the back having overcome his recent knee injury, while the likes of goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, winger Matthew Etherington and striker Peter Crouch are set to be restored to the team after they were rested for last weekend's FA Cup victory at Gillingham.

Blackburn Rovers Vs Fulham Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

2012-01-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

Blackburn Rovers Vs Fulham Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

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Blackburn manager Steve Kean admits this weekend's Barclays Premier League fixture schedule looks promising for his team - but is taking nothing for granted.

Rovers, currently bottom of the table, host Fulham while fellow strugglers Bolton (18th) and Wolves (16th) are at Manchester United and Tottenham respectively.

Sunday then sees 17th-placed QPR travel to high-flying Newcastle before second-bottom Wigan take on leaders Manchester City at the DW Stadium on Monday night.

A win could take Blackburn out of the relegation zone if other results go their way and Kean feels there is a "very good chance'' Rovers will have their heads above water so long as they seal the three points against the Cottagers.

Having seen his side spring a surprise in recent weeks by drawing 1-1 at Anfield and winning 3-2 at Old Trafford, though, the Scot knows it is risky trying to predict how games will go and insists the focus simply needs to be on the job at Ewood Park.

"We know some of the teams around us have got difficult fixtures this weekend,'' Kean said. "We also know there can be upsets, though, because people probably looked at our last two away games (in the league) and thought we weren't going to get anything.

"What you can guarantee is looking after your own results.

"We will go into the Fulham game with lots more people available, a good training week under our belt and we know if we can get a positive result, there is a very good chance that we can climb out of the bottom three with plenty of games to go.''

Blackburn are set to have several key players back, with goalkeeper Paul Robinson (calf), winger Junior Hoilett and central midfielder David Dunn (both hamstring) all in line to make their returns from injury having been in full training this week.

Captain Christopher Samba - who Kean says is not for sale - is also fit again after sitting out the FA Cup defeat at Newcastle last weekend due to an ankle knock and tight hamstring.

After the encouraging results on the road, Rovers were brought crashing back down to earth in their last league outing by a 2-1 home defeat to Stoke.

Fulham boss Martin Jol has praised Blackburn's board for sticking with under-fire Kean.

Owners Venky's and Kean have come under fire from unhappy fans, leading to calls for both to leave the Lancashire outfit.

Jol admits he has never seen anything like it before during his career in professional football and admires the owners for their backing of Kean.

"It is an awkward situation,'' the Fulham manager said. "Most of the time the club, the board and the owners will give in after a couple of week and we, the managers, are gone.

"But they have stuck with him and you get a different situation.

"I think this could be the first time probably in the history of the Premier League that a board stuck with their manager [under such pressure]. How many times will that happen?

"You need time for development as well as results, which is not a good combination.

"Of course as you saw with QPR it is a tough job and people have to make decision like that.''

Jol was referring to Neil Warnock's sacking as QPR manager earlier this week after a string of poor performances.

Warnock claims he would have kept the R's in the Premier League and Jol believes Kean can do the same if Blackburn stick with him.

"I feel for any manager that is under pressure,'' he said. "He, of course, needs time.

"He does not necessarily have a young team but there are a few good youngsters there. I think they have been a bit unfortunate.

"Hopefully they will let him get on with his job and then you will see, with his younger players and Yakubu up front, they will be fine.''

Jol does not necessarily agree this is a good time to be playing Rovers.

"Every game is different,'' he said. "If you saw them over the last four or five games they were always on the fringe of doing something good, but then they conceded a goal and that was awful for them.

"But it is not easy to play at Manchester United and if you saw that match, they played a 4-5-1 and came away with a good result.

"If you let them play, they have good players on the ball.

"For us we need to be efficient and score one or two goals and then, of course, we are in with a chance.''

Jol will have Simon Davies (back) and Andrew Johnson (groin) available while Dickson Etuhu will be assessed ahead of the match.

Aston Villa Vs Everton Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

2012-01-14T06:16:00.001-08:00

Aston Villa Vs Everton Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

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Boss Alex McLeish is hoping the signing of striker Robbie Keane can act as an inspiration to the other Aston Villa players ahead of the home Barclays Premier League clash with Everton.

Keane is included in the Villa squad after signing on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy until the end of February.

McLeish is refusing to reveal whether the Republic of Ireland international will start but has no doubt he will have a positive influence at Villa.

He said: "In terms of the impact Robbie will have, he will have a great effect.

"His experience and knowledge in the dressing room should be worth its weight in gold.

"In my playing career, bringing players into a club of that ilk was a case of not only looking for individuals to do well but looking for others to be inspired.

"Hopefully Robbie can push others to play their best football and I also think there's no bigger threat than someone coming in to take your place.

"I am sure the fans will enjoy seeing Robbie in a Villa jersey. We will just have to wait and see when that is.

"Robbie could make his debut but I am not going to reveal my starting line-up at the moment.''

McLeish will hope Keane can help Villa put an end to a run of four successive home defeats if he is involved against the Toffees.

He said: "Desperate is a word I don't like to use but the home form certainly is something we want to put right.

"We have lost to three of the elite clubs and Swansea beat us after we got a great result at Chelsea which was a real kick in the backside.

"It's up to us. I do feel we have been punished for every little mistake at home. But the one thing we have to concentrate on is concentration.

"I feel sometimes we can have little lapses and two against Swansea cost us two goals. We have to concentrate from start to finish as we did against Stoke, Arsenal and Chelsea.''

Goalkeeper Shay Given is available after a six-week lay-off with a hamstring problem but defender Carlos Cuellar (thigh) and midfielder Chris Herd (ankle) are still ruled out.

Some advice from Manchester United team-mate and former Toffees striker Wayne Rooney helped convince new Everton midfielder Darron Gibson to move to Goodison Park.

Frustration at not getting first-team chances at Old Trafford played a significant part but the 24-year-old said after speaking to the England international - and then Everton duo Phil Neville and Tim Cahill - his mind was made up.

"I was speaking to Wayne about it a bit and after that and coming to see the facilities it was an easy decision,'' Gibson, who is in the squad to face Aston Villa, told local radio reporters.

"He told me it was a great club and he really enjoyed his time and the people here.

"Having a word with him and people like Tim Cahill and Phil Neville convinced me to come.''

Gibson has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract for a reported fee of £1million, rising to £2million on appearances.

He made 60 appearances in six years at United but knew he had little future at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson decided to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement.

The 37-year-old, who quit the game last season, was brought back on a short-term deal to provide cover for an injury-stricken midfield and came off the bench in last weekend's 3-2 FA Cup third round victory at Manchester City.

"I was very frustrated [at Manchester United]. It was hard for me at times,'' the Republic of Ireland international added.

"I think when I did get a chance I did well and obviously I was getting left out afterwards and I was playing one or two games here and there.

"When Scholesy came back the manager told me I was free to go.

"Everton had shown some interest a month before hand and the gaffer (David Moyes) wanted me in so it went from there.

"It was very frustrating but I think it was the right time for me to move on and I'm looking forward to my time here.

"I'm really looking forward to kicking on now.''

Sylvain Distin (hamstring) and Phil Jagielka (knee) are still sidelined so Shane Duffy, who only made his first league appearance as a substitute in the midweek defeat at Tottenham, could start.

Chelsea Vs Sunderland Live Streaming Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

2012-01-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

Chelsea Vs Sunderland Live Streaming EPL Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

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Chelsea have missed the deadline to complete the signing of Gary Cahill in time for their Barclays Premier League game against Sunderland.

The Blues were confident of wrapping up the deal by the end of the week but that had not happened before the midday cut-off for Cahill to be registered for the Stamford Bridge clash.

It remained to be seen whether the Bolton defender would complete what has been a protracted move later on Friday and become Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas' first January signing.

If not, Wanderers boss Owen Coyle has already confirmed Cahill would be in contention for his current employers' trip to Manchester United.

An additional 24-hour delay would not necessarily be a bad thing for Chelsea, with Cahill undoubtedly strengthening a Bolton side they will be hoping take points off United.

But the more time that passes without an announcement, the more doubt is cast over whether the parties have been able to agree personal terms.

It is now more than a fortnight since Bolton accepted a £7million bid from Chelsea for their prize asset, who was in the final six months of his contract.

Negotiations immediately hit a snag when Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas revealed club and player were "miles apart'' in terms of Cahill's salary.

Reports claimed the England international was demanding £100,000 per week, £30,000 more than Chelsea were willing to pay as they seek to reduce their overall wage budget in the era of Financial Fair Play.

There were also suggestions in midweek a compromise figure of £80,000 had been agreed but Cahill trained with Bolton on Thursday morning and there have since been reports Blues chief executive Ron Gourlay had travelled to the north west for further talks.

Villas-Boas was confident of a positive outcome "this week'' and refused to criticise Cahill or his representatives for the delay.

"It's part of negotiation,'' Villas-Boas said. "I'm sure all parties are protecting their interests and we'll reach an agreement.''

With Alex frozen out of Chelsea's first-team squad, Villas-Boas will be hoping nothing happens to captain John Terry or David Luiz prior to Cahill's arrival.

Terry looks set to shake off problems with both knees to lead out his side but Branislav Ivanovic is still out with a hamstring strain.

A defensive injury crisis cost Chelsea dearly against Sunderland last season, when they were stunned 3-0 at home.

The Wearsiders look in even better shape under new manager Martin O'Neill, who has transformed them from relegation fodder to the form side in the Premier League since his appointment last month.

Villas-Boas said: "He's had the right impact and is one of the top managers in the game, with tremendous success here and in Scotland.

"The team were low in motivation and self-belief but they got themselves together to beat the leaders and inspire themselves.

"They can take anyone on, so they're more of a threat now because of that motivation, and Martin is doing such a great job.''

O'Neill has insisted Sunderland will still be engaged in a fight for survival even if they beat Chelsea.

They head for the capital on the back of a promising revival since O'Neill replaced Steve Bruce as manager in December and having taken 13 points from a possible 18 and secured their place in the FA Cup fourth round.

That run has eased the Wearsiders into the top half of the table, although the Northern Irishman is adamant that he will continue to look over his shoulder.

He said: "Of course I am concerned, yes. If this was the final league table of the season, that becomes a different issue, but it is not.

"We could lose and we could drop six places in the league, so it's still very, very tight.

"What we have been able to do, we have been able to haul ourselves into a pack of teams that I am quite convinced wouldn't be looking in any other direction than over their shoulder.

"Chelsea will be a difficult game for us, exceptionally difficult. But we are going in with confidence and we will see.

"If we win the game, it's three extra points for us and if we do that there, that would be fantastic for us, and that's the way I would look at it.

"Similarly, if we are beaten in the game, I'm hoping that it wouldn't dent confidence so badly that we would fall apart.''

O'Neill could be boosted by the return of striker Nicklas Bendtner from a knee injury while fellow frontman Fraizer Campbell was among the travelling party which left on Friday afternoon for the first time since suffering a second serious knee injury in August 2010.

Watch EPL Manchester United Vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

2012-01-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

Watch EPL Manchester United Vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

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Watch EPL Manchester United Vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.Watch EPL Manchester United Vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.Watch EPL Manchester United Vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming Barclays Premier League Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 14,2012.

Real Madrid Vs Málaga Live Streaming Spanish Copa del Rey Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

2012-01-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid Vs Málaga Live Streaming Spanish Copa del Rey Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

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Some Madrid fans made their feelings known in the 5-1 win over Malaga at the weekend, whistling and jeering their own player after he had scored. The abuse caused Ronaldo to make an angry gesture and walk back to the centre circle with his head bowed, but Mourinho insists that the £80 million man is happy at the Bernabeu."He seems fine to me," Mourinho told reporters, ahead of their Copa del Rey last-16 second leg away to Malaga on Tuesday night. "I think it is more relevant that he celebrates the goals that win games and not the fifth goal in the 90th minute.Real Madrid Vs Málaga Live Streaming Spanish Copa del Rey Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

"I saw him celebrate the other four that were the important ones. If there are going to be criticisms of a player for not celebrating goals, then why not criticise me because I didn't celebrate any of the five goals. I didn't even get up."In the face of unusually strong criticism from the pro-Real Madrid media over the incident, Mourinho was also keen to play down suggestions that the title race was over after Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Espanyol.Malaga are five points behind Real, but when asked if that was enough for the rest of the season, Mourinho replied: "No, we've lost five points in three days earlier this season. You can easily lose five points in only a few games." Real Madrid Vs Málaga Live Streaming Spanish Copa del Rey Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.Real Madrid Vs Málaga Live Streaming Spanish Copa del Rey Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

Sheffield United Vs Yeovil Town Live Streaming English League One Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

2012-01-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

Sheffield United Vs Yeovil Town Live Streaming English League One Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

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Sheffield United defender Matt Lowton remains sidelined for the home clash with Yeovil.Right-back Lowton missed the weekend's FA Cup win over Salisbury and the league defeat at Carlisle due to a hamstring injury sustained against Hartlepool on New Year's Day.

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Johnny Ertl stepped in to make his first start of the season on Saturday and could continue, although Marcus Williams returned as an unused substitute against Salisbury after signing his permanent deal with the Blades and will provide boss Danny Wilson with an extra option.Sheffield United Vs Yeovil Town Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

Nick Montgomery is hoping to return to the side after he too was an unused substitute at the weekend, while fellow midfielder Stephen Quinn could return to contention after being left out of the matchday squad altogether.Striker Richard Cresswell is pushing for a recall to the starting XI and James Beattie, also a second-half substitute on Saturday, is in contention for his first start since returning to Bramall Lane in November.Gary Johnson will resume the managerial reins at Yeovil.Sheffield United Vs Yeovil Town Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

Johnson, who guided the Glovers to two promotions during his previous spell as boss, was re-appointed on Monday, with Terry Skiverton standing aside and becoming assistant manager.Johnson's second coming with Yeovil will be boosted by the return of midfielders Paul Wotton and Ed Upson at the high-flying Blades.The duo had been suspended for the 1-1 draw with local rivals Exeter on January 2 but have now served their bans and are available for selection.Winger Gavin Massey extended his loan spell from Watford last week and should start for the Glovers, but Kerrea Gilbert, Flavien Belson, Abdulai Bell-Baggie and Alan O'Brien have left the club after Yeovil chose not to renew their respective deals.Meanwhile, midfielder Dominic Blizzard is set to miss out through a groin injury.Sheffield United Vs Yeovil Town Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

Crystal Palace Vs Cardiff City Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

2012-01-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

Crystal Palace Vs Cardiff City Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

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Preview:
Crystal Palace's preparations for the Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Cardiff have been hit by a virus.
Goalkeeper Julian Speroni, who has missed the last three games, has just about recovered from the bug but skipper Paddy McCarthy, fellow defenders Anthony Gardner and Nathaniel Clyne, midfielder Mile Jedinak and winger Sean Scannell remain doubts.

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Boss Dougie Freedman fielded a much-changed side for the FA Cup defeat at Derby on Saturday so the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Darren Ambrose, Glenn Murray and Jermaine Easter are in line to return.Crystal Palace Vs Cardiff City Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

On-loan Doncaster full-back Mustapha Dumbuya, who made his Palace debut at the weekend, is cup-tied but centre-back John Egan, the recent signing from Sunderland, is eligible to play.Malky Mackay is likely to revert to his first-choice line-up.Manager Mackay made 10 changes to the team which beat Reading 3-1 in the npower Championship on January 2 for the FA Cup third-round clash at West Brom on Saturday.

Only defender Darcy Blake remained in Mackay's starting XI in a game that Cardiff lost 4-2.Midfielder Craig Conway came through a full 90 minutes unscathed for the first time in more than a month against the Baggies and will be hoping to keep his place as the Bluebirds look to take a step closer to a place in February's final at Wembley.Meanwhile, goalkeeper David Marshall, defenders Mark Hudson and Ben Turner and striker Kenny Miller are among those expected to make a return at Selhurst Park.

However, striker Rudy Gestede limped out of the weekend trip to the West Midlands with an ankle injury and may not be available.Defender Kevin McNaughton also remains a doubt with a calf problem sustained during the Boxing Day draw at Watford.Crystal Palace Vs Cardiff City Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.Crystal Palace Vs Cardiff City Live Streaming English Carling Cup Semifinals Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 10,2012.

Arsenal Vs Leeds United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 9,2012.

2012-01-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Watch Arsenal Vs Leeds United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 9,2012.Arsenal vs Leeds United coverage, Arsenal vs Leeds United live link, Arsenal vs Leeds United Live tv, watch Arsenal vs Leeds United English FA Cup Football Live, Arsenal vs Leeds United English FA Cup Football on tv.

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Preview: The return of the king
It is fitting that in a fixture that has history an Arsenal legend is poised to make his return, as Thierry Henry, the club's all-time top goalscorer, readies himself for his second debut for the Gunners in an FA Cup third round tie against Leeds United, live on ESPN HD.

Fantasy League: Pick your new squad.ESPN Fan Films: The FA Cup journey.Arsenal Vs Leeds United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 9,2012.Watch Arsenal vs Leeds United live online English FA Cup Football, live Soccer streaming tv, Arsenal vs Leeds United Live Link.Arsenal vs Leeds United coverage, Arsenal vs Leeds United live link, Arsenal vs Leeds United Live tv, watch Arsenal vs Leeds United English FA Cup Football Live, Arsenal vs Leeds United English FA Cup Football on tv, Stream Arsenal vs Leeds United,Arsenal vs Leeds United Live Streaming English FA Cup Football, Enjoy Arsenal vs Leeds United Live , Arsenal vs Leeds United online tv, Arsenal vs Leeds United English FA Cup Football live online , Soccer live streaming link, Live Soccer internet tv, Arsenal vs Leeds United live English FA Cup Football,Watch this Match between Arsenal vs Leeds United live stream online by using below link.

Watch Arsenal vs Leeds United Live Streaming Free Online Video FA Cup Football HD TV. This great FA Cup Game between Arsenal vs Leeds United will be kick off at 19.45 GMT 9 Jan 2012.Leeds United welcome Arsenal (again) fit into the Emirates Stadium tomorrow’s FA Cup third round. Last year it took two cracks in the egg by the same club in the cup, and hopefully this year the players you can save a trip to Leeds to play and take care of business on the first try. Leeds currently sit eighth in the championship just one point out of a playoff spot, while Arsenal are fifth in the Premier League, one point behind in fourth place.

Leeds has a lot of offenses this year (under the direction of Ross McCormack with 11 goals and Robert Snodgrass, printers penalty against Arsenal last year with 8 goals and 9 assists). They have 39 league goals, but also conceded 36, including four new remote in Barnsley, they are vulnerable. Nevertheless, they should not have to be taken lightly by the new arsenal to score goals on fighting. The arrival of Thierry Henry on the side, it helps if it is not possible to put in a full 90 minutes and can display the bank.

Many of the Arsenal starting line-up tomorrow probably will not see on the field, except in defense, where there is little choice in many ways. Lukas Fabianski is still injured, so Manuel Almunia will probably start in goal (he was on the bench for Fulham). Defense is a blend of young and old, begin to Ignasi Miquel and Nico Yennaris probably left rear and right, while Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny tend the half-center function. It’s hard to imagine Wenger Squillaci couple and Per Mertesacker, just because they are just slow, the defense position.

Don’t miss this game live video streaming and high quality picture with live online TV. Dont miss to watch Arsenal vs Leeds United live Streaming on the scheduled starting time above. Also get preview, recaps, score result, highlights, line-up and prediction if available.

With minutes to spare on Friday, Arsenal rubber-stamped their agreement with New York Red Bulls to take Henry, 35, on a two-month loan deal in a bid to lighten the burden on star striker Robin van Persie's shoulders, with Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh both departing for the African Nations Cup in January. Henry has been keen to stress he has been brought in as cover, stating: "I'll be on the bench most of the time." Indeed, it is anticipated, with the Frenchman not yet match fit, he will not make the starting XI versus Leeds at Emirates Stadium, but could certainly be called upon as a substitute to what will surely be a memorable and emotional reception.Arsenal Vs Leeds United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 9,2012.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, though, will be wary of sentiment taking over the fixture, which represents a chance for his team to resolve their infamous record of having not lifted a trophy since 2005 - when they beat Manchester United in this competition's showpiece.Certainly Van Persie will be rested for this match, meaning Park Chu-Young could be handed just his fifth start for the club he joined from Monaco in the summer, with pressure on the South Korean to take his opportunity to shine with both hands. Chamakh could also feature in one last outing before he joins up with Morocco.Arsenal's injury list is extensive, in particular in defence, with Thomas Vermaelen, Kieran Gibbs, Andre Santos, Bacary Sagna, Carl Jenkinson, Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby all absent. Johan Djourou, meanwhile, is suspended following his dismissal in the late loss at Fulham.

This is a familiar fixture for Leeds - who are currently eighth in the Championship after ending a three-game losing streak - after they were drawn against Arsenal at the same stage of the FA Cup last season. In that meeting, they held the Premier League side to a 1-1 stalemate in North London, before losing 3-1 at Elland Road in their replay.The forthcoming match-up will be the pair's 15th meeting in the FA Cup, with Arsenal having won six, drawn seven and lost two. And, fittingly, Henry has scored 11 goals in 11 games against Leeds in all competitions, including four in his last appearance against them at Highbury.

Arsenal player to watch: Thierry Henry. Who else? He may have lost that blistering pace, but his footballing brain remains. Henry, who scored seven times in 24 FA Cup appearances for Arsenal, should get some game time on Monday night, and all eyes will be on the World Cup winner. Should he be deployed on the left of a three-pronged attack, nostalgia will be in the air, with the home faithful willing him to cut inside before curling coolly into the far corner.Leeds player to watch: Ross McCormack. The Scotland international has a decent goalscoring record for Leeds this season, netting 11 times in 24 Championship appearances, and he may well fancy his chances against a depleted Arsenal backline. Such are the Gunners' injury woes that predicting their defensive four is an almighty conundrum. Hence, their unfamiliarity is surely a weakness to be exploited. McCormack, 25, who joined Leeds from Cardiff in 2010 on a free transfer, is a diminutive frontman - at 5' 7" - but will aim to use his off-the-ball movement to unsettle the home team's rearguard.

Odds: Arsenal (1.87), Leeds (10.00) and the draw (5.50) are on offer with bet365 while the Gunners to win after going behind is 6.50.Prediction: Buoyed by the Henry factor, Arsenal should have enough to see off Leeds despite their ropey defence, meaning there will likely be no upset here.Arsenal Vs Leeds United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 9,2012.Arsenal Vs Leeds United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 9,2012.

Espanyol Vs Barcelona Live Streaming Spanish Primera División BBVA La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 8,2012.

2012-01-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Espanyol Vs Barcelona Live Streaming Spanish Primera División BBVA La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 8,2012.

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Preview: Espanyol Vs Barcelona
La Liga,20:30 +00:00, January 8, 2012,Cornellá - El Prat.

Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has called for coach Pep Guardiola to take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's book and commit his long-term future to the reigning Spanish and European champions ahead of Sunday's return to Primera Division action at Espanyol.Guardiola has presided over an astonishing run of success at the Nou Camp since taking charge in 2008, with last month's victory in the FIFA Club World Cup his 13th piece of silverware.Guardiola, an iconic player for Barca in the 1990s, has been surprisingly reticent to commit his future to the club, however, preferring instead to sign one-year contracts.

It is a situation that has given way to an annual round of speculation over Guardiola's future - even though it seems unfeasible that the 40-year-old would walk away from what is widely regarded as one of the greatest club sides ever assembled.Guardiola has been touted as an eventual successor to Manchester United boss Ferguson when his Old Trafford tenure - now into its 26th year - eventually comes to an end, but Busquets feels his fellow Spaniard would be better served building a lasting legacy of his own in his homeland."I hope he stays here for a long time,'' Busquets told a press conference. "Not only for the good of this team, but for the good of the club."It would be great if he were a Ferguson-type of manager.''

Sunday's game marks Barca's return to league action after the winter break, although it will actually be their second game back following their 4-0 demolition of Osasuna in the Copa del Rey in midweek.Guardiola's men need to hit the ground running in the second half of the season after heading into the Christmas break three points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga, but the trip to Cornella to play derby rivals Espanyol represents a stern test.Espanyol enjoyed a strong first half of the season and sit eighth after back-to-back victories prior to the break.Busquets has warned his team-mates to be on their guard against their local rivals, and was thankful for the useful tune-up Barca enjoyed in the first leg of their midweek cup tie.

"It's always difficult to come back from holiday, but we came back and played a good game against a tough opponent,'' he said of the Osasuna victory. "We managed to get a good result for the away leg.''Looking ahead to this weekend, the 23-year-old added: "It's a derby and that means we have extra motivation. We'll all do what's best for the team."I believe it's one of the most difficult stadiums. They're a great team that pressures high up the pitch."Even though they've sold some players and have a young team, they're having a great season.''Despite their good league form, Espanyol head into the game smarting from a 2-1 defeat at second-tier Cordoba in their Copa del Rey fifth-round tie on Thursday night.

The Primera Division side are still favourites to progress from the tie after the home leg next week, and coach Mauricio Pochettino is adamant the setback will not affect the mindset heading into the Barcelona match. "There is no problem with the players recovering,'' the Argentinian said. "We should not be affected by this result.''

Watch Chelsea Vs Portsmouth Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 8,2012.

2012-01-08T03:52:00.000-08:00

Watch Chelsea Vs Portsmouth Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 8,2012.

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Preview:
Chelsea assistant manager Roberto Di Matteo has not given up on the Barclays Premier League title but admitted the FA Cup is Chelsea's best chance of silverware this season.The Blues host Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the side they beat at Wembley to lift the trophy in 2010.Di Matteo said: "We are in three competitions.

At the moment you look at it and probably think the FA Cup is our best chance but we are still in the Champions League and in the Premier League we are in a better position than last season."We will look at putting out the strongest team we have on Sunday.''

Di Matteo will come up against Portsmouth boss Michael Appleton on Sunday, a man he knows well from their days together at West Brom."He was my first-team coach,'' said Di Matteo, the former manager at The Hawthorns. "He has improved their performances and position in the table."He always told me he had ambitions to become a manager and I wasn't surprised when he was appointed at Portsmouth.''Chelsea will be without Didier Drogba and Saloman Kalou.The club attempted to delay the pair's departure to the African Nations Cup but had a request turned down by the Ivory Coast.

Chelsea have injury concerns over John Terry, who has been struggling with a knee injury. A decision will made on his fitness for the game after training on Saturday.Appleton sees no reason why his side cannot repeat their FA Cup heroics of four years ago.In 2008 Harry Redknapp's Pompey went to Old Trafford in the quarter-finals and stunned Manchester United 1-0 on their way to lifting the trophy.Administration and relegation have since taken their toll at Fratton Park, with Pompey now 17th in the npower Championship and yet again looking for new owners, and Appleton admits a win at Stamford Bridge would be an even more impressive achievement than victory over United.

"It would be bigger than that, because a lot has happened to Portsmouth since then,'' he said at his pre-match press conference."We're in the Championship now with a small squad and a lot of players who are coming towards the end of their careers."But we're in good form lately and hopefully we can be one of those teams around the country celebrating a shock this weekend."Chelsea haven't had a fantastic first half to the season, but they had a good win at Wolves earlier this week which will have lifted them, and this is a competition they want to win."We just have to hope they go into the game with the attitude that they're facing a side in the bottom half of the Championship, and that we then catch them off guard.''

Greg Halford and Joel Ward return to the Portsmouth squad, but Ricardo Rocha and Luke Varney are doubtful.Full-back Halford and midfielder Ward were ruled out of Monday's 2-0 win over Watford through suspension after collecting five yellow cards this season.But centre-half Rocha is still struggling with the calf injury which has kept him out of the last two matches and although striker Varney is close to recovering from a knee problem he is unlikely to be risked in the cup.There will be a change at left-back after Joe Mattock returned to West Brom at the end of his loan spell.

FA Cup Manchester City Vs Manchester United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 8,2012.

2012-01-08T03:03:00.000-08:00

FA Cup Manchester City Vs Manchester United Live Streaming English FA Cup Online HD TV Channels Broadcast January 8,2012.

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Preview:
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has no interest in any of the wider issues surrounding Sunday's blockbusting FA Cup derby against Manchester United - only victory.City underlined their Barclays Premier League title credentials in emphatic fashion last time the sides met, thrashing their rivals 6-1 at Old Trafford in October.That sensational win served warning of a potential shift in the balance of power in both the city and English football in general.

Now, as league leaders, City could make another strong statement by launching their FA Cup defence with another win over their neighbours and closest challengers - this time at the Etihad Stadium.But Hart said: "I am not bothered about statements - I am bothered about winning the game on Sunday."We want to win every game, regardless of what cup it is in."If you do win every game you win trophies, and that is what we want.''

Hart accepts United will want revenge for the humiliation they suffered at City's hands last autumn."Of course they do but that is for them to feel,'' the 24-year-old England number one said. "We have got to focus on our game.''Manchester City to be without Mario Balotelli, Gareth Barry and the Toure brothers.Striker Balotelli (ankle) and midfielder Barry (suspension) are definitely forced out while defender Kolo and midfielder Yaya Toure have to report for African Nations Cup duty with Ivory Coast.Manager Roberto Mancini hopes striker Edin Dzeko (knee) and forward Samir Nasri (illness) will be fit to bolster a stretched squad but former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves is not expected to come into contention.

Michael Carrick is happy to ignore the bookmakers and concentrate on the Manchester United dressing room to their chances of winning.Having moved swiftly to quell talk of an imminent Wayne Rooney departure from Old Trafford, United must now set their sights on those "noisy neighbours''.Rare indeed are the days when United are spoken about as a team who might inflict a shock rather than suffer one.But that is exactly what will happen on Sunday if Sir Alex Ferguson's men reach the FA Cup fourth round by "People can say what they like and fancy who they want,'' said Carrick, over odds that have a United win as the least likely of the three potential results.

"We know what we can do. We know the players we have got in the dressing room. We just want to be back to top form and winning the game, regardless of the situation in the league really."Nothing has been handed out. No trophies have been awarded. We just want to hang in there and be there at the end.
"The cup is different. We need to produce that now. It would be nice to knock them out. More importantly it would be nice to progress.''Ferguson will be selecting from an unchanged squad.Chris Smalling (tonsillitis) is still out, which is likely to mean Phil Jones partnering Rio Ferdinand in defence.Anders Lindegaard is likely to continue in goal, although Dimitar Berbatov's place is at risk as United look to avoid suffering a third consecutive competitive defeat against their local rivals.

Málaga Vs Atlético Madrid Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

2012-01-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Málaga Vs Atlético Madrid Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

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Preview:
Atletico Madrid winger Salvio has described their trip to Malaga as a "litmus test'' as the Rojiblancos aim to open the reign of new boss Diego Simeone with a win.

Simeone returned to the Vicente Calderon over the winter break - he made more than 125 appearances for the club in two spells as a player - as successor to the sacked Gregorio Manzano.

Atletico underperformed over the first half of the season, winning just five of 16 Primera Division games, but Salvio is hoping Simeone's arrival will spark an improvement.

He told a press conference: "We all want an athletic, more aggressive Atletico which will be a tough rival, both at home and abroad.

"We are looking forward to starting off (under Simeone) in the best possible way.''

The Argentinian accepts a trip to La Rosaleda represents a tricky return to action, however.

"We are preparing for the game well but we know they are a very tough opponent with good players, so it will be a litmus test for us,'' he said.

"We will all have to give 100% to move forward.''

On a personal level, Salvio was not sure whether countryman Simeone's arrival would improve his own prospects.

"I will continue working as I did under Manzano. He (Simeone) knows me from Argentina but all coaches are different,'' he said.

"Perhaps he will see me in a way Manzano didn't but everyone has their own taste. He can count on me.''

Malaga, who recruited heavily over the summer, come into the clash in seventh place but on the back of a disappointing 3-2 defeat at Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night.

The visitors led 2-0 after 29 minutes but conceded three times in the second half as Madrid claimed a narrow first-leg advantage.

Defender Martin Demichelis, who got on the scoresheet at the Bernabeu, admits it is important they get over the psychological damage as quickly as possible.

"After an ugly loss the feeling lasts until the next game,'' he told the AS newspaper.

"But you have to remain positive and train well with a positive mindset.''

Real Sociedad Vs Osasuna Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

2012-01-07T08:21:00.005-08:00

Real Sociedad Vs Osasuna Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

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Preview:
Recent good performances in the Copa del Rey have created a positive atmosphere among the players and fans at Real Sociedad, but coach Philippe Montanier has warned his squad not to be distracted when they get their league campaign back under way against Osasuna this weekend.

A five-game unbeaten run to end 2011 helped move Sociedad out of the relegation zone but they remain just two points above the drop zone in 15th.

Montanier told the club's website: "The league and the cup are two different competitions and the present is more important than the past or future.

"We obviously want to extend our good run, even more so because it is a derby match. However Osasuna are picking up a lot of points, they concede very few goals and are dangerous on set-pieces and the counter attack. It will be a very difficult match.''

Inigo Martinez is suspended for the hosts after his red card against Racing Santander three weeks ago and Asier Illarramendi remains out injured.

Osasuna are looking to keep their own two-month unbeaten league run going in San Sebastian.

However coach Jose Luis Mendilibar has again tried to dampen expectations of Osasuna challenging for a European place despite currently sitting in fifth position.

"The objective for 2012 is to stay in the league,'' he told the club's website.

"What is important right now is the match against Real Sociedad. They are a direct rival in all aspects and they are on a high right now. They now have the confidence they were lacking before.''

Mendilibar has a number of injury concerns with Raul Garcia, Roversio Rodrigues and Ruben Gonzales all doubtful. However Ibrahima Balde has not been selected by Senegal for the African Nations Cup and will therefore retain his place up front.

Racing Santander Vs Real Zaragoza Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

2012-01-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

Racing Santander Vs Real Zaragoza Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

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Preview:
Manolo Jimenez accepts that there is "a lot more than three points'' at stake as he prepares for his first match as Real Zaragoza boss away to Racing Santander.

Jimenez takes over a side rock bottom of the Primera Division after the departure from the hotseat of Javier Aguirre, four points behind 19th-placed Racing and five adrift of safety.

He told the club's official website: "We are all together to try to save Real Zaragoza. We want to take things forward.

"We are ready to give 120%. We are playing for a lot more than three points.''

Jimenez is boosted by the return to full training of Ruben Micael, whose name features in a 19-man squad for the trip to El Sardinero.

Rival coach Juanjo Gonzalez admits Zaragoza's change of coach leaves his side facing something of an unknown quantity, but insisted on his club's website: "We mostly have to worry about ourselves and do things well. If we do, we can win.

"I will not think of any result other than victory.''

Racing were beaten 2-0 by Segunda Division B outfit Mirandes on Wednesday in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last 16 clash, and Gonzalez has called for an immediate response.

"We must move on and forget the cup defeat, we must now be focused on the league.

"We play against a direct rival in the path to safety. It is very important but not definitive.

"Beating Real Zaragoza would not see us safe and losing would not condemn us because whatever happens, there is still a lot to play for. However, we understand the importance of the game and we'll definitely try to pick three points that would allow us to climb the table.''

Gonzalez has Pape Diop and Alvaro Gonzalez fit after respective ankle and knee injuries.

Levante Vs Mallorca Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

2012-01-07T08:18:00.001-08:00

Levante Vs Mallorca Live Streaming BBVA Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

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Preview:
Levante manager Juan Ignacio Martinez has said he is unlikely to add to his squad this month despite being hit by a number of injuries and suspensions.

Los Granotes' fine start to the season means they went into the new year in fourth place, four points clear of nearest challengers Osasuna, but will have to do without joint top goalscorer Juanlu for the next four months after he broke his fibula.

Martinez told a press conference broadcast on the club's website: "There is a sporting plan in place for the whole year. That is based on our figures and I am happy with my group of players. I am not the person to ask anything from the club.''

Levante will also be without Javi Venta and Nano for this weekend's game against Real Mallorca due to suspension, while Valdo is also doubtful with a muscle strain.

"They are players who play regularly and it will be a handicap for this match,'' Martinez said. "However we have the squad to compete and look for alternatives.''

There was also some good news for Martinez as Arouna Kone was not included in the Ivory Coast squad for the African Nations Cup on Thursday.

Mallorca boss Joaquin Caparros was furious with his side's performance in the 2-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday but is hoping the disappointment from that defeat will spur a reaction in his players.

He told the club's website: "I am not the only one who is angry, the players are too. We need to improve, the second half of the season is just about to start and there is very little between a lot of the sides. We can't squander any match from now on because if we do we could live to regret it.''

Caparros was also full of praise for the Islanders' opponents this weekend.

"Levante have a group of very demanding players that have adapted to the club's way of doing things, they give 100% and what they are doing is marvellous,'' he said.

Marvin Ogunjimi could make his Mallorca debut now that his transfer from Genk has officially gone through, but Pablo Caceres misses out through suspension.

BBVA Real Madrid Vs Granada Live Streaming Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

2012-01-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

BBVA Real Madrid Vs Granada Live Streaming Spanish Primera División La Liga Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat,Jan 7,2012.

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Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has offered an olive branch to his players and vowed to give them a chance at redemption in their home game against Granada.

The Portuguese was highly critical after the midweek Copa del Rey win over Malaga in which Madrid had to come from 2-0 down to prevail 3-2.

Mourinho accused the team of lacking focus while he claimed certain players returned from the Christmas break out of shape.

But he was in conciliatory mood this morning and insisted there would be no knee-jerk reaction.

He told reporters at a press conference: "The players have given me guarantees over a long time. We have won 20 games and suffered one defeat.

"I will not lose confidence in them after the first time. I have no problem with the team or any player. It was they themselves who in the second half won the game.''

Mourinho, whose side top the table by three points from arch-rivals Barcelona, even claimed coming back from a two-goal deficit to win may prove a positive.

"You saw the answer they gave,'' he said.

"Maybe it's a good situation for us. They went on the field without concentration but used their strength and quality to change something that was lost.''

Mourinho insisted snatching the Primera Division crown away from Barca was the primary target over the second half of the season even though they are still chasing success in the Copa and the Champions League.

"The title which makes me most excited is the Primera Division,'' he said.

"We all want to win the Champions League but sometimes teams undeservedly win it, for example, things happen that should not happen, teams have injuries...

"The league is the competition to win as they really deserve it, so it's the one I want to win.''

Granada, who are 13th, are unlikely to pose too many problems for Madrid but Mourinho still found time to talk them up.

"They have a strong defence and do well in midfield,'' he said.

"They have many dangers as they have had some good results. We need to win against them.''

Granada boss Fabri Gonzalez, whose side will be backed by 5,000 travelling fans, is wary of Madrid's speed on the counter.

"Their pace on the counter-attack is deadly,'' he told reporters.

"They have huge offensive power. In three passes they can reach your goal.

"They are a team with physical power and are tactically and technically impressive. They are one of the best in the world.''

Newcastle United vs Manchester United Live Streaming epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online internet soapcast Soccer tv english premier league January 4,2012.

2012-01-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

Newcastle United vs Manchester United Live Streaming epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online internet soapcast Soccer tv english premier league January 4,2012.

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Newcastle boss Alan Pardew admits Sir Alex Ferguson has simply been too successful to be considered the benchmark for his managerial colleagues.The 70-year-old Manchester United manager will take the reigning Barclays Premier League champions to Tyneside on Wednesday night having seen arch-rivals Manchester City fail to take advantage of their slip-up against Blackburn on New Year's Eve by losing at Sunderland the following day.Pardew and his players are determined to send them packing as they attempt to bounce back from defeat at Liverpool to keep pace with the top six.

However, Pardew insists aspiring to match Ferguson is a task too far.Asked if the Scot is the benchmark for all other managers, he said: "He isn't really because he's just ridiculous."Something like 50 trophies - you just can't possibly imagine getting yourself into a position to win that many."But in the terms of the way he handles his club and the way he runs his club, he is a bit more fortunate than a lot of us because he has a lot of power there and he has earned that power."That's what we all aim to do.''Ferguson's longevity has given him an iron grip on his club, a fact he demonstrated on Saturday when he left England striker Wayne Rooney out of the side following a Boxing Day night out.

But it is behind the scenes at Old Trafford where he wields an influence of which most of his counterparts can only dream.Pardew said: "As a manager, that's a decision [the Rooney decision] I would have to make, I can make those sort of decisions."It's bigger decisions - transfers, the way the club plays, the emphasis on what the style of the club is going to be and being able to dictate that rather than having a general manager or a director who wants to influence that."I'm lucky here in that I have got a bit of a free hand. I have got no general football manager here."I haven't earned the power that Alex has got, of course, yet, but I am one of the few lucky ones.''

Rooney, who is understood to have been fined for incurring his manager's wrath, is expected to return to the starting line-up and he could be joined by Rio Ferdinand and Chris Smalling as United attempt to bounce back from their shock 3-2 home defeat by Blackburn.Asked about the Rooney situation, Pardew said with a smile: "I don't think it's going to last for our game."Those scenarios happen on the training ground and managers stand by their decisions."They have had injuries, for sure, but I am well informed that there will be a few back for this game, and I am not surprised by that.

"Alex knows it's a tough game, coming to Newcastle, so I expect to see a few of the more famous names on that sheet."But when you look at their squad, they have still got the biggest and best squad in the division, and that's why they are the champions.''Pardew has a minor doubt over former United midfielder Gabriel Obertan, who has an infected toe, but is expected to make the squad.Phil Jones may have been critical of United's performance against Blackburn but he is still loving life at the summit.Despite that shock defeat, United remain on course to top the mini-table covering all five games of the festive period.

Having been given a reprieve by City's shock defeat at Sunderland, the Red Devils will stay in the thick of the title battle if they have better fortunes than their neighbours when they head to the north east.To enjoy such experiences is one of the major reasons why Jones left Blackburn last summer.Whilst helping his hometown club secure their top-flight status on the final day of last season represented a fulfilling achievement he will never forget, Jones concedes it is far better to be involved at the other end of the table."I am excited,'' he said. "I am loving it. It was a nice feeling to get out of trouble with Blackburn on the last day of the season."It is an even nicer feeling knowing you are at the top of the table with a fantastic chance of winning the English title.''

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Newcastle United vs Manchester United Live Streaming epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online internet soapcast Soccer tv english premier league January 4,2012.

Everton vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online internet soapcast Soccer tv english premier league January 4,2012.

2012-01-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

Everton vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online internet soapcast Soccer tv english premier league January 4,2012.

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Everton boss David Moyes claims recent results show why nobody can take anything for granted in the Barclays Premier League.New Year's Eve saw big guns Manchester United and Chelsea suffer shock defeats at home to Blackburn and Aston Villa respectively before leaders Manchester City were beaten by a last-gasp goal at Sunderland 24 hours later.Everton, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten run to four games with a 1-0 win at West Brom and the odds look good for them continuing the sequence with another triumph when they host Bolton.

Wanderers are bottom of the table and lost 2-0 at home to Everton in November but, with the top flight seemingly as unpredictable as ever, Moyes is not about to underestimate his team's task at Goodison Park.
"The Premier League is back to the topsy-turvy way it was last year when you didn't know who was winning what,'' Moyes said."Just over the last couple of weeks we have started to see that again. There is no guarantee when you play any games who is going to win or lose at the moment, so you need to go about your job correctly.

"We got a good three points (at the Reebok Stadium) and it would be great if we could do it again but there is nothing guaranteed and I wouldn't take anything for granted."Bolton are difficult opposition - they have their own fight at this moment in time while we are trying to push up the league.''Moyes will be able to call on Landon Donovan for the first time since it was announced in December that the United States international would be rejoining the Toffees on a two-month loan deal from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Donovan proved a success in a stint of the same duration with Everton in 2010 and says he feels "more prepared'' this time, although Moyes has stressed it is only when he takes part in matches that the 29-year-old can properly be assessed.Asked if he thought Donovan had "hit the ground running'' in training, Moyes said: "He looks okay, I have to say, but how can you tell?"Even though we have seen some football, we have not seen any games yet."But fitness-wise he is not someone who carries a lot of weight. He is quite lightweight and he looks okay.

"He came before and did well for us - scored a couple of goals, played well and showed some qualities."We are hoping over his time here he will do that again, but we have to remember it's only a short loan.''Everton have announced that players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect to Gary Ablett and that there will be a period of silence ahead of the FA Cup match with Tamworth at Goodison Park on Saturday.It was confirmed on Monday that former Toffees defender and coach Ablett, who also played for Liverpool, had died at the age of 46 after a 16-month fight against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle says defender Gary Cahill is "absolutely'' a part of his plans for the clash as things stand.Coyle confirmed last Friday that a fee - believed to be in the region of £7million - had been agreed with Chelsea for Cahill and talks have been ongoing with a view to completing the 26-year-old's proposed move to Stamford Bridge.However, it is unclear how much progress has been made on that front.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas said later the same day the parties were "miles apart regarding agreement with the player'' and, on Saturday, after naming Cahill as his skipper for the 1-1 draw with Wolves, Coyle stressed there had only been one meeting between the London club and the England international's representatives.Asked whether Cahill was in his plans for the match at Goodison Park, Coyle said: "Absolutely.''

He added: "The games have come thick and fast and I would imagine that has restricted people in terms of getting around a table and having dialogue with regard to Gary's representatives and Chelsea - they played again (Monday)."So where we are is as I have said before - we agreed a fee between the clubs and it is now up to Chelsea and Gary's representatives to conclude that, or not."I think there has only been one meeting on that. The other day Gary prepared and then played at a very high level and will continue to do that - he is an outstanding young man."Whatever comes, we will deal with the situation when it arises.''Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen (thigh) is a major injury doubt but Darren Pratley is available again after illness.

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Everton vs Bolton Wanderers Live Streaming epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online internet soapcast Soccer tv english premier league January 4,2012.

Manchester United Vs Blackburn Rovers Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat Dec 31, 2011

2011-12-31T01:56:00.000-08:00

Manchester United Vs Blackburn Rovers Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast Sat Dec 31, 2011.

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Preview:
Ferguson targets happy birthday.Manchester United have the chance to finish 2011 top of the Premier League table when they welcome bottom-of-the-table Blackburn Rovers to Old Trafford on New Year's Eve.

Man Utd v Blackburn is live on ESPN UK.United's rivals City, who are in action 24 hours later, currently sit at the summit courtesy of their five-stronger goal difference over the Red Devils, whose back-to-back 5-0 wins have helped to reduce what was previously a superior advantage.

That Sir Alex Ferguson's men have rediscovered their attacking swagger in spite of their extensive injury list is negative news for struggling Blackburn, who are in desperate need of points, with the club five adrift of safety.Rovers did dig in impressively in their last outing at Liverpool as they earned a 1-1 draw, but a point at the league champions is a more daunting ask, in particular considering the visitors' woeful record at the Theatre of Dreams.Indeed, United have won the last seven games in all competitions against Rovers at Old Trafford, and, on Ferguson's 70th birthday of all days, the home side will be eager to reward their boss with the perfect performance.

The point earned by Blackburn in their previous fixture took some of the pressure off Steve Kean's shoulders, although it still weighs down heavily in spite of having a "very encouraging" chat with his Scottish compatriot Ferguson in recent days.Kean could be boosted by the return of Martin Olsson, the Swede having featured just once since November 5 after suffering a hamstring injury. David Dunn and Junior Hoilett (both hamstring) face late tests but goalkeeper Paul Robinson (calf) is among seven senior players definitely out.For United, Jonny Evans (calf) has joined Nemanja Vidic (knee), Chris Smalling (tonsillitis) and Fabio (hamstring) on the sidelines. Phil Jones (illness) and Rio Ferdinand (back) only have an outside chance of being involved.

Manchester United player to watch: Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian fired a hat-trick in his last outing and netted five against Blackburn in this corresponding fixture last season. All signs point to goals. Furthermore, Ferguson this week confirmed Berbatov has been offered a one-year extension to his existing deal, putting a dampener on speculation he could seal an exit in January. No matter the conjecture, Ferguson still considers Berbatov a vital squad member, and again he will be looking for last season's joint-top scorer in the Premier League to impress the Old Trafford faithful.Blackburn player to watch: Junior Hoilett The Canada international has been one of few shining lights for Kean at Blackburn this season. So impressive has his form been that it has been suggested he could be targeted by a 'bigger' side next month. Kean would be loath to lose the tricky winger, for he offers the side that something different. Indeed, he is capable of beating a man, to help create an opportunity, while his two goals scored in his last seven appearances emphasise his worth.

Key Battle: Michael Carrick v Yakubu Aiyegbeni. With United's squad depleted, in particular their defence, Ferguson has been forced to put square pegs in round holes. Carrick slotted in at centre-back versus Wigan, but was not overly tested once the Latics were reduced to ten men. Yakubu has been something of a goal machine for Rovers this season, netting 11 times in all competitions this campaign. He has indeed, like Hoilett, offered Kean hope that all is not lost. On his day, Yakubu, 29, can be a handful, so, Carrick: beware of the Yak.

Trivia: Manchester United have scored 1,499 Premier League goals.
Stats: Since conceding six against Man City, United have shipped just two goals in the last nine matches and kept seven clean sheets.
Odds: Manchester United (1.12), Blackburn (26.00) and the draw (8.00) are on offer with bet365 while for there to be an own goal in the game is 6.50.
Prediction: It is all but impossible to look past Manchester United. Indeed, when second plays bottom, head rules heart. Expect goals for those playing in red, and expect them to be top of the table at the close of the year.

Liverpool Vs Aston Villa Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.

2011-12-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

Liverpool Vs Aston Villa Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.

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Alex McLeish has challenged his Aston Villa players to defy their "underdogs'' tag and enhance their reputations in a series of forthcoming games against the Barclays Premier League's top clubs.Villa entertain Sunday's opponents Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in the next fortnight.McLeish is aware of the task of competing with the spending power of the likes of the Reds who splashed out £20million to sign winger Stewart Downing from Villa last summer.But he wants his squad to relish such opportunities as Villa strive to cement their spot in the top half of the table.

McLeish said: "There is a bit of a difference in the spending power in what Liverpool have spent and who they've brought to the club."You are talking about guys who can make a huge difference, not only in club but world football."We are going in against teams like that as underdogs in almost every game."But we are at home and the players have got to have no fear at this great stadium of ours."We've got to try and make sure the teams are leaving Villa Park knowing they've been in a big game."There is no doubt games like this can bring the best out of players.

"This is where they earn their corn and get recognised as great players when they start to take points off the big guns.''Marc Albrighton is one player McLeish is hoping can help fill Downing's role after his summer exit.
The winger has struggled to command a regular spot this season after a dip in form but looked back to his best when scoring in last weekend's win at Bolton.McLeish said: "Albrighton looks like he has found a wee bit of quality again. He never stopped working hard to get his form back and that is all you can do, never give up. "Last weekend we saw the Marc Albrighton that shone brightly in last season's campaign.

"In terms of lack of first-team football, it is down to the player. It's players who get themselves in the team and players who get themselves out of the team, pure and simple."Marc wasn't doing well enough quality-wise to get into the team but he was really working hard which is why we kept him a big part of everything and we never discarded him.''Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor will serve a one-game ban for incurring five bookings this season with Emile Heskey and Nathan Delfouneso in contention to partner Darren Bent.Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel is wary of the Bent will pose.

The England international has five goals for the season but has not found the net since November 5.However, he has a decent record against Liverpool with three goals in his last four matches and Skrtel has been on the receiving end of all of them."Darren Bent is a great player, an England international striker,'' said the centre-back."We have to keep an eye on him all of the time and stop him from scoring against us.''Sunday's match will have special significance for winger Downing as for the first time he returns to the club he left in the summer to move to Anfield.

Downing was the match-winner the last time the two sides met, with his volley giving the midlanders three points at Villa Park.Skrtel hopes the 27-year-old will be able to have a similar influence for the Reds this time around."It will be a special game for Stewart going back to his former club. He did very well at Villa and I'm sure he will get a good welcome."He scored against us in the final game of last season so it would be great if he could do that again for us this time.''

Liverpool returned to winnings ways last weekend by beating QPR after seeing their 11-match unbeaten run come to an end at Fulham a few days earlier.They remain in the hunt for a top-four place and Skrtel believes the start of a compacted six weeks of action is the ideal time to begin picking up momentum again."We have a lot of games around Christmas which is a very important period for us,'' he told liverpoolfc.tv.

"There are a lot of points to play for and we need to get as many wins as we can, starting with Villa."They are not an easy side to play against and you always get a difficult game."But we will be up for the fight and do everything we can to get the three points.''

Manchester City Vs Arsenal Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.

2011-12-18T03:19:00.000-08:00

Manchester City Vs Arsenal Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.

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What a difference a few weeks can make. The protracted transfer of Samir Nasri to Eastlands appeared a killer blow for an Arsenal side who had lost their captain to Barcelona, their best young talent to injury and - after the Carling Cup defeat to Birmingham at the end of February - their ability to win games on a regular basis.

• Choose your best Premier League XI of 2011.However, confidence lost has slowly been regained, the almighty lows of Old Trafford and Ewood Park seemingly banished from the psyche as the arduous climb back to the top four continues. They now sit fifth after winning seven of their last eight league matches, and having qualified for the knockout rounds of the Champions League as group winners.Manchester City, meanwhile, remain top of the table, but that may not be the case by the time they kick-off against the Gunners. Their first defeat of the season that arrived at Chelsea on Monday has cut back their advantage and, coming so soon after the Champions League exit, there is no mistaking the fact that their mettle is facing a serious test.

"Monday has made us feel more hungry," captain Vincent Kompany said this week. "We want Sunday to come as quickly as possible and to play football again. That is the kind of team we are. Arsenal are a great team, but we can beat great teams. On Sunday, we are looking to do what they have done. They have picked themselves up after a difficult month. The way they have done that is absolutely incredible."They should at least avoid the additional complication of a defensive crisis. Gael Clichy will not face his former club after his dismissal at Stamford Bridge and Aleksandar Kolarov is absent through injury, but the expected recovery of Micah Richards will enable Roberto Mancini to field an established back-four.

Arsenal's own back four is likely to be made up of four centre-backs, as it was at Everton, and - though Thomas Vermaelen has shown himself to be comfortable at left back - it will only make life more difficult against a side boasting the most prolific attack in the country. Even so, Wojciech Szczesny remains confident. "It is probably the toughest game of the season but people were saying that last year and we won 3-0," he told Arsenal Player. "We hope to repeat the performance and hopefully the result as well."

Manchester City player to watch: Yaya Toure. The Ivory Coast international was far from his inspirational best in the defeat at Chelsea and, after his ill-disciplined prods at Juan Mata went unpunished, is fortunate to be available for this game. Even so, he remains one of the first names on Roberto Mancini's teamsheet for any game of significance and his importance to the club was highlighted this week by the fact his departure to the African Nations Cup next month has been delayed. A former Arsenal trialist, his powerful attacking forays could cause serious problems for the Gunners.

Arsenal player to watch: Alex Song. Like Yaya Toure, Song's billing as a defensive midfielder is starting to pale in respect of the regularity of his attacking contributions. His assist for Robin van Persie in the Champions League game at home to Borussia Dortmund was stunningly conjured from nothing, and Arsene Wenger was quick to ensure Song received due credit for his part in the Dutchman's glorious winner against Everton. Questions remain over his ability to maintain positional discipline, but these forward forays have undoubtedly reaped benefits.

Key Battle: Vincent Kompany v Robin van Persie. Against Everton as so often this season, Van Persie made the difference for Arsenal. He will be looking to add to his superb tally of 18 goals in the last 16 away games in the league, and City will be reliant on their captain to marshal his threat.Trivia: Joe Mercer, the last manager to take the league title to Manchester City in 1968, was one of Arsenal's greatest captains after joining the club in 1946.Stats: There were three red cards shown in the two Premier League meetings between the sides last season.Odds: Manchester City (1.70), Arsenal (5.00) and the draw (3.75) are on offer with bet365 while Robin van Persie is available at 6.50 as first goal-scorer.Prediction: While Arsenal could be considered the form team, the quality of City's squad and their home advantage make them definite favourites to claim the win.

Queens Park Rangers(QPR) Vs Manchester United Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.

2011-12-18T03:14:00.000-08:00

Queens Park Rangers(QPR) Vs Manchester United Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.

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QPR manager Neil Warnock admits he could only dream of facing Manchester United when he took the helm at Loftus Road less than two years ago.The 63-year-old became the west Londoners' fifth manager of the 2009/10 season when he moved from Crystal Palace in March last year.Warnock has been a stabilising force at QPR after 12 different managers in a four-year spell, leading them to the npower Championship crown in his first full season in charge.The Rs have impressed since promotion to the Barclays Premier League and welcome Manchester United to W12 on Sunday, which excites Warnock immensely.

"We have dreamt of it since I came to the club,'' he said. "It has only been a dream up until now."The younger fans have not seen anything like it and I always imagine how I used to feel walking to the ground."They will be thinking of Rooney, Giggs and Ferdinand."It is a fabulous feeling walking to the ground [thinking of those type of players] with your dad and granddad with you."That is what we wanted. We wanted QPR fans to see the top players."I just think playing Man United have that little bit of magic.

"I know we've played Man City and we've played Chelsea, but I think Manchester United just has that something else."The glitz factor really and it whets the appetite.''QPR will be without key centre-back Anton Ferdinand for tomorrow's match due to a hamstring injury picked up at Liverpool last weekend.The Hoops, though, are boosted by the return of Fitz Hall, Matthew Connolly and DJ Campbell, with Warnock promising to go for victory."We'll have a go,'' he said. "There is no way we are trying to get a point with our fans when we have waited 16 years or whatever it is.

"I want them going home knowing we've given everything whatever the result, but it would be nice to get something."I saw highlights of Basel [in the Champions League] and they did attack them, which was surprising because you don't see that against Manchester United, especially at Old Trafford."But I think teams are changing and having a go, I think that's from Blackpool."If you go defensive you're going to get beaten anyway.''Manchester United intend to shake Manchester City out of their Premier League comfort zone by snatching top spot with victory at Loftus Road.

City have been settled in top spot ever since their neighbours dropped their second lot of points of the season, at Liverpool in mid-October.A week later came that trouncing at Old Trafford that Blues supporters will never forget, since when it has appeared Roberto Mancini's men would run away with the biggest prize.Yet United have kept plugging away and City's defeat at Chelsea on Monday meant they had closed the gap to two points.It means Sir Alex Ferguson's men, who kick off at Loftus Road four hours earlier than City's confrontation with Arsenal, can exert maximum pressure by beating Neil Warnock's side.

"It would be a good psychological boost to get back to top spot,'' said defender Chris Smalling."City have maybe got a little comfy in terms of being on top."We can put a lot of pressure on them because they play a couple of hours later."And if we can get that top spot back we will be hard to knock off because we're only going to get stronger as the season goes on.''In any normal season, now would be the time for United to hit the accelerator.With matches piling up, Ferguson's side have tended to get themselves into a groove that has allowed them to gather points at rapid speed.Yet this campaign has been anything but usual.

The memory of those eight goals against Arsenal has been swamped by the stunning setbacks of conceding six to Manchester City and then failing to beat any of their Champions League group opponents, other than hapless Romanians Otelul Galati, culminating in that jaw-dropping defeat in Basle when only a draw was required."It helps that we play every two or three days even though we have had a couple of disappointments in that situation this season,'' said Smalling."But we've just got to keep going. When we get wins in the league, like we did against Wolves in our last match, we have to kick on again.

"If we keep getting those wins, the table quickly looks a lot rosier.''United supporters would have more confidence in their team had it not been for a huge injury list, which now has Darren Fletcher amongst the long-term absentees, in addition to skipper Nemanja Vidic.Queens Park Rangers(QPR) Vs Manchester United Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.Queens Park Rangers(QPR) Vs Manchester United Live Streaming Barclays Premier League EPL Online HD TV Channels Broadcast 2011.

Santos FC Vs Barcelona Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup Championship(FCWCC) Online HD TV Channels Broadcast December 18,2011.

2011-12-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

Santos FC Vs Barcelona Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup Championship(FCWCC) Online HD TV Channels Broadcast December 18,2011.

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Barcelona are determined to win the Santos FC Vs Barcelona FIFA Club World Cup for injured striker David Villa.Santos FC Vs Barcelona The Spain forward broke the shinbone in his left leg in their 4-0 semi-final victory over Al-Sadd, ruling him out for up to five months.Barcelona hit by Villa leg break blow.The 30-year-old has returned to Catalonia for surgery and Cesc Fabregas revealed his team-mates are desperate to win Sunday's final against Santos in Yokohama Santos FC Vs Barcelona to help boost his spirits.

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"We want to dedicate the World Club Cup to Tito Vilanova and Villa,'' the midfielder said.Assistant coach Vilanova had an operation on his parotid gland last month.Barcelona confirmed on their official website they have been given the all-clear by FIFA for their players to wear t-shirts supporting Villa.The Catalans are in the middle of a season in which Real Madrid currently have the edge in the Primera Division title race, but Fabregas claims the chance to be crowned the best club side in the world is one they do not want to pass up.

"This final is especially exciting because you never know when we'll be able to play it again,'' he said."We want to wear the badge that identifies the champions of the world for a whole season.''Barcelona will start as favourites against Brazilian side Santos, but coach Pep Guardiola is aware of how important it will be to keep 19-year-old forward Neymar quiet.Santos FC Vs Barcelona The Brazil international, who has attracted the interest of big-name clubs across Europe, scored a fantastic individual goal in his side's 3-1 semi-final win over Kashiwa Reysol of Japan."On the counter-attack they (Santos) are like Madrid. They're a very dangerous team,'' Guardiola said. "Santos are a great team, they win every 50:50 ball. They remind me of the 1992 Sao Paulo team (which beat Johan Cruyff's Barcelona side including Guardiola 2-1 to win the Intercontinental Cup)"We'll try and stop Neymar touching the ball, and you have to do that by controlling the game. We'll try and disconnect him from the game.''

Fabregas added: "If we have the ball, Neymar won't be in it.''The player himself, though, is determined to help his side write their name in the history books."It's the most important match not only for me but the whole team. It's a match that can help us leave our mark."I'm very calm. Of course we are up against a great team. But for me the most important thing is to play football, tomorrow will be just another game for me."We will playing against the best team in the world and that is a dream."My goal is to win the title. No matter who scores, we want to make Santos champions.''Barcelona have doubts over the fitness of winger Alexis Sanchez, who replaced Villa in the first half against Al-Sadd only to go off himself late in the game.

Santos FC Vs Barcelona Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup Championship(FCWCC) Online HD TV Channels Broadcast December 18,2011.Santos FC Vs Barcelona Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup Championship(FCWCC) Online HD TV Channels Broadcast December 18,2011.Santos FC Vs Barcelona Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup Championship(FCWCC) Online HD TV Channels Broadcast December 18,2011.

Al-Sadd Vs Barcelona Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup Championship Online HD TV Channels Broadcast December 15,2011.

2011-12-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

Al-Sadd Vs Barcelona Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup Championship Online HD TV Channels Broadcast December 15,2011.Justin Tv.

Preview : Match Kick Off time and Details.
Where: International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan
When: Thursday, December 15th at 5:30 a.m. EST

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Watch Al-Sadd vs Barcelona 15.12.2011 live , highlights , streaming all goals of the match in SOCCER International,Club World Cup.Watch Al-Sadd vs Barcelona 15.12.2011 live , highlights , streaming all goals of the match in SOCCER International,Club World Cup.Al-Sadd vs Barcelona is the game from SOCCER International,Club World Cup, get Al-Sadd vs Barcelona video highlights goals , stand out more are available. this blog will Al-Sadd vs Barcelona live links are available for free here. So bookmark this page and return shortly before the time of kickoff.

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Watch live streaming : Ustream ,Freedocast.com, Justin.tv etc,Watch Highlights : Youtube , Dailymotion , Goal4replay.We do not host any video stream on this server. Each stream can be found on our site are open places on the Internet at sites such Freedocast.com, Justin.tv, Ustream.tv. etc. The information on this site is not our property. In this case, we can not take responsibility for what you do with this information and may be extended with the consent of the original authors. We are not affiliated or associated with owners of other sites or streams on our site.

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Barcelona vs Al Sadd Live stream Online World Cup for clubs 15-12-2011.Barcelona vs Al Sadd Live Online.Barcelona Al Sadd Live FIFA Club World Cup.Barcelona Al Sadd.Meet today, Barsa Sadd in the semi-final of FIFA Club World Cup 2012 match held at exactly ten o'clock GMT.Yokohama International Stadium on April.Barcelona Al Sadd Live Online.

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Meet today, the Catalans giant Bursa against his dam in the semi-final of FIFA Club World Cup on the Stadium Yokohama International (April) at ten o'clock in the GMT will quote you the game very high quality on Al Jazeera Sports Channel as we put all the ducts for the match and the most important news game and goals after the game and go directly to you now to the International Stadium Yokohama to convey to you the game and the most important to you and the latest news and match Barcelona Sadd

Witnessed a training session last team ball club Al Sadd in preparation for the match Barcelona which will take place in the one and a half back tomorrow, local time in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup media coverage standard is unprecedented for the country team, and that by the Asian media, European and global next several sports channels of the continent of South America in addition to national media coverage accompanying the mission Alsdowah.

And continued the mission Alsdowah what happened in the Yokohama Stadium in April, which will be held tomorrow's game between the dam and Barcelona in terms of arrangements and facilities, especially in the installation of multiple teams logos in all entrances and exits of the stadium next to the most prominent players of the dam and Barça.Barcelona are set to fly to the Far East to face Al-Sadd in the semifinal round of the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday. The Blaugrana are back to playing the beautiful game as they always have, with a dominant win over La Liga rival Real Madrid on Saturday serving as the latest example.
Qatari club Al-Sadd, on the other hand, are due for a rude awakening after defeating Tunisian side Esperance in Toyota, Japan on Sunday.

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Santos vs Kashiwa Reysol Live Streaming Online Tv Direct HD FIFA Club World Cup 2011.

2011-12-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Santos vs Kashiwa Reysol Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup 2011.

Preview:
Santos vs Kashiwa Reysol
Fifa Club World Cup 2011:
Date: Wednesday 14 December 2011 Time: 19.30 (local time)
Venue: Toyota Stadium,

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Kashiwa Reysol is playing some of the best football in Asia at the moment and they have made history by winning the Japanese first division called J league by getting promotion and winning the league in their first season while they manged to see off Auckland City and Monterrey to get into the semifinals of the Fifa Club World Cup and it will be interesting to see how this match goes about.

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While Brazilian side Santos qualified for the Fifa Club WOrld Cup by winning the Copa Libertadores and they are alread in the Semifinals. They have one of the hottest properties in the world football right now and people from around the world want to see what Naymar is made off and it will be interesting to see how this match goes about.

Predictions: Brazilian Side should go out ther and win this match, but looking at the recent performences of the Kashiwa Reysol, it wont be easy and Santos will have to play good football to make it to the final where they might face FC Barcelona.Watch Live Stream Kashiwa Reysol vs Santos 14.12.2011 Live Tv On SOCCER International,Club World Cup live match and highlights video all goals.Watch Live Stream Kashiwa Reysol vs Santos 14.12.2011 Live Tv On SOCCER International,Club World Cup live match and highlights video all goals

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All eyes on Neymar in Club World Cup semifinal TOI 21 hrs ago.Santos make their highly anticipated entry into the Club World Cup on Wednesday when they face plucky Japanese champions Kashiwa Reysol, but all the focus is on one man: Neymar.

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FIFA Club World Cup Monterrey Vs Esperance ST Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup 2011.

2011-12-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

FIFA Club World Cup Monterrey Vs Esperance ST Live Streaming FIFA Club World Cup 2011.

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Chelsea FC vs Manchester City Live Streaming Football Epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online Internet Soapcast Soccer Tv Mon, Dec 12, 2011.

2011-12-12T03:49:00.000-08:00

Chelsea FC vs Manchester City Live Streaming Football Epl Barclays Premier League Broadcast Online Internet Soapcast Soccer Tv Mon, Dec 12, 2011.

Match Information:
"I just think the reaction has been over the top. There's only one team in the country at the moment, and that's Man City. I hope they qualify, sincerely, but the attitude has been 'If they qualify they qualify and if they don't they don't'. That's not the same as with us.

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I will never criticise your editorial choices, but it's the reality."When Andre Villas-Boas launched into his attack on the media in the aftermath of Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Valencia and subsequent progression to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, he did not merely request that the press refrain from criticising his team but also questioned why they had not applied equal criticism to Manchester City.

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The explanation, of course, owes to the fact that Manchester City are top of the Premier League table, unbeaten, with a goal difference of +35, and have struggled only in the Champions League - struggles mitigated by the fact they were drawn into a group of death in their debut season in the competition.However, with City's demotion to the Europa League on Wednesday, Villas-Boas has planted a seed of doubt ahead of Monday's meeting at Stamford Bridge as to whether Roberto Mancini's men might in fact be failing to meet expectations.

This is still a team in transition - inevitable after the years of reliance on so strong and established a spine of players - and it remains to be seen whether Roman Abramovich has now discovered the patience to resist his itchy trigger finger. The suspicion is that he will give Villas-Boas, who was so expensive an acquisition, the time to see through the mission so long as it remains feasible to do so, and the signs of recovery are now clearly in evidence. Even so, it is important the momentum is maintained. The Blues have won three of their last four games 3-0, but all could be considered flattering to various degrees and, while the results ease the pressure and offer them room to find their very best form, finding it is a must if they are to deliver against the league leaders.

City look to have shaken off a dip in form of their own - in November, they laboured to victory over QPR, lost to Napoli and were fortunate to take a 1-1 draw with Liverpool - and, though they are no longer in the Champions League, they seem to be the season's standard-bearers in the Premier League. This is a real test for Chelsea, and a chance to banish the negative headlines for some time to come: by putting pressure on his opponents while simultaneously fostering a siege mentality, Villas-Boas is doing all he can to find an advantage.

Chelsea player to watch: Daniel Sturridge. Didier Drogba showed signs he was back to his best in midweek, and if he can maintain that form then Chelsea's concerns should all but fade away, yet the livewire Sturridge may be the man to watch on Monday. At 22, his development looks to be slightly behind track as a result of limited first-team experience prior to his loan move to Bolton in January, and as a result he still looks wasteful and prone to bad decision-making. Even so, this is a forward bursting with natural ability and the desire to win matches and, against his former club, it would be foolish to dismiss his potential impact.

Manchester City player to watch: Mario Balotelli. Though still endlessly making headlines, Balotelli has this season found that good form on the field significantly lessens the impact of the bad publicity. With seven goals in his last nine league games, and having been rested for all but the final nine minutes of Wednesday's victory over Bayern Munich, Roberto Mancini is likely to rely on his fellow Italian to lead the charge.

Key Battle: Juan Mata v David Silva. These former Valencia stars have adapted superbly well to life in the Premier League and may even be considered the key men for their respective clubs. With Mata having contributed seven assists in his last nine league games and Silva leading the assist charts with eight for the season, their ability to supply the forwards will have a major effect on Monday night. Mata has already heaped misery on his former Valencia colleagues this week and will hope his friend at City suffers the same fate on Monday.Trivia: During Jose Mourinho's first season - when Andre Villas-Boas was part of the backroom team - Chelsea's only defeat came in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City. The scorer of that penalty on October 16, 2004, was Nicolas Anelka, then of City and now in exile at Chelsea.

Stats: Although Manchester City have scored 24 goals in their seven away games in the league this season, Chelsea can take heart from the fact City have scored in only one of their last nine games at Stamford Bridge.
Odds: Chelsea (2.40), Manchester City (2.75) and the draw (3.40) are on offer with bet365 while Mario Balotelli is available at 8.00 as first goal-scorer.Prediction: While Villas-Boas' men have not yet matched the standards of the Chelsea of old, there are encouraging signs that his new side are starting to find some cohesion. They are installed as favourites with bet365, but a draw is perhaps the more likely option.

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Victor Valdés Biography Barcelona Soccer Player Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-11-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Victor Valdés Biography Barcelona Soccer Player Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

Full Name: Victor Valdes
Squad No: 1
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 29
Birth Date: Jan 14, 1982
Birth Place: Barcelona, Spain
Height: 1.88m
Weight: 78 kg

Another Barcelona player to have come through the academy, Valdes is the most successful goalkeeper in the club's history, having won four La Liga titles, two Champions League titles, and one Copa del Rey.

Agile, commanding and so consistent, Valdes is a class act and although he is behind Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina in the Spanish goalkeeper ranks, would doubtless walk into the starting line-up of the vast majority of sides in the world.

He did not make his international debut until a friendly in June 2010, but is viewed as one of the best goalkeepers in world football and won the World Cup with Spain as their third-choice 'keeper in South Africa.

Strengths: Quick and able to get around his area well, Valdes has excellent reflexes and is cool under pressure.

Weaknesses: Some have criticised his decision making, as well as his consistency in the past.

Career high: Winning the Zamora Trophy for the best goalkeeper in Spain, he picked up six trophies in 2008-09.

Career low: Missing out on the World Cup in 2006, it took him until the age of 28 to get his first international callup.Style: Agile, commanding, a well respected goalkeeper.

Quotes: ''Since he was a child, he has always viewed each training as a chance to improve. His ability to push himself is something unique, and when someone works this way, he deserves to have things go well.'' Andres Iniesta on Valdes' commitment.

Trivia: He re-wrote the Barcelona record books after not conceding a goal for 466 minutes in 2007.

Ismael Cheik Tioté Biography Newcastle United Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-10-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Ismael Cheik Tioté Biography Newcastle United Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

Squad No: 24
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25
Birth Date: Jun 21, 1986
Birth Place: Côte d'Ivoire
Height: 1.75m
Weight: 76 kg

Chris Hughton feels new arrival Cheick Tiote will spice up the battle for midfield places even more after the Ivory Coast international’s signing was confirmed – and virtually overshadowed by the 6-0 win over Aston Villa.Tiote’s move is still subject to a work permit being granted later this week.

However, he has agreed terms and passed a medical with no problems whatsoever.A delighted Hughton said today: “He is a defensive midfielder and he can bring a lot to this club.“We have Alan Smith, who has been excellent in the last two games, but he is the only defensive midfielder here.

“We want real competition for places.“In this division you want to be strong across the middle, and Tote’s arrival gives us another option.”Tiote was a star for FC Twente last season as they romped to the title in Holland.Hughton added: “I have watched him play quite a few times.

“These deals are never done until they are done, but it has been going on for a little while.“We are delighted to have him.”It was a busy day for United as far as transfers were concerned, with Fraser Forster up in Glasgow for Celtic’s 4-0 win over St Mirren.The giant goalkeeper – who stands at 6ft 7in –was due to join the Paradise club on loan today and be reunited with former United coach Alan Thompson.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon confirmed the move, he said: “He is a big boy, and he has come highly recommended.“His age is the only thing going against him, because otherwise he has all the qualities you look for.”Forster said: “Once you get a taste of first-team football you want more of it.”

Meanwhile. Hughton won his first Premier League game officially as full-time boss against Aston Villa yesterday, with his only other top-flight win coming against West Brom last year on the day Joe Kinnear collapsed with heart problems.He reflected: “Everybody is happy, these games do not happen too often so when they do you have to enjoy them.

“The day could not have been better for us.“It was a clean sheet, a good defensive display – we limited them to minimal chances.“There was a difficult moment when they had the penalty.“I honestly thought, though, even if they had scored the penalty we could have gone on and won the game.

“The lads were desperate to do well.“These are the days as a manager you really enjoy.“We certainly could do that when the fourth goal went in.“It was a nice feeling, whereas a week ago at Old Trafford we lost.“That is the other side to the game.”

Danny Simpson Biography Newcastle United Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-10-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Danny Simpson Biography Newcastle United Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

Squad No: 5
Position: Defender
Age: 24
Birth Date: Jan 4, 1987
Birth Place: England
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 74 kg
About Danny Simpson
Danny Simpson, born on January 4, 1987, in Salford, England, played for Parkwyddn Juniors Football Club (J.F.C) in Eccles, in his youth. He had his first major breakthrough in 2005, when he was shortlisted for the reserve squad of Manchester United, one of the most popular English Football clubs in the world.

Danny Simpson was sent on loan to Royal Antwerp, a prominent second-division club in the Belgian Football Association, in January 2006, for the rest of the season, to gain experience. In July that year, Danny Simpson debuted for the Reds against Kaizer Chiefs, a South African Football club, which they defeated 1-0,

Danny Simpson has also made two champion league appearances for the team. His European debut came in October 2007, as a substitute, in a match against Dynamo Kyiv, a Ukrainian football club.

He made his first appearance at the English Premier League in the same month in a match against Wigan Athletic, a popular football club in Great Manchester. Though he came in as a substitute, he set up the Manchester’s fourth goal in its 4-0 win.

He made it to the starting eleven for the first time at the European level against Dynamo Kyiv in November that year.

Danny Simpson went on to make his town debut against Scunthorpe United, an English football team at the Coca-Cola Championship, in March 2008. The same month, he was signed by Ipswich Town Football Club on loan for the remainder of the season. Manchester United, the team has extended their contract with Danny Simpson until the end of 2010. He has been secured by Blackburn Rovers, another English Premier League football club for the 2008-09 season.

Fabricio Coloccini Biography Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-10-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Fabricio Coloccini Newcastle United Biography Newcastle United Current News Profile Girl Friend Wife Children Movies Relationships Twitter Imdb Family Facebook Myspace Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.Newcastle United.

Fabricio Coloccini (born 22 January 1982) is an Argentine football defender who plays for Newcastle United and the Argentina National Side. In his club career,

he has previously represented Boca Juniors, AC Milan and Deportivo La Coruña, among others.

Known for his physical approach to the game, Coloccini also holds an Italian passport due to his ancestry.
Fabricio Coloccini is the Argentina national football players

Name : Fabricio Coloccini
Date of Birth : 22/01/1982
Place Of Birth : Cordoba (Argentina)

Nationality : Argentina
Position : Defender Centre (DC)
Feet : Right Foot

Height : 183 cm
Weight : 78 kg

History :
01/07/1998 joined club Boca Juniors
01/03/2000 joined club Milan
23/02/2005 joined club RC Deportivo – Transfer Fee $ 5 M
01/07/2008 joined club Newcastle United – Transfer Fee $ 11.5 M

Birmingham Vs Leicester City Live Streaming English League Championship.

2011-10-16T00:08:00.001-07:00

Birmingham Vs Leicester City Live Streaming English League Championship.

Preview:
Birmingham welcome back captain Stephen Carr for Sunday`s visit of Leicester.

The veteran right-back missed the club`s Europa League and Championship victories against NK Maribor and Nottingham Forest prior to the international break due to a knee injury.

Jonathan Spector is also expected to be okay having been forced off early on against Forest with an ankle injury.

However, centre-back Curtis Davies, who has also missed the last two games with knee problems, is not ready to return for another couple of weeks.

Promising young midfielder Jordon Mutch is targeting a mid-November return from the broken ankle he sustained in August.

Meanwhile, eight-goal leading scorer Chris Wood will be pushing to regain his starting berth as he kicks off the latest spell of his loan from West Brom having seen his previous deal expire following his brace against Forest.

Leicester have several key players nearing a return from injury.

Richie Wellens and Michael Johnson resumed full training this week, while boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is hopeful that fellow midfielder Andy King and striker Jermaine Beckford will be available.

Wellens (groin), Johnson (shoulder) and Beckford (groin) all missed the 4-0 home victory over Derby prior to the international break and King withdrew from the Wales squad last week after sustaining a back injury against the Rams.

However, Paul Gallagher is unlikely to feature this weekend despite the forward making good progress after more than a month out with an ankle injury.

Defenders Sean St Ledger (Republic of Ireland) and John Pantsil (Ghana) and midfielders Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland) and Yuki Abe (Japan) are expected to return from international duty unscathed.

Leicester go into the game on a seven-match unbeaten league run and having kept four consecutive clean sheets.

Fan’s preview: San Diego State vs. TCU

2011-10-11T22:25:00.003-07:00

Fan’s preview: San Diego State vs. TCU
San Diego State football will look to build upon its hot start and establish itself in the Mountain West in its Week 6 matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs. For the Aztecs, this is their first conference game and one of the most important ones.

Up until their overtime loss last week against SMU, TCU had been ranked for the first four weeks of the season and was considered one of the top teams in the nation.

San Diego State is coming off a bye week after its disappointing loss at Michigan. The loss was San Diego State's first and only loss on the season. San Diego State is 3-1 on the season while TCU is 3-2. Aztecs fans identify this as a pivotal game in the season. San Diego State will look to rebound from its loss to Michigan with a big win for the football program. Coming off a week of rest in front of its home crowd, San Diego State should look to jump on TCU early.

The Aztecs will have added inspiration in their homecoming game, which is honoring Aztec alumnus Marshall Faulk.

TCU has been solid on offense, but has struggled to stop opponents from scoring points on defense this season. TCU has given up 27.8 points per game, and the Aztecs should look to capitalize early and get the home crowd behind them. The matchup presents a winnable game for San Diego State. A win here would provide the program recognition on the national stage against a quality opponent and also put the Aztecs in a strong position for a bowl game. TCU was expected by many to place highly within the Mountain West Conference, and an upset win by San Diego State would place it in great position for a bowl bid.

A key to the game for San Diego State will be to find success in the passing game. Fans should look for the Aztecs to jump out to a lead early and play strong throughout on offense behind Ronnie Hillman, Ryan Lindley and Colin Lockett. The defense has been successful so far in protecting leads and just needs the offense to put it in that position once again.

Prediction: San Diego State 38, TCU 34
Living nearby to San Diego State and being a fan of the team is exciting at a time when the Aztecs are coming off a very successful season, ending with a win in the Poinsettia Bowl. Seeing the community rally around the success of the team was evident last year, and hopefully the team can build upon that this season.

Continuing NBA lockout gives Bologna Bryant hope

2011-10-11T22:25:00.001-07:00

Continuing NBA lockout gives Bologna Bryant hope
Virtus Bologna president Claudio Sabatini revealed his delight at the ongoing NBA lockout on Tuesday, as his hopes of signing the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant were kept alive.

NBA Commissioner David Stern has cancelled the first two weeks of the NBA season with the threat of more to follow as talks to end the dispute over pay and the salary cap structure remain deadlocked.

However, Sabatini believes that the NBA's loss can be Bologna's gain.

"We are delighted that they have not yet reached an agreement," Sabatini said.

"Stern's dissatisfaction was the source of great joy for us."

Sabatini said that two offers had been made by Bologna to Bryant, with one to make a one-off appearance and the other for a longer-term deal.

The latter would involve a 30-day contract covering ten matches for a fee of 2.4 million euros ($3.3m).

MLB Playoffs: Cards Force Game 5 in NLDS

2011-10-11T22:24:00.001-07:00

MLB Playoffs: Cards Force Game 5 in NLDS
This is exactly why the St. Louis Cardinals made the playoffs in the first place.

Because they come through with runs when they need 'em.

They needed 'em on Wednesday, to force a Game 5 in the National League Division Series against Philadelphia, and David Freese(notes) provided the firepower, turning in four RBIs, including a two-run shot off Phillies' starter Roy Oswalt(notes) in the sixth inning.

Freese's big hits, which included a two-run double in the fourth, helped lift the Cards past Philly and into Game 5, which is set for Friday, October 7 at 8:37 p.m. Eastern time in Philadelphia.

Lance Berkman's(notes) run-scoring double in the first inning accounted for the rest of the St. Louis runs, getting the Cards within one after the Phillies had tallied two runs in the top half.

It's virtually impossible to ever count these Cardinals out this season, it seems, and so I wasn't the least bit surprised with what they did on Wednesday, even though they did it against Oswalt.

After all, this is a St. Louis team that, facing an 8 1/2-game deficit to Atlanta in the Wild Card race in early September, rattled off 18 wins in the month, including victories in eight of their final 11 regular-season games to reach the playoffs.

The biggest of those was an 8-0 victory over the Houston Astros that clinched the playoff spot for St. Louis. It was, without a doubt, a big-time performance in a pressure situation.

And faced with a similar scenario in Game 4 on Tuesday, the Cards came through yet again.

Phillies Cardinals Boxscore

Tottenham Hotspur Vs Shamrock Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:47:00.001-07:00

Tottenham Hotspur Vs Shamrock Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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Preview:
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has conceded the highly-anticipated derby with Arsenal this weekend has distracted his focus slightly from Thursday's Europa League Group A match against Shamrock Rovers.

Last year`s meeting between the two at White Hart Lane ended in a 3-3 draw, and talk has been building about the latest chapter of the rivalry.

Before that, though, Spurs have to deal with Shamrock. The Dublin-based team became the first Irish club to qualify for the main stages of a European competition earlier this summer when they upset the odds to beat Partizan Belgrade.

Rovers, who count former Spurs player Rohan Ricketts among their ranks, were given a swift reminder of the tough nature of European competition two weeks ago when they lost 3-0 at home to Rubin Kazan.

Redknapp, whose team opened their Europa League campaign with a 0-0 draw at PAOK Salonika, intends to rest the majority of his first team on Thursday, but insists Spurs will not be taking the match lightly.

He said: "I have got two eyes on the derby. I'm not putting my first team out on Thursday but it'll be a team with some good, experienced players that will contain probably seven or eight full internationals.

"Players like Gareth Bale and Adebayor will not play. I can't afford to miss them for the weekend.

"It's a game we're entitled to win. But they will rise to the big occasion. They're a good side and have done well.

"(Assistant manager) Joe Jordan went to watch them and was impressed. They went to Belgrade and won.''

Shamrock manager Michael O'Neill is expecting a difficult challenge against Tottenham - regardless of what team the London club name.

Despite the likelihood of Shamrock facing some of Tottenham's squad players, O'Neill believes they will still be underdogs come kick-off.

He said: "We saw in the opening Europa League game some of their younger players being blooded and they gave an excellent account of themselves.

"Whilst we are unsure of what we will face personnel-wise, there will probably be a sprinkling of experienced players mixed with some of the younger players they have here.

"Tottenham are building a Champions League squad here, that is what it is. When you have that level of ambition and that level of commitment you have to have a player of that calibre.''

end

Odense BK Vs Fulham Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:46:00.001-07:00

Odense BK Vs Fulham Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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Preview:
Odense BK coach Henrik Clausen does not believe Fulham's indifferent Premier League form will hamper them in Thursday's Europa League tie.

The Cottagers have endured a frustrating start to the season and have yet to secure a top-flight victory since Martin Jol's appointment in the summer.

While the west Londoners are on an eight-game winless streak in all competitions, Clausen expects a tough match in Denmark.

"You can always ask whether they lack confidence or not,'' he told Press Association Sport.

"Looking at the latest results from Fulham they have not won but they have not lost for like a month.

"I think that is something that normally gains stability and makes a good platform for making confidence so I am not sure they are without confidence.

"I think we are more focused on ourselves.

"We may lack a little bit of confidence, especially after recent performances, but we have to go again and this is another game for us.

"We can play without being the favourite and that could be a bonus for us.''

Odense boast a host of Premier League experience in their squad, including former Wigan midfielder Andreas Johansson, ex-Everton goalkeeper Stefan Wessels and Bernard Mendy, who had spells with Bolton and Hull.

The Danish side could also field former Manchester United and Aston Villa midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba at the Odense Stadion.

The Cameroon international has become a figure of fun in England but Clausen warns he has the class to hurt Fulham.

"I think, looking back over the three and a half years he has been here, he has been one of the best players for Odense,'' he said.

"He has had his ups and downs, some injuries and maybe some periods with not so good performances, but overall when the time comes and you look back he is one of the best players in the Superliga.''

Fulham manager Jol admits the Cottagers must begin turning draws into victories, starting with tomorrow's match.

Jol admits the run is frustrating and is hoping for a change of fortune.

"I think we will turn a corner somewhere,'' he said. "A draw is not a defeat.

"If we had four or five defeats it would have been a disaster.

"We weren't good enough in the final third of the pitch [against West Brom] but we still had seven or eight chances so that gives us a little bit of spirit coming back.

"It's a very thin line. Aston Villa have had five draws and one win and they've got a good position in the league.

"We should have beaten them at home, and even Blackburn.

"We had all draws, five on the trot I think, but we should have won even three of them.''

Stade Rennes Vs Atlético Madrid Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Stade Rennes Vs Atlético Madrid Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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Preview:
Atletico Madrid striker Adrian Lopez is confident his team will bounce back from last weekend's heavy league defeat at Barcelona when they take on Rennes on Thursday night.

The Spaniards lost 5-0 at the Nou Camp to concede their second loss of the campaign.

Atletico are aware they will have to show a vast improvement if they are to end Rennes' five-game winning home streak in Europe and record their second successive triumph in Europa League Group I.

"We have already put Saturday's defeat behind us,'' said Lopez, who came off the bench in his team's 2-0 triumph over Celtic in their group opener.

"Barca were the better side and made their most of their chances.

"But we have been working hard to focus on Thursday's game and try to avoid making the same mistakes we did against Barca.

"It's going to be a delicate game at Rennes as we are playing on the road and we know that each rival poses a different challenge.

"Rennes is a physical side and we have to play our game from the first minute to the last and try to bring home three points.''

Atletico coach Gregoria Manzano has opted to rest several players with a view on the weekend game against Sevilla, leaving captain Antonio Lopez, Joel, Silvio and Koke back home in Madrid.

Rivals Rennes go into the encounter at the Route de Lorient stadium on the back of Sunday's 1-1 home draw to St Etienne.

The result left Frederic Antonetti's side in fifth place in Ligue 1, two points behind the leaders.

"My team is finding it difficult to play every three days,'' said Antonetti. "We didn't impose our game against St Etienne and we paid the price.

"Now we must turn the page and focus on another difficult game against Atletico.''

Rennes, who lost 2-1 at Udinese in their opening group match, are unbeaten in seven European home games.

The hosts will be without Ghanaian midfielder John Boye, who sustained a muscular injury at the weekend.

"This is a setback for us as John will be sidelined for at least three weeks,'' Antonetti said.

end

Celtic Vs Udinese Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Celtic Vs Udinese Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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Preview:
Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin hit back at critics who claim he is disrespecting Celtic and the Europa League by bringing a second-string squad to Glasgow for Thursday night's Group I encounter at Parkhead.

The Italian club arrived at Celtic Park for training on Wednesday night without a recognised first-team striker with Guidolin claiming he left Italy international Antonio Di Natale behind because he is "tired", while Paulo Barreto and Antonio Floro Flores are both reportedly injured.

Indications were that 21-year-old attacking midfielder Diego Fabbrini is set to back up Almen Abdi, a midfielder who will be asked to play the lone-striker's role.

The only attacker who travelled is 17-year-old Davide Marsura who will start on the bench while Christian Battocchio, 19, and Mattia Bedin, 17, could start in a youthful five-man midfield.

Guidolin revealed he had holidayed in the Highlands four months ago to get "away from the hustle and bustle'' of life.

However, he looked less than relaxed when questioned about his inexperienced squad by the Italian and Scottish media at the pre-match press conference at Parkhead and bristled in reply.

"My choices are logical,'' he said. "If anyone doesn't like it then tough.

"It is a question of necessity. I just don't have any other attackers available.

"I would have brought everyone along but many of the squad are very tired.

"It is a problem for us but it would have been a problem if Di Natale had travelled. He would have only played some of the game.

"What the people in Italy are saying isn't really important, the choice of players I have brought has been well thought out, it wasn't a decision I reached quickly.

"Di Natale has played four games in 15 days and if he were here I couldn't expect great things from him.

"These are choices that have been forced upon me.

"If we were playing Atletico Madrid or Rennes on Thursday I would have made the same decision but two weeks from now, who knows?

"But let me make it clear to the Scottish journalists, there is absolutely no way that I am turning my nose up at the Europa League or underestimating Celtic, absolutely not.

"This is the probably the toughest group in the competition.''

Guidolin's opposite number Neil Lennon played down significance of the Italian club arriving in Glasgow without a recognised first-team striker.

"If it benefits us then I'm pleased about it but we will wait and see,'' said the Celtic boss.

"Di Natale is a quality player and has been in great form for the last 18 months, two years.

"If he is not there then I am sure they have adequate cover.

"I don't think it is disrespect. People have brought that up but I don't think so, their coach will do what he feels is best for their team.''

Braga Vs Club Brugge Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Braga Vs Club Brugge Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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Braga coach Leonardo Jardim is eyeing an important win against Club Brugge on Thursday night that would see his side pull clear of the summit of Europa League Group H.

The Portuguese side, Europa League runners-up to domestic rivals Porto last season, got the group phase off to a strong start with a 3-1 win at Birmingham on matchday one, and are now looking to build on that with three points against a team he views as his side's chief rivals.

Brugge also opened their account with a victory - 2-0 over Maribor - and Jardim is eager to open up some daylight at the head of the standings by stifling the visitors' attacking instincts.

"It's a team that has a type of game similar to the Dutch,'' said Jardim.

"They have a lot of support with many players participating in offensive actions, and we must counter this by imposing heavy pressure and the Braga style of play.''

The win over Birmingham was Braga's best ever win on the road in UEFA competition, but it is at home that they traditionally thrive, with an unbeaten European record at the Estadio Municipal stretching back seven games.

Brugge, conversely, are without a win in five on their travels and Braga's Brazilian striker Alan hopes those trends continue tomorrow night.

"I hope it stays that way,'' said Alan. "They lose away and we win at home. We will do everything to make it happen.

"They have to come here and feel the strength that we have at home.''

Braga come into the match in good form domestically, with their run of four wins and two draws at the start of the new Portuguese Liga campaign seeing them level on points with traditional heavyweights Porto and Benfica.

Brugge are also in fine fettle domestically, leading the standings after eight games, and their Spanish midfielder Victor Vazquez is expecting a close tussle on Thursday night.

"Braga will be an important test for the club,'' said Vazquez.

"The Portuguese league is better than the competition in Belgium, but Brugge is actually a bigger name than Braga!

"Our opponent has a very strong team, which combines physical strength with technical ability.

"We must not, however, be afraid. If we can move the ball well, we have a chance to take points.

"Braga played the final of the Europa League last season, but Club Brugge has also had its moments of glory in history. I think we can reconnect with these beautiful performances.''

end

Malmo FF Vs Austria Vienna Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:41:00.001-07:00

Malmo FF Vs Austria Vienna Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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Preview:
Austria Vienna assistant coach Sepp Michorl has completed a thorough assessment of Thursday's Europa League Group G opponents Malmo and believes his side have what it takes to claim victory.

Michorl was sent on a factfinding mission to Sweden to run the rule over Malmo last week and has reported back to head coach Karl Daxbacher with some detailed feedback.

Both sides had disappointing results in the first group fixtures, with AZ Alkmaar seeing off Malmo 4-1 and Vienna beaten 2-1 at home by Metalist Kharkiv.

"They (Malmo) go with a classic 4-4-2 system, they are tactically very disciplined and make few mistakes,'' Michorl told www.fk-austria.at.

"After losing possession, the team moves immediately behind the ball and presses.

"I would guess we are stronger defensively and maybe Malmo are a little better going forward but if we play to our potential then we have good chances to succeed in Sweden.''

Michorl has also picked out key men for the Swedes, with the wing duo of Jiloan Hamad and Jimmy Durmaz and striker Ranegie Mattias catching his eye.

"Both winger are very fast and strong when they go one on one, but sometimes they can forget their defensive duties.

"On good days the pair can create a lot of danger. Mattias only arrived in the middle of August from Hacken and has already taken four goals in six games. He can look a little awkward but that is his playing style and he shields the ball cleverly. he is always good for a goal.''

Malmo coach Richard Norling is eager to get a response from his side after their heavy defeat in Holland.

He knows home advantage and the lesser stature of Vienna mean a repeat of that scoreline is unlikely, but is expecting a tough workout.

"At this level, all teams are good, that much is clear to us,'' he said.

"While there is obviously a big difference between facing Alkmaar away and Austria Vienna at home, it is still a really good team that comes here.

"It is a team that wants to play football and there will be more passes through the midfield than we're used to on our home turf.

"They will come hard at us tomorrow.''

FC Metalist Kharkiv Vs AZ Alkmaar Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

FC Metalist Kharkiv Vs AZ Alkmaar Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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AZ Alkmaar winger Roy Beerens has credited coach Gertjan Verbeek for his new lease of life as the Eredivisie leaders prepare for Thursday's Europa League game at Metalist Kharkiv.

Beerens has impressed for his new club after his summer move from Heerenveen and believes Verbeek has played a key role in his revival.

The 23-year-old told Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant: "I'm revived at AZ. I feel liberated.

"His personal approach appeals to me. He says what I can and cannot do, or that I should try this or that.

"We talk specifically about my position and express our opinions to each other. That makes me better.

"He gets me, what's on the inside.

"I can play freely, on the wing or inside, so that I can create for my team-mates. I'm not in a fixed role and that's just fine.''

AZ have picked up 18 points from their seven games so far to sit two points clear at the summit of the Dutch top flight.

Verbeek's side also enjoyed an impressive start to their Europa League Group G campaign, beating Swedish side Malmo 4-1.

But Beerens is not getting carried away just yet, either with domestic or European matters.

"How long will we stay ahead? I do not know,'' he said. "The fact is that we can play football and that we always try to put on a good show.

"We are all very fit. We have a busy programme with lots of midweek matches in the Europa League, where we can do well too.

"But it is not realistic to say that we have already won the title. Let's first get through the winter. Crazy things can happen in football.''

Verbeek has included 18-year-old Fernando Lewis in his 20-man travelling squad, with Australia forward Brett Holman ill. Ragnar Klavan looks set to feature in place of Nick Viergever in defence.

AZ have not won in 12 away games in Europe but will aim to end that run when they face a Metalist side who have never beaten Dutch opposition.

Metalist also won their opening pool game - 2-1 at Austria Vienna on September 15 - but have not scored in their last two home games in European competition.

Lokomotiv Moscow Vs Anderlecht Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

2011-09-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Lokomotiv Moscow Vs Anderlecht Live Streaming UEFA Europa League 2011.

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Preview:
Lokomotiv Moscow coach Jose Couceiro says his side need to show no fear when they meet Europa League Group L pace setters Anderlecht at Lokomotiv Stadium on Thursday night.

The visiting Belgians made an excellent start to their campaign as a Matias Suarez hat-trick helped them to a 4-1 success over AEK Athens in their opener.

Lokomotiv were also victorious as they beat Sturm Graz 2-1, but Couceiro believes Anderlecht will provide a much sterner test, although he says his side can get a result if they believe in their own abilities.

He told the club website: "The only way you guarantee victory is for the players to have confidence in their abilities.

"We are not afraid to lose when we go on to the field, although I admit that Anderlecht are the favourites in our group.

"I think they are a really serious contender. They consistently challenge for the championship in Belgium, and have significant experience in the international arena, much more than we do.

"In addition they are a team who have long been managed by their current coach, I have worked in Moscow for just three months.

"But this does not mean that in the home match we will play for the draw.

"We always try to win, so it will be on Thursday.

"Every game starts 0-0. We will start the match with 11 players, the same as our rival.

"It is important to remain calm under pressure and I believe that much of tomorrow's match will be decided by the concentration of the players.''

Lokomotiv will be hoping to repeat their 5-1 victory from the last meeting between the two sides during the 2001/02 Champions League.

But they will need to keep a close eye on Suarez, who insists he feels stronger than ever after finally getting the chance to make an impact at the club with the likes of Romelu Lukaku having moved on.

"I feel better than last season,'' he told uefa.com.

"I have built up some muscle but, more importantly, have become stronger mentally.

"My relationship with the coach has also changed. Ariel Jacobs gives me a lot of confidence and also talks with me more. Our conversations are not too long but every week he asks how I am and how I feel. That shows he believes in me.''

end

Posada’s 2-run single gives Yankees AL East crown

2011-09-21T23:56:00.001-07:00

Posada’s 2-run single gives Yankees AL East crown
NEW YORK (AP)—A month past his 40th birthday, Jorge Posada(notes) walked up to home plate and found himself in a position so familiar, yet so different.

A starter no more, a champion still.

Posada came off the bench and helped the Yankees to yet another first-place finish, hitting a tiebreaking, two-run single in the eighth inning Wednesday night. The big hit propelled New York to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays by identical 4-2 scores in a day-night doubleheader, clinching the AL East title.

So filled with emotion was Posada, he was sure the game was over when his bases-loaded hit bounced into right field as pinch-runner Greg Golson(notes) came home from third.

“I thought it was the bottom of the ninth, to tell the truth,” Posada said. “Then I saw Tex (Mark Teixeira(notes)) scoring from second base, and I was like, `What’s going on?”’

For the Rays, it was a damaging day as they missed a chance to move up on Boston in the AL wild-card race. The Red Sox lost to Baltimore 6-4, but still extended their lead over Tampa Bay to 2 1/2 games. The Los Angeles Angels also are 2 1/2 games behind.

“We feel lucky,” manager Joe Maddon said. “We’re very fortunate that Baltimore has played as well as they have.”

Accomplishing most of their regular-season goals with a week to spare, the Yankees earned their 16th playoff berth in 17 seasons by winning the day game behind Robinson Cano’s(notes) tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth. Mariano Rivera(notes), a five-time World Series champion along with Posada and Derek Jeter(notes), closed out the opener for save No. 603, extending his own career record.

“You think about the two games we won today, with Mo closing the first one and Jorgy getting the big hit in the second one, it’s awesome,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

They didn’t bother celebrating after the opener—Yankees blase at its best — but vowed to let loose when they secured the division crown, their 12th in 16 years. They made good on that promise, donning goggles and spraying the bubbly in the clubhouse.

Of course, it was domestic—Mumm Napa Brut Prestige—and Lunetta Prosecco from Italy. At Yankee Stadium, the good French champagne is saved for World Series titles.

In the opener, Alex Rodriguez(notes) hit an RBI double in the first, but that was all the Yankees got off Jeff Shields (15-12) until the eighth. Desmond Jennings(notes) put the Rays ahead 2-1 with a two-run homer in the second inning off emergency starter Hector Noesi(notes).

Eduardo Nunez(notes) then hooked an 82 mph changeup into the first row of the left-field seats leading off the eighth. Brett Gardner(notes) singled with one out, Jeter walked, and that was it for Shields.

J.P. Howell(notes) relieved and fell behind 3-1, and Cano lined an opposite-field drive into the gap in left-center. In the dugout, Shields briefly put a towel over his head, unable to watch.

In the night game, CC Sabathia(notes) failed in his bid to reach 20 wins for the second time in his career. Wasting a 2-0 lead, he allowed solo homers to No. 9 hitter Kelly Shoppach(notes) in the fifth and Sean Rodriguez(notes) in the seventh, the latter clanking high off the left-field foul pole. That offset Cano’s second-inning homer and a run-scoring, double-play grounder by Jesus Montero(notes) in the fourth.

Tampa Bay had a chance when Jennings singled with one out in the eighth, B.J. Upton(notes) singled on a liner off Sabathia’s glove and Evan Longoria(notes), down 0-2 in the count, worked out an eight-pitch walk.

David Robertson(notes) (4-0) relieved, and Ben Zobrist(notes) grounded into a 4-6-3 double play on his first pitch. After returning from the birth of a child, Zobrist had struck out in his first four at-bats of the twinbill.

In the bottom half, pinch-hitter Nick Swisher(notes) doubled off Jake McGee(notes) (3-2) with one out, and Curtis Granderson(notes) flied out. Juan Cruz(notes) came in and walked Teixeira on four pitches, and Cesar Ramos(notes) fell behind Cano 3-1 before walking him intentionally to load the bases for Posada. , who pumped a fist as he ran up the first-base line after his hard hit off Brandon Gomes(notes).

Back in May, Posada had asked to be taken out of the lineup after he learned Girardi had dropped him to No. 9 in the batting order for a game against Boston. He returned the next day and apologized, and seemed to accept his role as a part-time designated hitter.

“It’s been a tough year, but I don’t look at the past, I look at the future. I look at the day by day. I keep looking forward,” Posada said. “We got something special going on here and, hopefully, we can continue this ride.”

Girardi also had Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on the bench, but he decided Posada was more used to pinch hitting at this stage.

“This is a guy who has been a great Yankee, has had a wonderful career and has had a lot of big hits in his time,” the manager said. “He’s found a way to enjoy this season, which I think was really important. The thing about this game, we all want to believe we can play it forever.”

When Yankees reliever Rafael Soriano(notes) struck out Matt Joyce(notes) to end it, New York players—in orderly fashion, of course—streamed to the mound to finally celebrate. They stayed out for about five minutes.

After failing to sign Cliff Lee(notes) last December and losing Andy Pettitte(notes) to retirement, the Yankees watched as many predicted the Red Sox would win the AL East. That motivated them through the long season.

“It’s not often that we’re considered the underdogs,” Girardi said. “But I understood.”

NOTES: Yankees scheduled starter Phil Hughes(notes) was scratched from the opener and had an injection of painkiller in his back. GM Brian Cashman anticipates Hughes will return to the mound next week during the final series of the regular season. … Luis Ayala(notes) (2-2), the seventh of eight Yankees pitchers, relieved with two on and two outs in the eighth of the opener and struck out his only two batters. … No team had clinched a playoff berth in a doubleheader opener since the 1999 Red Sox, who chose to wait until after the nightcap to celebrate. … The Yankees have never failed to finish first after opening a lead of at least 6 1/2 games.

Rugby World Cup Live Streaming Rugby-World Cup standings

2011-09-11T22:15:00.001-07:00

Rugby World Cup Live Streaming Rugby-World Cup standings
Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool standings following the first round of matches in New Zealand over the weekend.

Pool A

New Zealand 41 Tonga 10

France 47 Japan 21

Standings: P W D L PF PA BP* PTS

New Zealand 1 1 0 0 41 10 1 5

France 1 1 0 0 47 21 1 5

Japan 1 0 0 1 21 47 0 0

Tonga 1 0 0 1 10 41 0 0

Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Upcoming fixtures:

Whangarei, Sept. 14 - Tonga v Canada

Hamilton, Sept. 16 - New Zealand v Japan

- -

Pool B

Scotland 34 Romania 24

Argentina 9 England 13

Standings: P W D L PF PA BP PTS

Scotland 1 1 0 0 34 24 1 5

England 1 1 0 0 13 9 0 4

Argentina 1 0 0 1 9 13 1 1

Romania 1 0 0 1 24 34 0 0

Georgia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Upcoming fixtures:

Invercargill, Sept. 14 - Scotland v Georgia

Invercargill, Sept. 16 - Argentina v Romania

- -

Pool C

Australia 32 Italy 6

Ireland 22 U.S. 10

Standings: P W D L PF PA BP PTS

Australia 1 1 0 0 32 6 1 5

Ireland 1 1 0 0 22 10 0 4

U.S. 1 0 0 1 10 22 0 0

Italy 1 0 0 1 6 32 0 0

Russia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Upcoming fixtures:

New Plymouth, Sept. 15 - Russia v U.S.

Auckland, Sept. 17 - Australia v Ireland

- -

Pool D

Fiji 49 Namibia 25

South Africa 17 Wales 16

Standings: P W D L PF PA BP PTS

Fiji 1 1 0 0 49 25 1 5

South Africa 1 1 0 0 17 16 0 4

Wales 1 0 0 1 16 17 1 1

Namibia 1 0 0 1 25 49 0 0

Samoa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Upcoming fixtures:

Rotorua, Sept. 14 - Samoa v Namibia

Wellington, Sept. 17 - South Africa v Fiji

* Teams pick up a bonus point in victory or defeat if they score four tries or more. An additional bonus point is available if the losing team manages to avoid defeat by seven points or fewer. (Created by Alex Borthwick; Editing by John O'Brien)

New Orleans Saints Vs Green Bay Packers Live Streaming NFL schedule Broadcast NFL National Football Broadcast Coverage Telecast Online Feed Tv September 8,2011.

2011-09-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

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New Orleans Saints Vs Green Bay Packers Live Streaming NFL schedule Broadcast NFL National Football Broadcast Coverage Telecast Online Feed Tv September 8,2011.FOX, NBC, CBC Ticket Travel.

Saints-Packers Preview
An enormous banner not far from Lambeau Field features the last two Super Bowl MVPs -- Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.Not too long ago, it was far from certain that this glamorous matchup of the past two Super Bowl champions would take place.But a tumultuous offseason has finally given rise to this star-studded NFL season opener at Lambeau, with Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers taking on Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.

"It's great to be able to celebrate the return of football. It was a rough offseason with the lockout," Rodgers said. "The fans, I'm sure, were wondering if there was going to be football."The lockout created a mad scramble among the league's 32 teams to get ready for 2011. Those teams are all targeting Green Bay after Rodgers guided the franchise to its fourth Super Bowl title by throwing for nine touchdowns and 1,094 yards in the Packers' four-game postseason run.

"We're a confident bunch," wide receiver James Jones said. "We truly don't pay attention to who everybody gets, we truly don't care who everybody gets. We believe when we step on that field we're going to win the game, no matter who it is."Coach Mike McCarthy is dealing with a new set of distractions for his defending champions, starting with the NFL's mammoth pregame concert with Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5 -- stars not usually associated with small-town Green Bay.

"I think it's the highest compliment to your football team and your organization (to play in this game), but after the smoke clears and the celebration stops, it's a football game," McCarthy said. "This is a celebration for our fans. That's the way I look at it."I look forward to playing the Saints. This is the Packers versus the Saints. We're really focused on the game."Brees and the Saints won't be awed by the festive atmosphere. This is the third time in five years they'll be playing in the league opener, having defeated Minnesota last year in New Orleans and losing at Indianapolis in 2007.

"We've experienced that from a home aspect standpoint, we've experienced it already as an away team," said coach Sean Payton, whose contract was extended through 2015 on Monday. "That first game always has that added excitement about it.Brees put together his third straight season with at least 33 touchdowns in 2010, leading the NFC with 4,620 passing yards and helping New Orleans go 11-5 to return to the playoffs. The Saints, however, were stunned by Seattle in their first postseason game in their bid to repeat.

They know exactly what the Packers are going through this week."The emotions are high, obviously," Brees said. "The NFL does a lot in and around the game with media and the entertainment and all the stuff. It's the kickoff to the season, so the fans and everybody are excited to start the season."(If) you're the defending Super Bowl champs, they're going to unveil the flag saying they're the champs. It's a special feeling."Brees tried to minimize the effect of the lockout by holding players-only workouts that reportedly were the best-attended among all teams.

"We got a lot of young guys ahead of the curve during that process so that walking into camp, it's not that big of a shock to them when they get the playbook and it's that thick and they haven't had a chance to really look at it," Brees said."I feel like we've been together because, in reality, we were together."He'll get a chance to hand off to former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, drafted with the 28th overall pick. Ingram will replace another player who won the Heisman in Reggie Bush, who was traded to Miami.The Packers went 10-6 for a wild-card berth last year, and they could be even better with some key players back healthy. Dynamic tight end Jermichael Finley and starting running back Ryan Grant are among that group.

"The drive we've got in this locker room is amazing," Finley said. "I think this is going to be a special team right here."It all starts with Rodgers, who finally put aside the doubts about whether he could replace Brett Favre by leading the Packers to the same amount of Super Bowl victories as the former legend."Whether we give or don't give different looks, Aaron Rodgers is a smart guy," Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. "He'll figure it out before the end of the game."

New Orleans Saints Vs Green Bay Packers Live Streaming NFL schedule Broadcast NFL National Football Broadcast Coverage Telecast Online Feed Tv September 8,2011.FOX, NBC, CBC Ticket Travel.New Orleans Saints Vs Green Bay Packers Live Streaming NFL schedule Broadcast NFL National Football Broadcast Coverage Telecast Online Feed Tv September 8,2011.FOX, NBC, CBC Ticket Travel.New Orleans Saints Vs Green Bay Packers Live Streaming NFL schedule Broadcast NFL National Football Broadcast Coverage Telecast Online Feed Tv September 8,2011.FOX, NBC, CBC Ticket Travel.

Watch WWE Presents Raw World Tour Smackdown UK Tour Barrie, Ontario

2011-09-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

Watch Wrestling Live Online

Watch WWE Presents Raw World Tour Smackdown Barrie, Ontario

World Wrestling Entertainment returns home to Madison Square Garden on Sunday, December 26th with Raw World Tour.

Tickets start at $20.00 and are available at ticketmaster.com or the Madison Square Garden Box Office. Catch MSG.com's exclusive interview with Bret Hart backstage at Madison Square Garden. See your favorite WWE Raw Superstars in a WWE Holiday Spectacular! For more information visit WWE.com.

THE RAW SUPERSTARS RETURN TO THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS ARENA - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
- IN NEW YORK, NY - WHERE ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!

See your favorite WWE Raw Superstars...

Main Event:
Fatal Four Way Steel Cage Main Event for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. The Miz vs. Wade Barrett

A very special Piper's Pit with Rowdy Roddy Piper and special guest Sgt. Slaughter

Michael Cole to be there with some very special messages from the Anonymous Raw General Manager!

Also, A 12-Man Battle Royal- where the winner faces Daniel Bryan later in the evening for the United States Championship!

Battle Royal Participants: Zack Ryder, David Otunga, Mark Henry, Vladimir Kozlov, William Regal, Alex Riley, Justin Gabriel, Primo, Michael McGillcutty, Husky Harris, David Hart Smith

John Morrison vs. King Sheamus - New York Street Match

The Bellas/Eve vs. Alicia Fox/Maryse/Melina- Santa's Helper Six Diva Tag Team Match

David Hart Smith vs. Tyson Kidd

Santino Marella/Vladimir Kozlov vs. The NEXUS- WWE Championship Tag Team Championship Match

Live Event Host - Gail Kim!

Argentina Vs Nigeria Live Streaming International Friendly From Bangladesh Independent tv Channel will telecast the match Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

2011-09-06T01:11:00.001-07:00

Argentina Vs Nigeria Live Streaming International Friendly From Bangladesh Independent tv Channel will telecast the match Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

Preview:
Lionel Messi will look to transfer his Barcelona goalscoring form to the international stage tomorrow when he captains Argentina for the second time in their friendly against Nigeria in Bangladesh.The prolific Barca forward produced a fine display in leading the Albicelestes to a 1-0 victory over Venezuela in Kolkata on Friday, but it was defender Nicolas Otamendi who grabbed the decisive goal with a second-half header.

WATCH NOW LIVE

Messi has not netted for his country since a 4-0 win against Albania in Buenos Aires in June, going the entire Copa America campaign on home soil without finding the target.He admits the barren run has made him a little anxious, and he will aim to make it a thing of the past by scoring against the Super Eagles in Dhaka.

"I score easily for Barcelona,'' said the 24-year-old. "In the national team, I try in a number of ways and most of them I cannot score."Maybe I have to be calm enough to change this, and not feel pressure to score.''Tomorrow's friendly will be Argentina's last official encounter before they open their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign against Chile on October 7.

A home-based side will then play two friendlies against Brazil - on October 14 in Cordoba, Argentina, and a fortnight later in Belem, Brazil.New coach Alejandro Sabella accepts the qualifying campaign will not be easy, even without the threat of of 2-14 hosts Brazil."Chile's football at present is the best ever,'' he said. "They are first place in South American football. Argentina and Brazil have decreased a little bit.

"Uruguay are enjoying their best moment in 20 years. Venezuela have improved a lot. Colombia are alive again and we should respect both Ecuador and Paraguay even though their form dipped at the Copa America.''Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has been impressed by the impact made by Sabella since his appointment.

"To start a new coaching campaign is good,'' he said. "We played a tough Venezuelan side and did good things so in the upcoming game we have to repeat them.''

The last friendly between Argentina and Nigeria saw the African side win 4-1 in June and they head into this match buoyed by 2-0 win over Madagascar yesterday which got their African Nations Cup qualifying campaign back on track.Skipper Joseph Yobo and Obinna Nsofor netted the goals for the Super Eagles, who have collected 10 points from five matches.Everton striker Victor Anichebe picked up a groin injury towards the end of the game and is unlikely to feature tomorrow.

"It is very sad for him,'' said coach Samson Siasia. "He was huge for us (in the Madagascar game). He did all the rights things, played well and unfortunately had to come off in the last three minutes with an injury. But that's football."It's very unfortunate, but I hope he gets well soon so he can continue to feature for his club. That pitch was not very good and we are lucky our players did not get serious injuries.''

Argentina Vs Nigeria Live Streaming International Friendly From Bangladesh Independent tv Channel will telecast the match Tuesday, September 6, 2011.Argentina Vs Nigeria Live Streaming International Friendly From Bangladesh Independent tv Channel will telecast the match Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

Yankee Stadium gravel inspires memorial for 9/11 victim

2011-09-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yankee Stadium gravel inspires memorial for 9/11 victim
On a summer day in Shoreham, New York, the Kevin Williams Memorial Field is a peaceful place. An American flag ripples as its steel chain clanks against the 40-foot pole. At the base of the pole, worn baseballs seem to grow from the earth, resting among the flowers. On one baseball, there's a handwritten message:

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"We Will Never Forget."

Kevin Williams was 24 years old when he was killed on Sept. 11, 2001. He worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center's south tower as a bond salesman for investment firm Sandler O'Neill. He loved his job and was planning to marry his high school sweetheart on Dec. 1 of that year.

After the pain and grief of Sept. 11 and the weeks of uncertainty that followed, the Williams family wanted to honor Kevin's memory. So his father, Mike, mother, Pat, brother, Jamie, and sister, Kelly, turned to the sport that had given their family great joy: baseball.

Kevin played golf, basketball, and baseball in high school; in his senior year, he was MVP of all three teams. He used to joke with his fiancée that if he hadn't gone to college on a golf scholarship, he "could've given Derek Jeter a run for his money." He was a huge Yankees fan and would often meet his dad at the Bat, a seven-story boiler stack just outside Yankee Stadium that is decorated to look like a baseball bat and is a popular meeting point before games.

The family created the Kevin Williams Memorial Foundation, which sends children who could not otherwise afford it to baseball and softball camps. The first year, the family raised enough money to send 20 children to camp. This year, says Pat Williams, "we just passed our 500th child." One child who was sponsored by the foundation is now attending college on a four-year baseball scholarship.

Williams says, "The foundation we created and everyone who came to support us in the foundation that was our hope -- knowing that there was something positive we could do, Kevin going on through the lives of other children."

The foundation also raised money to renovate the baseball field (now named the Kevin Williams Memorial Field) at Shoreham-Wading River High School, where Kevin and Jamie both wore number 16. Just past the bleachers, there's a small memorial garden; at the center of the garden is a bronze plaque honoring Kevin. It was made by the same company that creates the plaques to honor legendary New York Yankees in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.

On Sept. 11 this year, the Williams family will attend the unveiling of the names at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City, then drive home to Kevin's field. Each year on that day, the grounds crew places a bat and a ball at home plate and chalks white lines on the field, as if for a game. But on that day, no baseball is played on Kevin's field; there are only memories of a lost loved one for a family who will never forget.

Video produced by Jennie Josephson. Production by Robbie Stauder, Josh Simmons, Gary Milius and Jonathan Light. Post-Production by Robert Page and James Kelly. Graphics by Howard Kim for Yahoo! Studios.

Renegade Miami football booster spells out illicit benefits to players

2011-08-25T23:41:00.003-07:00

Renegade Miami football booster spells out illicit benefits to players
A University of Miami booster, incarcerated for his role in a $930 million Ponzi scheme, has told Yahoo! Sports he provided thousands of impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes from 2002 through 2010.

In 100 hours of jailhouse interviews during Yahoo! Sports’ 11-month investigation, Hurricanes booster Nevin Shapiro described a sustained, eight-year run of rampant NCAA rule-breaking, some of it with the knowledge or direct participation of at least seven coaches from the Miami football and basketball programs. At a cost that Shapiro estimates in the millions of dollars, he said his benefits to athletes included but were not limited to cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and, on one occasion, an abortion.

Also among the revelations were damning details of Shapiro’s co-ownership of a sports agency – Axcess Sports & Entertainment – for nearly his entire tenure as a Hurricanes booster. The same agency that signed two first-round picks from Miami, Vince Wilfork and Jon Beason, and recruited dozens of others while Shapiro was allegedly providing cash and benefits to players. In interviews with federal prosecutors, Shapiro said many of those same players were also being funneled cash and benefits by his partner at Axcess, then-NFL agent and current UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue. Shapiro said he also made payments on behalf of Axcess, including a $50,000 lump sum to Wilfork, as a recruiting tool for the agency.

In an effort to substantiate the booster’s claims, Yahoo! Sports audited approximately 20,000 pages of financial and business records from his bankruptcy case, more than 5,000 pages of cell phone records, multiple interview summaries tied to his federal Ponzi case, and more than 1,000 photos. Nearly 100 interviews were also conducted with individuals living in six different states. In the process, documents, photos and 21 human sources – including nine former Miami players or recruits, and one former coach – corroborated multiple parts of Shapiro’s rule-breaking.

While the NCAA declined comment, Miami associate AD for communications Chris Freet told Yahoo! Sports the school has been cooperating with an NCAA probe to unravel claims the booster has made to investigators. He added that the university unsuccessfully sought an interview with the booster last summer.

“When Shapiro made his allegations nearly a year ago, he and his attorneys refused to provide any facts to the university,” Freet said. “We notified the NCAA enforcement officials of these allegations. We are fully cooperating with the NCAA and are conducting a joint investigation. We take these matters very seriously.”

All told, the length, breadth and depth of the impropriety Shapiro has alleged would potentially breach multiple parts of at least four major NCAA bylaws – and possibly many more. Shapiro described acts that could include violations of multiple parts of bylaw 11, involving impermissible compensation to coaches; multiple parts of bylaw 12, involving amateurism of athletes; multiple parts of bylaw 13, involving improper recruiting activity; and multiple parts of bylaw 16, involving extra benefits to athletes.

Perhaps most troubling is Shapiro’s sustained impropriety could trigger the NCAA’s “willful violations” exception to its four-year statute of limitations. Under bylaw 36.2.3, an investigation can expand beyond the statute if information reveals that an individual tied to a university has engaged in “a pattern of willful violations” over a sustained period beyond the previous four years.

Some of Shapiro’s allegations were outlined in multiple recorded interviews with federal prosecutors – brought on by charges he misappropriated nearly $83 million in investor funds with a fraudulent grocery distribution business. And it was Shapiro’s cooperation in his Ponzi case – which encompassed both fraud and money laundering – which opened the door to his conduct at Miami.

“He agreed to cooperate with the government,” said Shapiro’s attorney, Maria Elena-Perez. “He had to be 100-percent truthful. And it has never been the government’s position that he lied about his conduct or the conduct of others in his discussions with the U.S. Attorney’s office.

[Related: Why Miami should have foreseen problems]

“Once Miami was on the table, it opened up everything in that realm. And his cooperation with the NCAA was another level of him coming clean about conduct that wasn’t above board with investor funds – specifically things he was doing with everyone in the UM athletic program.”

Ultimately, what documents show is a booster who broke NCAA rules while simultaneously making tens of thousands of dollars in annual contributions to Miami’s athletic program. All while incurring massive bills aligning himself socially with a stable of Miami players. A stable that features multiple elite players such as Wilfork, Beason, Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, Kellen Winslow Jr., Antrel Rolle and many more – including at least 12 players currently on the Hurricanes roster.

“Here’s the thing: Luther Campbell was the first uncle who took care of players before I got going,” Shapiro said, referring to the entertainer notorious for supplying cash to Miami players in the 1980s and 1990s. “His role was diminished by the NCAA and the school, and someone needed to pick up that mantle. That someone was me. He was ‘Uncle Luke,’ and I became ‘Little Luke.’

[Y! Sports Radio: * Luther Campbell on scandal]

“I became a booster in late 2001, and by early 2002, I was giving kids gifts. From the start, I wasn’t really challenged. And once I got going, it just got bigger and bigger. I just did what I wanted and didn’t pay much mind toward the potential repercussions.”

In 15 prison interviews with Yahoo! Sports and hundreds of telephone and email interactions, Shapiro laid out a multitude of reasons for blowing the whistle on his illicit booster activity. Chief is his feeling that after spending eight years forging what he thought were legitimate friendships with players, he was abandoned by many of the same Miami athletes he treated so well. He told Yahoo! Sports that following his incarceration, he asked multiple players for financial help – either with bail money, or assistance to individuals close to the booster. Shapiro admitted some of those inquiries included angry letters and phone calls to players whom he provided benefits.

“Some of those players – a lot of those players – we used to say we were a family,” Shapiro said. “Well, who do you go to for help when you need it? You go to your family. Why the hell wouldn’t I go to them?”

Now feeling outcast, the booster said his goal is to rip away the façade of ‘The U,’ and reveal an ugly truth about one of the country’s most celebrated college football programs.

“Yeah, I’m guilty,” said Shapiro, whose plea to counts of securities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and money laundering resulted in a 20-year federal prison sentence. Shapiro also has one prior conviction on his record – an assault case from 1995 in which he pled guilty to punching a nightclub owner. Shapiro was sentenced to 18 months probation in that case.

Rogge regrets US doesn't bid for 2020 Olympics

2011-08-25T23:36:00.001-07:00

Rogge regrets US doesn't bid for 2020 Olympics
DAEGU, South Korea (AP) — IOC President Jacques Rogge regrets that the United States did not bid for the 2020 Olympics and said Friday he hopes they will seek the right to organize the games in the future.

The two sides have had a dispute over revenue-sharing from the games for years and the U.S. Olympic Committee announced earlier this month it would not bid for the 2020 Games.

"We would have loved to have a bid for 2020 emanating from the United States," Rogge said. "We respect and understand the position of USOC and we hope that there will be good bids in the future."

Because of the USOC decision there will be at least a 20-year gap between Olympics on American soil. The last time the event was staged in the United States was the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

The IOC executive board was to meet later Friday on whether to allow Qatar to bid for the games with an autumn time bracket, when the summer heat over the Arabian peninsula has somewhat subsided. Qatar has already won the right to organize the soccer World Cup even though it will be held in summer there.

Once a decision is taken in Daegu, Rogge said the IOC will put it to the Qatari Olympic authorities without making any announcement, giving them time to react as they see fit.

"We are not going to make a press release," Rogge said. "We want to first to give the opportunity to our friends in Qatar to discuss with us about the decision."

A late Olympics would clash with the European soccer season, which usually opens mid-August and could draw away some of the global media attention.

The IOC has set a Sept. 1 deadline for countries to submit a city's name for consideration.

South Africa also announced this month that it will not bid for the 2020 Games.

The IOC will award the 2020 Games in 2013. So far, Rome, Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul, Turkey, have said they will bid.

the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance Live Streaming Feed Muirfield Village Golf Club Match Broadcast Online Tv telecast coverage internet Soapcast June 5,2011.

2011-06-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance Live Streaming Feed Muirfield Village Golf Club Match Broadcast Online Tv telecast coverage internet Soapcast June 5,2011.

Preview :
Jun. 2-5, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio, Par 72.

TOURNAMENT INFO
Course: Muirfield Village GC
Location: Dublin, OH
Def. Champ: Justin Rose - ENG, 270 (18-under)
Start Date: June 2, 2011
Par: 36-36--72
Yards: 7265
Purse: $6,200,000
Tournament Stats

the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance Live Streaming Feed Muirfield Village Golf Club Match Broadcast Online Tv telecast coverage internet Soapcast June 5,2011.the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance Live Streaming Feed Muirfield Village Golf Club Match Broadcast Online Tv telecast coverage internet Soapcast June 5,2011.the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance Live Streaming Feed Muirfield Village Golf Club Match Broadcast Online Tv telecast coverage internet Soapcast June 5,2011.

Blazer avoids dismissal attempt

2011-06-01T00:54:00.001-07:00

Blazer avoids dismissal attempt
Lisle Austin, acting president of CONCACAF, has unsuccessfully attempted to sack Chuck Blazer in the aftermath of the American's accusations of bribery and corruption against the now suspended Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam.

• 'FA took FIFA stand on principle'
• Warner urges CFU to vote for Blatter
• FIFA sponsors critical of scandal
• Blatter: Crisis? What crisis?
• Pictorial evidence of 'bribe money'
• Valcke: 2022 was bought

Austin, who is standing in for Warner, has sent an email to Blazer explaining that he was "terminated as general secretary of CONCACAF with immediate effect", claiming Blazer's conduct was "inexcusable and a gross misconduct of duty and judgement".

However, it later emerged that Austin had no authority to make such a decision in his temporary capacity. The Central and North American governing body subsequently issued a statement out of New York confirming that Blazer would continue "with the full authority of his office".

The statement read: "Today an unauthorised declaration was made by Lisle Austin attempting to remove Chuck Blazer as General Secretary of CONCACAF.

"This attempted action was taken without any authority.

"Under the CONCACAF Statutes, jurisdiction over the General Secretary rests solely with the CONCACAF Executive Committee which has taken no action.

"Further a majority of the Executive Committee Members have advised Mr. Austin that he does not have the authority to take such action.

Earlier on Tuesday, Warner had sent an email to 25 Caribbean Football Union members urging them to avoid protesting against his suspension in an apparent backflip from his own protests on Monday."

This prompted Blazer to raise questions as to whether Warner had breached the terms of his suspension by engaging in football related business.

Blazer said: "We have clear evidence of a violation of his suspension and we have reported that to the FIFA secretary general.

"He has also been meeting with CONCACAF members, which is against the rules of the suspension."

The FIFA Executive Committee is still due to meet on Wednesday for the latest presidential election, despite the FA's request for the vote to be postponed.

NOODLING: The Sport Of Letting A Catfish Chomp On Your Hand Could Soon Be Legal In Texas

2011-05-22T07:32:00.001-07:00

NOODLING: The Sport Of Letting A Catfish Chomp On Your Hand Could Soon Be Legal In Texas

We thought planking was bizarre, but noodling, or fishing for catfish with your bare hands, is even stranger.

The sport, in which fishermen literally stick there arms in catfish holes and wait to feel a bite, is popular in the South, but it's also illegal in some states.

In Texas, noodling is currently a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a $500 fine, although state lawmakers passed a bill that would legalize the sport this week, according to The Texas Tribune.

Barcelona Vs Real Madrid Live Streaming UEFA Champions League Broadcast Semi finals Schedules Scores Fixtures 2nd leg Matches May 3,2011.

2011-05-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

Barcelona Vs Real Madrid Live Streaming UEFA Champions League Broadcast Semi finals Schedules Scores Fixtures 2nd leg Matches May 3,2011.

WATCH NOW LIVE

WATCH NOW LIVE

Which Channels Broadcast Barcelona Vs Real Madrid:
Fox Deportes,Al Jazeera Sports 3, Al Jazeera Sports 4, Al Jazeera Sports 5, Al Jazeera Sports 6, Al Jazeera Sports 7, Arena Sport, Caracol TV, CFI, Chilevision, ESPN Australia, ESPN HD Brasil, ESPN Star Sports, ESPN3.com Australia, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports Basico, Fox Sports Latin America, Fox Sports Premium, FSC, Globo TV, Lider TV, RDS-HD, SBS One Australia, Sky Italia, Sky Sport 1 Germany, Sky Sport HD 1 Germany, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports HD 2, Sport.TV1, Sport.TVHD, SuperSport, Ten Sports, TF1, TSN, TVE, UEFA

Preview: El Clásico May 3.
The millions of fans who tuned in to last week's first leg at the Bernabeu expecting fireworks of the football variety from two teams teeming with attacking talent were left bitterly disappointed by an encounter that was explosive for all the wrong reasons. From both sides' unpalatable histrionics to Jose Mourinho's unsavoury accusations, those who had been promised a footballing feast prior to kick-off were still feeling famished after 90 fiery minutes.

The fallout from 'El Clashico' has been widespread and varied but, among the reams of subjectivity, one objective fact stands out: Barcelona are 2-0 up and playing at home in the second leg. Buried in Mourinho's post-match vitriol and character assassination of referees the continent over was at least one sensible statement: "The return game is mission impossible."

The Catalans unquestionably have one foot in the final at Wembley, where a rematch of the 2009 showpiece with Manchester United will likely await. Pep Guardiola has lost just four of 37 Champions League games in charge of Barca and he can even afford to lose this one by a one-goal margin and advance. What Barca must be wary of, though, is the prospect of being drawn into a bloodbath at Camp Nou and risking players being suspended for the final. The first leg boiled over on several occasions and it is paramount for the Primera Division leaders that Messi and co concentrate on dazzling their rivals and dominating possession.

A 'throw-caution-to-the-wind' approach does not appear to be in Mourinho's armoury but it is surely the only solution if Real are to become the first team in Champions League history to overturn a 2-0 first-leg home defeat to progress. 'Parking the bus' may have worked for Inter last year but to salvage a reputation that, despite the Copa del Rey triumph, has taken a pummelling of late, it appears Mourinho's only option will be to liberate the wealth of offensive talent at his disposal. That playing this way could see his side succumb to the sort of embarrassment suffered in this season's first El Clasico - when Barca ran riot to thump Los Blancos 5-0 - is a risk the Portuguese may just have to take.

Buffalo taxpayers will be paying the Bills to not play football

2011-04-15T10:24:00.001-07:00

Buffalo taxpayers will be paying the Bills to not play football
If this agonizing lockout drags into the fall, lots of big, expensive stadiums will be sitting around empty, unused and doing no one any good.

That doesn't mean you won't still have to pay for them.

Erie county taxpayers, as reported by Matt Spina of BuffaloNews.com, will be shelling out $640,000 to the Buffalo Bills by May 1, and another million by Aug. 1. The money is for "game-day and operating expenses," covering things like utilities, garbage, cleaning, maintenance and pest control.

Some would argue that the best thing the county could do to beautify Ralph Wilson Stadium is to keep the Bills from playing in it. Others might argue that the Bills should save on pest control costs, and instead put uniforms on a group of rats, pigeons and opossums, and see if they don't make the playoffs as often as the Bills over the past 10 years.

Such suggestions are not helpful.

It's a good reminder, though, of how the lockout doesn't just hurt owners and players, but shafts ordinary working people, too. It's not like the city of Buffalo couldn't find another way to spend that money. Instead, they end up shoving it into a stadium that won't even be home to the two or three wins a year it usually sees.

Pro golfer's bad luck strikes again : McIlroy’s terrible, horrible streak continues: airline loses his clubs

2011-04-14T07:27:00.001-07:00

Pro golfer's bad luck strikes again : McIlroy’s terrible, horrible streak continues: airline loses his clubs

When your luck goes south, it goes south in a hurry. As you probably know by now, Rory McIlroy coughed up a three-day, nine-hole lead at the Masters in grand style, going 6-over par in just three holes to torpedo any chance he had of winning the green jacket.

Oh, but the bad news for McIlroy didn't end there. He had to share a plane with Charl Schwartzel and the new apparel Schwartzel picked up in Augusta as the two flew to Malaysia for their next tournament. At least McIlroy was a good sport about it, making the best of an awkward situation on Twitter.

But after 25 hours in flight, when he arrived in Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian Open, he found himself in the shoes of so many other travelers: His luggage didn't show up. But unlike many other travelers who need to pick up a new outfit or two, McIlroy's luggage -- i.e. his clubs -- is rather important for his career.

"It's one of those things," McIlroy said, and you have to guess that it was with a Charlie Brown-esque sigh. "Going through so many time zones and so many connecting flights your bags are going to get lost sometimes."

Talking to the BBC, McIlroy conceded that the only shot he'd like back from Augusta is the tee shot on 10, the one he put so far off the fairway that he had to walk among the houses that run alongside the 10th.

"That tee shot on 10 was the first bad drive I hit all week and then from there, making seven on 10, I just sort of lost my way a little in the middle of the round," he said, which is like saying that Malaysia is just a little ways away from Augusta. "These things can happen very easily, I'll know in the future how to deal with it if it ever happens again."

Shame he lost his clubs, though doubtless that driver was among them. Perhaps they weren't "lost" at all. Perhaps someone decided to teach those clubs a lesson by, oh, tossing them from a plane?

Rory McIlroy clubs mislaid in flight to Malaysia [BBC]

Prospect's unusual path to the NFL draft : Danny Watkins is going to the draft, and his old Canadian firefighter buddies are coming with him

2011-04-13T09:22:00.003-07:00

Prospect's unusual path to the NFL draft : Danny Watkins is going to the draft, and his old Canadian firefighter buddies are coming with him

At some point, most boys dream of growing up to be firemen or professional football players. Few ever become either one. Baylor offensive lineman Danny Watkins, a former firefighter and soon-to-be NFL draft pick, is about to accomplish both — though in his case, the football part came as something of an accident.

Like all red-blooded Canadians, Watkins grew up in Kelowna, British Columbia, playing hockey, not football. At 16, he volunteered at the local fire department for school credit, mainly to get out of class. He stuck with it, and at 18 graduated to the paid-on-call program to become a full-time firefighter. At 22, his captain suggested Watkins enroll in a course in fire science at Butte Community College in California, where the new 6-foot-4, 290-pound kid on campus couldn't hide from the football coaches for long. After two years at Butte, he moved on to Baylor, replacing left tackle Jason Smith, the No. 2 overall pick in 2009. After two years in Waco, he was voted second-team All-Big 12 by league coaches, and is widely expected to be a late first-round or early second-round pick later this month.

That's how Watkins suddenly finds himself invited to New York City for the draft proceedings at the relatively ripe age of 26, and why five Canadian firefighters are coming with him, per the Toronto Sun:

    Now, 10 years later, Watkins is showing his great affection for some of the West Kelowna firefighters who helped mould his personal and professional life by inviting them to be with him in New York.

    "They're guys you'd never forget," Watkins said Wednesday. "I'm bringing five altogether. They're the guys who have been with me since the beginning, when I was just a young, immature kid. They've taught me a lot ... they've become very close friends. I wish I could bring a lot more of them, but I don't have a lot of money yet."

    […]

    "I was pretty excited when Danny phoned me," says Wayne Schnitzler, West Kelowna's fire chief. "Everybody is pretty excited about the big event. Not many people are going to have the opportunity to sit in on an NFL draft. We're truly honoured to be part of Danny's big day."

At least he's not too humble to leave off the "yet" when he's referring to his bank account. Depending on how the NFL's ongoing labor impasse plays out, he'll be able to outfit the entire department with a fleet of gleaming new trucks by the end of the year. And if by any chance some ill-considered player protest starts to get out of hand, there are already professionals on the scene.

The Jets, for some reason, seem to want Randy Moss

2011-04-12T10:23:00.003-07:00

The Jets, for some reason, seem to want Randy Moss
Randy Moss(notes), once upon a time, was the most unstoppable receiver in the NFL. It was easy to forget that last year, though, as he was spectacularly unproductive with three different teams in one season.

Still, there's apparently a team out there that would love to have Randy wearing its uniform: It's the "no head case is too wacky for us" New York Jets. Here's Vic Carucci of NFL.com:

Although Moss is 34 and is entering his 14th NFL season, there is at least one coach who believes he still can make a significant impact: the Jets' Rex Ryan.

According to multiple league insiders, the interest the Jets have in Moss is twofold. One, it could help them weather the very real possibility of losing at least one of their three free-agent receivers: [Santonio] Holmes, Braylon Edwards(notes) and Brad Smith(notes). Two, it would keep Moss from returning to the Patriots, whom he is known to want to re-join.

The part about keeping Moss away from New England makes the most sense. Moss is clearly worth more to the Patriots than he is to anyone else. He loves the coach, he loves the quarterback, and he's motivated to bring his A game to the Patriots. I don't know if any other team in the league could be confident that they were going to get even 70 percent of Moss' best effort. The Vikings and Titans certainly didn't.

In a rivalry as close and as heated as the one between the Jets and Pats, it makes sense. I don't think Moss makes the Jets any better -- their offense is miles behind New England's, Mark Sanchez(notes) has neither a rapport with Moss nor half of Tom Brady's(notes) ability, and it seems like, at best, a crapshoot on whether or not Moss would show up and play hard.

But if it keeps a weapon away from the Patriots, it's probably worth doing.

Just-released Indians prospect cashes $1 million lottery ticket

2011-04-12T10:23:00.001-07:00

Just-released Indians prospect cashes $1 million lottery ticket
It could not have been easy for Joel Torres to learn that he was being released from the Cleveland Indians minor league system late last month.

But he probably couldn't have been launched to the unemployment line with a better parachute. A month earlier, the 21-year-old outfielder had won $1 million in the New York State Lottery's "Sweet Millions" game after buying a ticket in Queens while visiting his mother over the winter.

Yes, that sound you heard was mothers everywhere asking if we see what happens when you act like a good son and visit your mum. Anyway, Torres' victory was revealed when he picked up his lump sum payment of $660,300 over the weekend. He bought the ticket on Feb. 24.

From the N.Y. Post:

"The first thing I plan to do with the money is buy my mom a new house," said Torres. He said the money will allow him to pursue his hopes of playing ball in the major leagues.

What's interesting is that the N.Y. Post has pictures of Torres picking up his oversized check and he's still wearing a Indians cap. Presumably he now has a little more scratch to buy a lid of a team that didn't dump him onto the free-agent scrap heap.

And hopefully his newfound financial freedom will allow him some more peace of mind in pursuing his dream. Torres played 38 games for the Indians team in the Arizona Fall League and posted a .184/.260/.307 line with one homer and 14 RBIs — numbers that will never prove anywhere near as profitable as whatever numbers he played in the lotto.

TPG Exclusive: Cash-Strapped NFL Players Seeking High-Risk "Lockout Loans"

2011-04-12T10:21:00.005-07:00

TPG Exclusive: Cash-Strapped NFL Players Seeking High-Risk "Lockout Loans"

As the NFL lockout enters its second month, players from at least 16 teams have already sought out extremely aggressive short-term loans with high interest rates, ThePostGame.com has learned.

According to a financing source, these interest rates range from 18 percent to 24 percent, and upon default, they can rise as high as 36 percent.

All of this comes as the NFL Players Association announced nearly two weeks ago it would begin payouts from its war chest -- a lockout fund designed to help keep players afloat during the work stoppage. But while that lifeline was created in part to keep opportunistic lenders at bay, the finances offered by the NFLPA -- as much as $60,000 for some players -- won’t solve all financial ills. And much to the chagrin of some members of the union, the high-risk loan market has begun to attract players.

"There are a lot of people out there pitching these things," an attorney who has advised players on such loans told ThePostGame.com on the condition of anonymity. "It’s almost predatory lending. It's people going to guys who they know are already in debt, or don’t have the ability to pay their bills during the year and [lending them money] at such obscene terms, that you say, 'Hey, no one would ever sign something like this.' But a lot of players are."

Much was made of the NFLPA's preparation for the current lockout, which focused on raising players' financial awareness and surviving a months-long battle with no paychecks in sight. The union even went as far as asking players to save a minimum of three game checks from the 2010 season, in hopes of staving off any financial peril this off-season. But one prominent financial adviser, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, told ThePostGame.com that it's becoming clear many players didn’t follow the union's advice.

"I know at least 16 different teams that have had players go out and have to set these [high risk loans] up," said the adviser. "Guys on the Dolphins, Saints, 49ers, Panthers, Chargers, Bears, Vikings."

The adviser said he believes as many as 10 percent of the nearly 1,800 players in the league have secured some form of lending at this point, and estimates at least another 20 percent are in the process of securing lending now. Based on conversations he has had with other leading figures in the industry, he believes close to half of the players in the NFL will secure some form of lending if the lockout continues past Labor Day.

Legal and financial sources with ties to players say many affiliated with the high-risk loan industry are soliciting individuals close to cash-strapped players.

"[They] are your gray-area guys who aren't agents, aren't managers, aren't financial advisors," the financial adviser said of the loan industry middlemen. "And [they’re] getting fees of $100,000-$150,000 for getting players to sign off on the loans."

In order to ensure payment on the loans, financial sources say lenders are also requiring that players purchase insurance policies which guarantee payment in the event a player gets hurt. Sources say the premiums on those policies may reach as much as $200,000, which also provide additional kickbacks for middlemen.

And while many in the union look at the high-risk loans as a serious point of concern, Sherard Rogers -- who acts a financial advisor to a number of NFL players -- believes the loans are legitimate and are simply an example of supply meeting demand.

"There’s a market, there’s a demand, and I’m helping an industry that I benefit from also – helping them to better themselves and to make a difference," Rogers said. "That’s the way I look at it. Every NFL team was valued at over $1 billion, so they can weather the storm of a lockout. But could players if there weren’t resources to cover this short-term labor dispute?"

Rogers said he wouldn’t put a negative spin on someone seeking a loan during a lockout, but would instead focus on a players' need to obtain high-interest, short-term loans as a “coaching moment.”

"It's not as if financial advisors setting up these loans are just vultures coming in trying to seize the opportunity to make as much money as possible because we’re dealing with professional athletes," Rogers said. "The key is to figure out how to solve the short-term liquidity issue and put the pieces in place to ensure they don’t have this liquidity issue again."

But some veteran players and sports industry executives bristle at the notion that loans at these rates are constructive -- or even necessary.

"Sounds like total B.S.," said New York Jets kicker and NFLPA representative Jay Feely. "I think it's predatory and unjust. I don’t think they should be charging those interest rates and I would encourage every player [considering high-risk loans] to look elsewhere. I think if you went to your bank, or outside lending agencies, you're not going to pay that kind of interest. That’s absurd."

While Feely's point is shared by many in the union, some players simply don't qualify for loans from traditional lenders, which typically generate interest in the range of 3.25 to 10 percent. Complicating things further, the unsecured loans many players seek are reserved for top-tier clients and "are mostly a thing of the past," according to one bank executive. And in the absence of lending from traditional institutions, sports-specific lenders have begun to fill the void in the market.

One of those sports-specific lenders is Darien Dash, the Managing Director/Sports of Pro Player Funding. His business is one of a handful of boutique lenders which focus primarily on the business of professional athletics, filling a unique niche in an already-exclusive market.

While Dash would not discuss specifics in order to preserve client confidentiality, he said his company has facilitated lending to "several guys" in the NFL. And although Dash declined to discuss whether he has seen an increase in requests for lending in the run up to the lockout, he emphasized the need for players to secure enough money to survive the work stoppage.

"This is a very pivotal and important negotiation for the players," Dash said. "And to the extent that anybody is providing them with a lifeline or a resource to help them to have the financial wherewithal -- to be able to renegotiate what they feel is a fair labor contract -- I think it’s important.

"I know of five, 10, 15 guys in [the sports-lending] space that are all trying to provide resources to players as they [go through the lockout]. I think it's an important dynamic to understand that this is the war chest, or the leverage that players need to be able to get the best deal."

While Dash expressed concern that players might be entering into these agreements without competent legal counsel -- and indicated his company would never close a deal where the borrower wasn’t represented -- he emphasized that players who secure lending are adults and are ultimately responsible for their actions.

"Nobody's out here forcing these guys to do this -- in terms of putting the gun to their head and making them do it," Dash said.

Dash also doesn’t share Feely's assertion that lending to players at such high rates may be predatory or unjust.

"[Feely] is certainly entitled to his opinion," Dash said. "At the end of the day, the optimum situation would be where they don’t need the capital at all because they’ve been able to save and/or provide themselves with a lifestyle that fits the means of the cash flow that they make. But to the extent that all those things fall down, and they need to go out to the marketplace to access capital, to provide for their families while they go through their renegotiation, to the extent that that capital is available, I think it has a value.

"Whether that value is 24 percent, 10 percent or anything in between those two, that's got to be between the player borrowing the money and the person that's lending to them."

But others in the union pointed out the difficulties players face in securing traditional lending and how that makes them easy marks for opportunistic business people.

"As an NFL player you are a target, as every guy will learn," said Ravens center and NFLPA players representative Matt Birk. "There are a lot of people trying to separate you from your money."

Birk also raised a question: How many players actually need substantial funding at this moment?

"Having [$250,000 to $500,000] to spend or invest -- sure, it’s a nice thing," he said. "But you can get taken advantage of, especially when you’re talking about guys in their twenties. There’s no handbook on how to handle yourself, so you learn some things along the way, and hopefully you don’t lose too big."

And while there is the question of how many players actually have a need for the funds being secured, multiple sources tied to players have told ThePostGame.com there are already some players in dire financial need. And absent an influx of cash, they will find themselves in precarious financial situations.

During the season, NFL players receive game checks with each representing 1/16th of their salary. A handful of players would have received roster bonuses this spring if it had not been for the lockout. But that segment is small in comparison to the percentage of players who have sought these loans.

Some players depend on teammates and other players to shore up any short-fall during the off-season. But because of new belt-tightening, player-to-player lending has dried up.

"I’m being introduced to a lot of prospective relationships with young men who had no real guidance to this point in their career, and were living hand to mouth, literally," the aforementioned prominent financial adviser said. "They’re sitting with [such a relatively small amount of money] in the bank that in five months ... there’s a chance that they’ll be broke."

A spokesperson for the NFLPA declined comment on the high-risk loans players are securing. But at a time when the players are engaged in a financial war of attrition with the owners, the fact that players are already in need of funding -- after only one month of lockout negotiations -- appears troubling. And the longer the lockout drags on, the greater the percentage of players who will aggressively seek out needed revenue. And that aggressive pursuit could eventually have long-term consequences.

"What’s going to happen here, and it’s going to happen to a lot of people, is these guys who are getting loans aren’t going to have the means to pay them back," the financial adviser said. "They’re going to lose their homes. Their credit is going to be shot."

"It’s unfortunate and not the way it should be, but it is the situation we find ourselves in."

Female reporter denied access at Masters

2011-04-11T07:45:00.001-07:00

Female reporter denied access at Masters

A female reporter was denied access to the locker room to interview Rory McIlroy after Sunday’s final round of the Masters, though it was later revealed as a misunderstanding by a security official.

A Masters media staff member apologized Sunday to Tara Sullivan, a columnist for the Bergen (N.J.) Record, after she was barred by security personnel from entering the player’s locker room for an interview because she was a woman. At least a dozen male reporters were granted access to the locker room following Sunday’s final round of the Masters.

“I was told that is not the policy of Augusta National [to deny women access],” Sullivan said of a conversation two hours later with a media staff member for the tournament.

Augusta National refused to make an immediate statement.

Sullivan said she was told by two security personnel, one of whom was female, that she was not allowed into the locker room when a larger group of media went to speak with McIlroy. All reporters are supposed to have access to the room, according to Masters media policy.

“I was told women were not allowed in the locker room,” she said.

Sullivan said she planned on interviewing McIlroy in a traditional area under the big tree in front of the clubhouse. McIlroy didn’t stop and Sullivan said she followed the golfer with a pack of reporters into the clubhouse and down the hall to the locker room.

“It was not anyone in a green jacket,” Sullivan said, speaking of the members of Augusta National. “They were two white-shirted security personnel.

“I didn’t create any problems at all. There weren’t any officials there. This was a security person, it’s not her policy. So I went outside.”

Sullivan said she was told by Steve Ethun of the Masters media committee that, “it was a complete misunderstanding by the tournament week security and [I] should have rightfully been given access per the standard practices of major sporting events.”

Equal access to locker rooms for female reporters has been an issue for decades, although most professional and college organizations have set policies. Women have been allowed access to the Masters locker room since 1985.

Sullivan said male reporters provided a transcript to McIlroy’s comments. Sullivan has been a professional journalist for two decades. This is her fourth time covering the Masters.

Ugly performance by world's No. 1 golfer : Masters Thursday Wrap-up: Who was the biggest disappointment?

2011-04-08T08:22:00.001-07:00

Ugly performance by world's No. 1 golfer : Masters Thursday Wrap-up: Who was the biggest disappointment?

Round of the Day: You could easily go with Rory McIlroy's early round of 65, or Alvaro Qurios matching the Northern Irishman in the afternoon with 7-under, but the round of the day goes to Phil Mickelson. Why? Because for where he was off the tee all day, Mickelson should have been closer to 80 than 69. Lefty's short game around the greens showed exactly why he has the ability to hold together rounds where he isn't swinging well, and to get a 2-under 70 out of that was as impressive as anything I saw all day.

Biggest Surprise: The incredible play of the final threesome on Augusta National. Quiros, Gary Woodland and Jhonattan Vegas got attention before the round for their distance off the tee, but the back nine they played, combining to shoot 11-under over the final nine holes, was as enjoyable a thing to watch as anything that happened on Thursday. Woodland's 31 really showed why people think he could be a star, and Quiros held it together after a bogey on 14 to tie for the lead.

Biggest Disappointment: It's impossible not to vote Martin Kaymer here, even with his poor play at Augusta in the past. On a perfect scoring day, with a solid tee time, Kaymer shot 78, beating three men over the age of 50, Arjun Atwal and Henrik Stenson. For the world No. 1, a bad day should never be this bad, especially given the friendly pin positions and little to no wind.

What to look for on Friday: We all know Saturday is moving day, but with a lot of low numbers posted on Thursday, some of the names near even par are really going to have to make a move in the second round to get back in this tournament. Look for guys like Tiger Woods, Mickelson and Anthony Kim to fire at some pins they might not normally fire at, in hopes of jumping a few people on Day 2. Also, more red numbers as the wind is supposed to be relatively calm for most of the morning-early afternoon.

Voter snubs UConn in final basketball poll : Why one coach did not vote Connecticut No. 1 in his final poll

2011-04-06T10:23:00.001-07:00

Voter snubs UConn in final basketball poll : Why one coach did not vote Connecticut No. 1 in his final poll

If the argument for a playoff system in college football is that it would guarantee a unanimous national champion each year, it appears even that might not be enough to eliminate every shred of season-ending controversy.

UConn won college basketball's NCAA tournament on Monday night, yet the Huskies only received 30 of 31 first place votes in the final USA Today/ESPN poll released Tuesday.

The lone dissenter was Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras, who selected Ohio State and Kansas ahead of UConn on his ballot. Asked about his controversial choices, Adras told USA Today that this wasn't a protest vote and that he simply believed the Buckeyes had a better season-long resume than UConn.

"I voted for who I thought was the best team in the country based on the entire body of work during the season," Adras said. "I believe it is Ohio State. I want to congratulate Connecticut for winning the NCAA tournament. They deserved it."

While the rules of the poll do not require coaches to vote the NCAA tournament champion No. 1, Adras is needlessly detracting from Connecticut's accomplishment by doing otherwise.

Ugly title game performance or not, Connecticut is a deserving champion because it won six straight NCAA tournament games. It doesn't matter that the Huskies weren't the best team in the nation for most of the regular season like Ohio State because a playoff isn't designed to determine that.

Ask the 2007-08 New England Patriots that suffered their first loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Or the 116-win 2001 Seattle Mariners that couldn't make it past the American League Championship Series.

Would either of those teams been voted No. 1 if a season-ending poll existed in either sport? Of course not. There's no point in even having a playoff system if the eventual winner isn't an automatic champion.

Ultimately, the only good news about Adras' vote is that it's essentially irrelevant. Polls don't matter in college basketball, and this is yet another reminder of why we can all be thankful about that.

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NCAA Championship Game 2011 Results: NCAA Tournament Updates and Live Stream.NCAA Championship Game 2011: Time, TV Information, Announcers And Previews

2011-04-04T10:41:00.003-07:00

NCAA Championship Game 2011 Results: NCAA Tournament Updates and Live Stream.NCAA Championship Game 2011: Time, TV Information, Announcers And Previews

The 2001 NCAA Championship Game has arrived, with the Butler Bulldogs and Connecticut Huskies set to square off in the finale of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night. With three weeks and 66 games of basketball in the books, it all comes down to this for our two championship hopefuls. Legendary coach Jim Calhoun takes on Brad Stevens, who may be the hottest coach in college basketball after guiding the Bulldogs to the NCAA Championship Game for the second-straight year.

Are you ready for the Monday night's NCAA Championship? Get geared up with the basic game information now, followed by more in-depth previews throughout the day leading up to the game.

Game time: Butler and UConn hit the court at 6:23 p.m. PDT in the final game of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. It seems like tournament organizers like to go with nice round numbers when scheduling these games and the championship game is no exception.

Broadcast information: As always, CBS has the broadcasting duties for the championship. Locally, CBS can be found on KIRO-7, the Seattle affiliate for the network.

Announcers: In an effort to get geared up for The Masters -- which elicits just about the same level of excitement as the NCAA Championship -- Jim Nantz will have the play-by-play duties. Clark Kellogg will be his trusty sidekick, doing the color commentary for Monday night's game. Perhaps the statement about Nantz's excitement level was a bit of a lie. He's no Gus Johnson, after all.

Previews: We'll be back with previews and predictions, but to get a look at the two teams from a statistical side, check out our Butler team capsule and UConn team capsule from the Final Four. The information is still relevant, and relies on Ken Pomeroy's system.

For a look back at Saturday's games, check out our Final Four StoryStream. Be sure to grab a 2011 NCAA Tournament printable bracket to see how Butler and UConn made it the NCAA Championship. We'll be back with more later, so stay with this StoryStream throughout the day.

WWE WrestleMania : Wrestlemania 27 CM Punk vs Randy Orton: The Match That Will Steal the Show

2011-04-03T02:07:00.001-07:00

WWE WrestleMania : Wrestlemania 27 CM Punk vs Randy Orton: The Match That Will Steal the Show

Every year in Wrestlemania there is a match that captures the viewers' attention, a match that makes the audience gaze in amazement, a match that takes the casual fan and turns him into a life-long fan.

It is a match that every wrestler in the industry longs for, and it is ultimately the only way to truly have a Wrestlemania moment. At Wrestlemania XXVII, the match that will steal the show, a match that will have everyone talking for months to come, will be CM Punk vs Randy Orton.

To be the standout match of the evening the superstars must be entertainers. They must have the ability to entertain, work the crowd well and above all tell a story in the ring. Both superstars fit these characteristics in their own way.

Randy Orton is possibly the biggest face of the company, he is over, as soon as his music hits the crowd goes wild. In the ring he moves well, he gets the WWE Universe chanting as soon as he hits the mat and "hears voices in his head."

On the other hand, we have CM Punk, the biggest heel of the company, the man that can draw heat just by his mannerisms, a man who can cut a promo like no other. The man who is so hated that even his references to a drug-free, smoke-free and drink-free life are booed by children and parents alike. Looking at the card there is no other match that comes close to the entertaining standards set by these two superstars.

Wrestlemania is the biggest event in sports-entertainment. In order for a match to steal the show it must showcase an excellent level of wrestling. Without a doubt these two men are at the peak of their careers wrestling-wise.

In one corner you have arguably the top wrestler in the company, CM Punk. Punk is part of a dying breed, a performer who has showcased his varied move-set all over the indie scene, a wrestler who moves well in the ring, who can grapple, has exciting signature moves and performs to the best of his abilities whenever he steps into the ring.

Orton is different. He is a product of WWE, he didn't showcase his talents across the globe, but he can shine when he is in the ring. The main feature of Randy's ability is his popular move-list, he has moves that the crowd loves and at the same time seem real to the viewer, and display his above-average wrestling ability.

Then there is the RKO, quite possibly the most popular finisher in the business. It can come out of nowhere and can change a match within seconds. The contrasting styles of these two superstars along with the chemistry they have in the ring will turn this into an unforgettable bout.

A match may be good, entertaining and skilled but when there is an additional factor such as an ongoing feud it makes it better than good. These two superstars have been building up their feud for a couple of months now.

Randy Orton completely obliterated the stable known as the Nexus and has constantly been getting the better of CM Punk. Punk, however, has been playing mind games on Randy, attacking and taunting him every week. It is the perfect stage to determine who will come on top of the best build-up match on the card.

The performers fulfill all of the characteristics needed to put on a great match, therefore there is one more element needed: A good booking by the creative team. WWE Creative must (I cannot emphasize this too much) book a match that is entertaining, that exploits the talents of these two men and that allows for the crowd to be at the edge of their seats at all times.

The ending must be credible and either finish the feud or give it a reasonable reason to continue. If WWE Creative has a little bit of intelligence they will not drop the ball on this one, not with the potential it carries.

As a fan of these two performers and of the WWE in general I expect this to be an incredible 25 to 30 minute match. It will be back and forth with each of the superstar performing above their standards. I expect this match to have surprises, interferences and moments that will make people talk about it for months.

I expect this match to be a contender for match of the year and overall I expect this match to surpass my expectations and overall I expect this match to steal the show in this year's Wrestlemania XXVII.

This Wrestlemania match has no title on the line. It has no added stipulations, managers or guest celebrity stars. It is simply a one-on-one wrestling affair that will settle who will be the man who triumphs. Will it be "The straight edge messiah" CM Punk or will it be Randy "The Viper" Orton?

Ugly incidents mar Lakers-Mavs game : A bizarre and wild fight between the Lakers and Mavericks

2011-04-01T09:25:00.001-07:00

Ugly incidents mar Lakers-Mavs game : A bizarre and wild fight between the Lakers and Mavericks

Thursday's nationally televised matchup between the Lakers and Mavericks in Los Angeles was supposed to be a key battle in the race for the No. 2 spot in the West playoff race. Instead, it turned ugly late, and not just in terms of the final score.

The Lakers won the game 110-82 to effectively ensure that the Mavs will end up with no better than the No. 3 seed in the West. But the really notable story from this game was the brawl that took place early in the fourth quarter.

As you can see above, it all started when Dallas guard Jason Terry(notes) shoved Lakers guard Steve Blake(notes) to the ground for an unnecessarily hard foul. Blake responded by getting in Terry's face, which started a full-scale shoving match between several people, including the Mavs' Brendan Haywood(notes) and the Lakers' Matt Barnes(notes), a player known for occasionally acting like a hothead.

But it didn't stop there. As the players started to separate, Mavs assistant coach Terry Stotts tried to restrain Barnes, who didn't take too kindly to the attempt at making peace. He pushed Stotts to the floor, which, whether intentionally or not, is a serious no-no.

The refs responded to the entire altercation by ejecting Blake, Terry, and Barnes, and all four players can expect to miss at least one more game due to suspension (Another player was ejected later as stated below, making five). With the importance of playoff seeding, any missed time for these players could hurt both teams.

If this were all that had happened, it still would have registered as one of the biggest fights of the NBA season. However, as you can see after the jump, a fan made things a little more interesting a few minutes later.

Oh, well, that is perfectly normal. According to Los Angeles Times beat writer Mike Bresnahan, the fan was a partially nude woman who tried to rush the Mavericks' bench. I can only guess why, although I'm sure it had something to do with the previous fight. Thankfully, Staples Center security reacted quickly and ensured that no one would be hurt.

Wait, I almost forgot: Lakers guard Shannon Brown(notes) was ejected with the game in its final minutes for getting in the face of Brian Cardinal(notes) after a hard foul on Lakers star Pau Gasol(notes). If you went to bed before the fourth quarter thinking the Lakers were sure to win, well, you were right, but you also missed a crazy 12 minutes.

So, what should we make of this whole mess? On TNT's "Inside the NBA" after the game, analyst and former NBA superstar Chris Webber said that the Mavs should be ashamed of themselves for not rushing to the defense of Terry when Blake first approached him fouling the foul. Such a reaction could have been a disaster -- maybe more players would have been ejected. However, in a league where team unity is paramount, this reaction (or lack thereof) could be a bad sign for the Mavs.

Perhaps playoff seeding is essentially set at this point and the forthcoming suspensions won't matter much. However, if these teams meet in the postseason, then the bad blood could create more shocking moments. Although, with the inclusion of the actions from the crazed fan, it's unlikely we'll see anything this weird for the rest of the NBA season.

Kristi Yamaguchi thriving in new career : Nearly two decades since gold, Yamaguchi still going strong

2011-03-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

Kristi Yamaguchi thriving in new career : Nearly two decades since gold, Yamaguchi still going strong

It's been nearly 20 years since she dazzled us and won a gold medal at Albertville, France, and three years since winning "Dancing with the Stars," but Kristi Yamaguchi is still one of America's most liked athletes. However, she's not sitting back, eating bon-bons and enjoying how much you like her. She is still pursuing success in different arenas. In fact, she's so good at everything she does, you almost want to dislike her. Almost.

Yamaguchi, who will turn 40 this summer, is now a New York Times best-selling author and the star of a new workout DVD.

For the first time, she's venturing into the world of children's books, with a picture book about a pig who learns how to ice skate. Released at the beginning of the month, it's already No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list among children's books.

She also just released a workout DVD, so that you can follow her fitness regime. On the cover, Yamaguchi is every bit as adorable as she was when beating Midori Ito in the '92 Olympics.

OK, so she's an author, an Olympic gold-medalist, a prize-winning dancer and a workout maven. Anything else?

Of course. She's also the mom of two daughters, and has been married for more than 10 years to Bret Hedican, a recently retired NHL player. In this interview, she talks about how "mom" is the role she identifies with most. Her daughters helped her with writing her children's book.

See? At face value, you want to hate Yamaguchi. She is successful at everything she does. Blech. But then you follow her on Twitter, and she shares articles about finding happiness and links to cute, affordable kids clothing. She uses her book and foundation to inspire kids to dream big. She answers questions from children honestly, and her foundation has already donated $10,000 to tsunami survivors in Japan.

Taking all of that into account, it's no surprise that she is still one of the most likable athletes around, nearly 20 years later.kristi yamaguchi skatingkristi yamaguchi familykristi yamaguchi daughterskristi yamaguchi olympicskristi yamaguchi children.

Brock Lesnar Biography News Profile Relationships Family Wife Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Date of Birth :12 July 1977, Webster, South Dakota, USA
Birth Name :Brock Edward Lesnar
Nickname :The Next Big Thing
Broccoli :Brock Solid
Height:6' 3" (1.91 m)

Background and Personal Life:
Brock Lesnar was born on July 12, 1977, in Webster, SD. While a student at the University of Minnesota, he won the NCAA individual heavyweight wrestling championship in 2000. After graduation, he trained in the WWF's Ohio Valley Wrestling Facility. He is currently married to former WWE Diva Sable.brock lesnar wwebrock lesnar ufcbrock lesnar mirbrock lesnar collegebrock lesnar vikingsbrock lesnar ncaa.

The Next Big Thing:
rock Lesnar made his WWF debut the night after WrestleMania 18 by destroying Maven, Al Snow, and Spanky. His manager was Paul Heyman who worked out a secret deal with Vince McMahon. Lesnar helped McMahon beat Ric Flair to regain ownership of the WWE. On June 23, 2002, Lesnar beat Rob Van Dam to win the King of the Ring. After the match, Heyman announced that Lesnar was receiving a shot at the title at SummerSlam as part of the deal with Vince.

A New Era Begins:
Prior to the big SummerSlam match, Brock Lesnar forced Hulk Hogan to submit to his bear hug. After the match, he smeared Hulk's blood on himself. At SummerSlam, Brock beat the Rock to win the WWE Championship. These matches were the final appearances for both of his victims for almost a year. After taking the belt to SmackDown, the era of split champions in the WWE started.

A Surprising Turn:
One of the first men to go after the belt was the Undertaker. Brock used Undertaker's pregnant wife as a pawn in this feud and tried to convince her that the Undertaker was having an affair. He also broke the hand of the Undertaker. The feud ended when Brock winning a Hell in a Cell Match. His next victim was supposed to be the Big Show, but Paul Heyman turned on Brock and cost him the title at the Survivor Series.

The Man Behind it All:
The Big Show lost the title to Kurt Angle with the help of Brock Lesnar. It was later revealed that Angle was behind everything. Brock won the Royal Rumble to get a title shot at WrestleMania XIX. He beat Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XIX but had to spend the night in the hospital due to a botched shooting star press. He then feuded with the Big Show again and this was highlighted by the ring collapsing during their SmackDown match and Brock winning a stretcher match on Pay-per-View by using a fork lift.

Brock Lesnar Turns Heel Again:
Brock turned heel again after losing the title to Angle in a 3-way match. He took his frustrations out on a 1-legged Zach Gowan and continually threatened Stephanie McMahon in her feud with her father. He regained the title by beating Angle in an Iron Man match on SmackDown! At the Survivor Series, he had bad words with RAW star Goldberg and then cost him the Royal Rumble a few months later. Goldberg got his revenge by causing Lesnar to lose the title to Eddie Guerrero.

One of the WrestleMania Lowlights:
Goldeberg and Brock were scheduled for a big inter-promotional match at WrestleMania XX that was officiated by Steve Austin. Before the match, Lesnar quit the WWE but promised to appear at the match. The MSG card was brutal to both men (it was also known to be Goldberg's final appearance) and the crowd chants were the highlight of this terrible match that ended with Goldberg winning but the crowd only cheering for Austin stunning both men.

The Vikings:
Brock Lesnar tried out for the Minnesota Vikings in the summer of 2004. He was cut by the team. Since then, he has been in a legal situation with the WWE due to a release he signed that would keep him out of the ring till 2010. Lesnar won the IWGP title in Japan on October 8, 2005. In April 2006, Brock and the WWE settled their differences out of court. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. In July 2006, he was stripped of the IWGP title due to "visa problems".

Brock Lesnar Becomes the UFC Heavyweight Champion:
In 2007, Brock Lesnar entered the world of Mixed Martial Arts. He won his first fight against Min Soo Kim and then signed a deal with the UFC. After losing his first UFC fight to Frank Mir, he won his second UFC match against Heath Herring. In his third UFC battle, he beat Randy Couture to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Brock Lesnar WWE & UFC Title History:
UFC Heavyweight Championship

    * 11/15/08 UFC 91 - beat Randy Couture via TKO (strikes) in Round 2
    * 7/11/09 UFC 100 - unified the UFC Heavyweight Championship when he beat Interim Champion Frank Mir via TKO (strikes) in round 2
      3/27/10 UFC 111 - Shane Carwin beat Frank Mir to win the Interim Heavyweight Championship. Brock was stripped of the unified championship because missed time due to having diverticulitis.
    * 7/3/10 UFC 116 - unified the UFC Heavyweight Championship when he beat Shane Carwin via submission in round 2
      10/23 UFC 121 - lost the UFC Heavyweight Championship to Cain Velasquez via TKO (strikes) in round 1

WWE Championship
    * 8/25/02 SummerSlam - beat the Rock
      11/17/02 Survivor Series - lost the title to the Big Show when Paul Heyman turns on Brock
    * 3/30/03 WrestleMania XIX - beat Kurt Angle
      7/27/03 Vengeance - lost the title to Kurt Angle in a match that also featured the Big Show
    * 9/18/03 SmackDown! - beat Kurt Angle in a 1 hour Iron Man Match
      2/15/04 No Way Out - lost the title to Eddie Guerrero due to Goldberg's interference

Amanda Blumenherst Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Amanda Blumenherst (born November 4, 1986) is an American amateur golfer who currently plays for Duke University. Blumenherst, who will be a senior during the 2008-09 academic year, has helped Duke to two NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007. She has been the NCAA Player of the Year each of her three seasons at Duke and on August 10, 2008, defeated Azahara Muñoz of Spain, 2 and 1, in to win the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon.

Amanda Blumenherst walks with her caddie during the completion of the third round of the 2009 LPGA Qualifying Tournament at LPGA International on December 6, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Amanda Blumenherst Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

Amanda Blumenherst Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

Amanda Blumenherst Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

Amanda Blumenherst Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

Joakim Noah Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

Date of Birth : 25 February 1985, New York City, New York, USA
Birth Name : Joakim Simon Noah
Nickname : Joe
Height :6' 11" (2.11 m)

2009-10 (Chicago): Played in 64 games (54 starts) and averaged 10.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.56 bpg and 30.1 mpg … shot .504 from the field and .744 from the line … established career highs in scoring, rebounds, assists, blocks, minutes played and field goal shooting … was one of nine players in the NBA to average a double-double … led the Bulls in scoring twice, in rebounds a team high 41 times and in assists twice … he scored 10-plus points 37 times, including three games with 20 or more points … posted double-digit rebound totals in a team-high 39 games … led the Bulls with 28 double-doubles …

scored 21 points, had 13 boards and four assists at CHA (04/13) … grabbed 16 rebounds to go along with his nine points and three blocks vs. BOS (04/13) … recorded 18 points, 19 boards and tied his career high with seven assists at TOR (04/11) … tallied 16 points, nine boards and four blocks at NJ (04/09) … notched his 26th double-double of the season with 17 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks vs. CLE (04/08) … posted a team high 11 rebounds to go along with his eight points and two blocks vs. MIL (04/06) … scored 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds vs. CHA (04/03) … recorded his 23rd double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards vs. PHO (3/30) … posted 13 points, 18 boards and three blocks at NO (01/29) … scored 13 points and added 11 rebounds, a career-high tying four steals and two blocks at OKC (01/27) … scored 19 points (9-10 FT) and grabbed eight rebounds at PHO (01/22) … recorded 14 points, 15 boards and three blocks at LAC (01/20) … scored 17 points and grabbed 15 boards vs. WAS (01/15) … scored 15 points, hauled down 11 boards and blocked four shots at BOS (01/14) … tallied his 18th double-double with 16 points and 11 boards vs. DET (01/11) … posted 20 points, nine boards, four assists and two steals vs. MIN (01/09) … scored 10 points and brought down 18 rebounds at MIL (01/08) … had 13 points, eight boards and two blocks at CHA (01/05) … notched his 16th double-double with 14 points, a team-high 14 boards and two blocks vs.

OKC (01/04) … recorded 15 points and a career-high tying 21 rebounds at DET (12/31) … scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds and added four blocks vs. NO (12/26) … scored 10 points and tied his career high with 21 boards at NY (12/22) … had 10 points and 10 boards vs. SAC (12/21) … scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards vs. NY (12/17) … posted 11 points, 20 rebounds (career-high 14 offensive) and a season-high six blocks vs. LAL (12/15) … scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds vs. GS (12/11) … tallied nine rebound and five blocks vs. NJ (12/08) … posted 10 boards at CLE (12/04) … grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with his seven points, five assists and three blocks in a career-high 45:51 vs. DET (12/02) … notched his ninth double-double with 16 points and 17 boards at MIL (11/30) … tallied 12 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks at LAL (11/19) … posted 15 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks at SAC (11/17) … finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. PHI (11/14) … posted 12 points, 11 boards and four assists at TOR (11/11) … scored 12 points and grabbed a career-best 21 rebounds vs. DEN (10/10) … scored a career-high 21 points (10-12 FG) and added 16 rebounds, four blocks and three assists vs. CHA (11/07) … recorded 16 points (7-10 FG), 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks at BOS (10/30) … posted 10 points and 10 boards in 29:56 vs. SAN (10/29) … missed 18 games with Left Foot Plantar Fasciitis (01/23, 02/05-02/19, 03/19) … 2010 Playoffs: Started all five games for the Bulls, and averaged 14.8 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.80 spg, 1.40 bpg, 37.6 mpg and shot .528 from the field and .947 from the line (18-19 FT) … scored 25 points and added 13 boards and three assists at CLE (04/19) … scored 10 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and added five assists, two steals and two blocks versus CLE (04/22) … posted 21 points and 20 rebounds against CLE (04/25).

Career: Has started 140 of his 218 career appearances … holds career averages of 7.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.26 bpg, while shooting .513 from the floor and .706 from the line … 45 career double-doubles … 79 games with 10 or more points and 67 games with 10 or more rebounds … has led the Bulls in rebounding 75 times … has played in 12 playoff games and averaged 12.1 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.83 bpg, 1.25 spg, 38.3 mpg and shot .519 from the field and .841 from the stripe … has recorded six postseason double-doubles, and grabbed 15 or more boards in six of the playoff games that he has appeared in … 2008-09 (Chicago): Appeared in 80 games, with 55 starts, and averaged 6.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg (T-26th in the NBA), 1.38 bpg (15th in the NBA), 1.3 apg and 0.61 spg in 24.2 mpg … shot career highs from the floor, .556, and from the line, .676 … registered a career-best nine double-doubles … recorded 20 games with 10 or more rebounds … led the Bulls in scoring once and in rebounds 24 times … registered 110 total blocked shots … posted 19 games with 10 or more points … scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds vs. TOR (04/15) … went for his ninth double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and added four assists at DET (04/13) … notched his eighth double-double

with 11 points and 10 rebounds and added a career-high seven assists vs. CHA (04/11) … recorded his seventh double-double with 12 points and 10 boards vs. NJ (04/04) … finished with 16 points and six rebounds at TOR (03/29) … posted 10 points and seven rebounds vs. MIA (03/26) … recorded his sixth double-double with 15 points and 10 boards vs. DET (03/24) … scored 13 points and grabbed nine boards at PHI (03/13) … notched his fifth double-double with 11 points and a team-high 15 boards at MIA (03/09) … grabbed a team-high 13 boards vs. MIL (03/06) … posted his fourth double-double with 14 points and 17 boards, also added four blocks versus GS (03/04) … notched his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 boards vs. HOU (02/28) … had nine points and nine boards at WAS (02/27) … scored 14 points and grabbed eight boards vs. ORL (02/24) … grabbed a team high 12 rebounds at IND (02/22) … tallied 13 points and seven rebounds vs. DEN (02/20) … grabbed a team-high 11 boards vs. MIA (02/12) … posted eight points and 10 boards at DAL (02/07) … scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds at NO (02/04) … tallied 17 points, six rebounds and three blocks at SAC (01/30) … posted 10 points, eight boards and four blocks at LAC (01/28) … recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points, 10 boards and a season-high seven blocks at MIN (01/25) … notched a team-high 11 rebounds vs. ATL (01/20) … had seven points, a season-high 18 rebounds and three blocks at NY (01/19) … recorded his first double-double of the year with a season-high 19 points (a career-high 11-13 FT) and 11 boards vs. ORL (12/31) … had eight points, seven boards and a season-high four blocks at NJ (12/27) … grabbed nine rebounds (eight offensive) vs. UTA (12/20) … grabbed 14 rebounds vs. PHO (11/07) … posted two DNP-CDs … 2009 Playoffs: Started all seven games and averaged 10.1 ppg, a team-best 13.1 rpg (third in the NBA), 2.3 apg, 2.14 bpg (fourth in the NBA), 38.7 mpg and shot a team-high .510 from the field … posted three double-doubles and six games with 10 or more boards … scored 11 points, grabbed 17 boards and blocked three shots in Game 1 at BOS (04/18) … tallied 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four blocks in Game 2 at BOS (04/20) … finished with 12 points, 10 boards, three assists and three blocks in Game 4 vs. BOS (04/26) … posted 11 points and 17 rebounds in Game 5 at BOS (04/28) … 2007-08 (CHICAGO): Appeared in 74 games as a rookie and started 31 times … averaged 6.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.92 spg and 0.86 bpg in 20.7 mpg … shot .482 from the floor and .691 from the free throw line … in his 31 starting assignments, he averaged 9.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.23 spg and 1.16 bpg in 28.3 mpg … registered eight double-doubles … had 174 offensive rebounds – the fourth most by a rookie in franchise history … 23 games of 10-plus points … had 13 points and a career-high 20 rebounds (10 offensive, 10 defensive) vs. CLE (03/06) … made his first career start vs. MIN (01/29) and responded with 10 points and 13 boards … three games of 15-plus rebounds, including one game with 20 boards … missed three games with a right ankle sprain (10/31, 11/02-11/03) … had three DNP-CDs.

Career Transactions: Selected in the first round (ninth overall) by Chicago in the 2007 NBA Draft (06/28/07) …signed to a contract extension by the Bulls (10/05/10).

College Career: Helped lead the University of Florida to back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007 … named Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 NCAA Tournament Final Four … was Second Team All-America as a junior and named First Team All-SEC his sophomore and junior years … set the NCAA Tournament record for blocked shots in a single tournament with 29 … ended his college career with 1,124 points, good for 34th in Florida’s record books … finished ranked second all-time at Florida in career field goal percentage (.612) and rejections (186) … recorded 15 double-doubles as a Gator … shot .600 or better every year he was at Florida (Frosh: .600, Soph: .627, Jr: .607) … posted averages of 12.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 1.80 bpg and was selected to the SEC All-Tournament Team his junior year … during his sophomore campaign, he posted a collegiate-best 14.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 2.40 bpg … he led the SEC, and finished third in the NCAA, in field goal percentage at .627 … scored 16 points (7-9 FG) and swatted an NCAA Championship Game record six shots against UCLA in 2006.

Personal
Name is pronounced JO-keem Noah … majored in Anthropology at Florida … father, Yannick, was the 1983 French Open champion and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame … mother, Cecilia Rodhe, was Miss Sweden in 1978 … is an avid Bob Marley fan … speaks fluent French … participated in a holiday party for Chicago Housing Authority children, as well as USO families who had loved ones serving overseas during the holidays—he distributed gifts to the children and helped decorate Christmas trees that were later donated to CHA senior facilities … visited Rush Children’s Hospital and delivered gifts and spent time with patients and families … made a personal food donation to the Chicago Bulls and Midway Moving & Storage Holiday Food Drive benefiting the Greater Chicago Food Depository … hosted a tribute event in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Boys and Girls Club in Chicago … participated in the Chicago Bulls Division Navy Recruit Swearing-in Ceremony at the Berto Center … participated in Basketball without Borders 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa … took part in the Kanye West Foundation’s Back to School Event for over 350 students … participated in a Read To Achieve reading time-out with the Chicago Lighthouse and the Hadley School for the

Blind … created a PSA for the Museum of Science and Industry … participated in Dick’s Sporting Goods “Shop with the Bulls” event during the holidays … hosted an in-classroom discussion with 23 students from Martin Luther King College Prep High School to celebrate the Martin Luther King Day holiday … participated in the Field Museum’s George Washington Carver exhibit with 30 students from the James Jordan Boys & Girls Club in honor of Black History Month … in the summer of 2008, he hosted a Bulls Day at the Taste of Chicago, where he signed autographs and led a basketball clinic for fans … attended the Chicago Bulls Basketball Camp for children held at the Bulls/White Sox Training Academy … attended the Bulls/Verizon Wireless Charity Golf Outing during the summer of 2008.

Chad Ochocinco Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Birth Name: Chad Javon Johnson
Birth Place: Miami, FL
Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 01/09/1978, Capricorn
Profession: NFL player

Admit it. If Chad Ochocinco doesn’t score a touchdown, Sunday NFL highlights just aren’t the same. And it’s not just because his new last name is a lot more fun to say than his given name, Johnson. Chad, the league’s most celebrated celebrant, has made an art of end zone exultation. In the process, he has blurred the line between good guys and bad guys in pro football. Indeed, he goes from angelic to devilish with a flair all his own. Love him or hate him, no one plays the game—on or off the field—quite like Chad. This is his story…chad ochocinco shirtlesschad ochocinco jerseychad ochocinco kidschad ochocinco snuggiechad ochocinco girlfriend.

GROWING UP
Chad’s father’s name was Sam, but he did not know his dad at all. His mother, Paula Johnson, was not a consistent figure in his life either. For most of his childhood, he was raised by his Paula’s parents, Bessie and James Flowers. Paula lived a few blocks away but was in no position to look after the boy. He called Bessie "Mama" and still does today.

As a kid, Chad developed a healthy appetite for sports—but he had no interest in schoolwork and possessed zero attention span and almost no impulse control. He crashed the family car at age 10 and defended his actions by saying he was taking it to the carwash.

Outside the Flowers home, Chad was surrounded by the influences of the street, namely drinking, smoking and stealing. Thanks to Bessie and James, however, he developed a sense of where to draw the line.

Football was the way out for Chad, and he knew it. Two of Chad's cousins, future NFL stars Keyshawn Johnson and Samari Rolle, showed him it could be done. Once Chad set his sights on an NFL career, there was no stopping him. And there was no Plan B.

Chad loved the NFL and rooted for the Miami Dolphins. Mark Clayton and Mark Duper—Dan Marino's "Marks Brothers"—were his favorite players. He followed Keyshawn’s career on the West Coast as well.

On many afternoons, Chad could be found at a nearby field playing pickup games with Samari and Duane Starks and Terry Cousin, both of whom would also go on to NFL careers. Another boy he played with was Sam Brown Jr. Chad didn’t know it at the time, but he and Sam were half-brothers. He later discovered that he had a half-sister, Chinita.

Chad started his prep career at Coral Gables High School. But after low grades got him bounced from there, he enrolled at Miami Beach High School. He made the varsity football team as a frosh and played receiver, quarterback, punter. Chad also handled snaps on extra points. His grandfather attended every game.

Chad was one of the team’s best players by his sophomore year. In the playoffs that fall, he took the field and did not see the familiar face of James Flowers. His grandpa had been shot and killed the night before, and Chad did not find out until after the game. The thought of Bessie alone and destitute was a big wake-up call. Chad vowed to fill this void. He was now totally focused on making it to the NFL.

Making it to class was another matter. Chad did not see a connection between success on the field and even a minimal academic effort. He regularly cut classes and was always behind in his schoolwork. It didn’t help that many of his teachers gave him a pass. As so often happens with young athletes, the favor they thought they were doing for him would later turn out to be a curse.

Chad got his high school degree by the skin of his teeth. Although he was recruited by top programs, including Miami and Florida State, he didn’t have the grades to get in to virtually any school. In fact, he had to take night classes the summer after his senior year just to graduate. With his college options severely limited, he ended up at Langston University, an NAIA school in Oklahoma with a decent football squad.

Chad reported to the Langston campus in the late summer of 1996. That was pretty much the last time he was seen in an academic building. A no-show in the classroom, he was eventually kicked out of school for fighting. Chad made the mistake of assuming that college would be like high school—the teachers would just move him along for the good of the team.

Bessie, a former teacher and counselor in the Miami school system, knew Chad was headed nowhere—and fast. She told him that he had to go to school and suggested he live with his mother in Los Angeles and attend Santa Monica College, which had a good football program. Chad joined the Corsairs in 1997 and played beside Steve Smith, a future All-Pro receiver who was flying under the college football radar, too. (The two remain close friends to this day. Smith calls Chad “The Entertainer.") Also on the squad was Eugene Sykes, who later found a home in the Arena Football League. Whenever a Corsair scored, a touchdown dance would follow.

While it seemed he was on the right path, Chad took another giant step backward when he came up a credit short and had to miss the 1998 season. At a low point, he started to think that the stars were aligned against him. Once again, Bessie intervened. She told Chad to get his grades back in shape and play football for Santa Monica again in 1999. Finally, he was starting to understand the connection between school and football.

ON THE RISE
Just as Bessie instructed, Chad returned to the gridiron and had a nice year for the Corsairs. The biggest improvement came in his route-running. More precise and more disciplined, he also became more explosive out of his break. In two seasons at Santa Monica, Chad reeled in 120 passed for 23 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards.

Chad’s greatest accomplishment in his JC years was connecting with receivers coach Charlie Collins. It was Collins who became a surrogate father to Chad, pushing him back into the classroom after he had been declared academically ineligible the year before. Chad continued to work with Collins in the summers at his Phenom Camp for receivers. There he got to go head-to-head with future NFL defenders like Ricky Manning. Chad credits Collins with much of the success he has today.

West Coast scouts drew a bead on Chad, and he talked to a number of schools, including UCLA, USC, San Diego State, Hawaii and Oregon State. Some were sacred off after a domestic incident with a girlfriend cost him 30 days of community service. With a big black mark on his record, Chad chose the Beavers because of coach Dennis Erickson, whom he greatly admired and respected. Collins gave Erickson his assurances that Chad was a good kid who was getting his act together.

Still 18 credits short of OSU's academic requirements, Chad had to crack the books and increase his course load in order to qualify for a four-year college. He had to skip spring practice with the Beavers and didn’t actually join the team until three weeks before the 2001 season started.

In his first taste of the big time, Chad blossomed into a star. He began the year buried on the depth chart, but by the fourth week he had the plays down and became a difference-maker on the field. Chad gave a lot of credit to teammate Dennis Weathersby, a cornerback who covered him in practice. Weathersby was one of the best in the Pac-10, and he did not hold back in practice.

Chad also benefited from playing with fellow wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a future teammate in the NFL. They roomed together for road games, and the pony-tailed wideout flashed Chad hand signals from across the field in the early going so Chad knew what the plays were.

Chad finished the '01 campaign with 37 receptions for 806 yards and eight touchdowns. His highlight-reel moment was a 97-yard touchdown catch and run against Stanford. The play that got NFL scouts excited, however, came against Syracuse and superstar corner Will Allen. With the ball in the air and both men running all out, Chad put on an explosive burst that left Allen in the dust. One scout crowed that Chad might surprise everyone and be the #1 pick in the 2001 draft.

The Beavers finished the year with just one loss, an overtime defeat to Washington. They went to the Fiesta Bowl and beat Notre Dame to end up at 11–1 and #4 in the nation.

Chad later played in the Senior Bowl and caught seven passes for 93 yards. No one on the field had a prayer of covering him. Now a blue chip prospect, Chad chose to enter the NFL draft, even though he had a year of college eligibility remaining.

Unfortunately, the hype that Chad created faded during the combines. He ran a slow 40-yard dash and moped through other drills. As Chad watched the draft unfold, he grew concerned when the first round passed and his name had not been called. He was eventually picked #36 by the Bengals early in the second round. His biggest fan in the Cincinnati war room was offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski. He was thrilled later in the draft when the Bengals also took Houshmandzadeh.

Chad joined a team that was in the midst of a tailspin. The Bengals had failed to record a five-win season in three years. Jon Kitna was a capable quarterback and Corey Dillon a dangerous ground gainer, but the team was paper thin at almost every other position. Chad saw mostly bench time in September, catching his first two NFL passes and scoring his first touchdown against the San Diego Chargers on September 30. Two weeks later against the Cleveland Browns, he fractured his collarbone after making a catch and spent a month on injured reserve.

Chad returned before the season ended and wound up with decent numbers, 28 catches for 329 yards. The Bengals improved somewhat to 6–10, adn they found they had a potential difference-maker in Chad. Opponents had to account for his whereabouts at all times, and he was capable of forcing defenses into bad matchups. In the final game against the Tennessee Titans, Chad drew an interference call against Michael Booker that set up Cincinnati’s game-winning field goal.

Chad started his second NFL season on the bench but forced his way into the starting lineup by Week 3. From that point on, he was money in the bank. Chad surpassed 1,000 yards and led the Bengals with 69 catches and 16.9 yards per reception. By season’s end, he had established himself as a go-to guy and a premium deep-threat receiver. Chad had a November to remember, smoking the Baltimore Ravens, Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers for consecutive 100-yard games. In the contest against Cleveland, he scored on a 72-yard pass from Kitna. It was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal 2–14 season for Cincinnati.

During the offseason, Chad spent time at a retreat for receivers and defensive backs held by Deion Sanders at his estate in Texas. Sanders opened Chad's eyes to the tendencies of receivers and pass coverage specialists. He was seeing a whole new layer of the game. Of those three days in Dallas, Chad says that Sanders took him “over the rainbow."

MAKING HIS MARK
Chad had a stellar season in 2003, smashing Eddie Brown’s franchise receiving mark and leading the AFC with 1,355 yards on 90 catches. He also scored 10 touchdowns. As was becoming a habit, Chad made the highlight reels on a regular basis. He went coast to coast on an 82-yard catch and run touchdown against the Ravens in an October meeting. A week later, he caught the winning TD against the Seattle Seahawks.

Chad’s contributions helped the Bengals see marked improvement under new coach Marvin Lewis. After an 0–3 start, Cincinnati rebounded to go 8–8. The Bengals were the last team bumped out of the playoffs. Perhpas the season’s top moment was a win over the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs—a victory that Chad brashly guaranteed.

Chad’s first postseason appearance came as a starter in the Pro Bowl. He connected with Steve McNair on an eye-popping 90-yard touchdown play and finished the game with 156 yards, second-most in the history of the all-star contest.

The demanding Lewis was known as a defensive wizard, but he had a profound effect on Chad’s game. In his first camp, Lewis chewed Chad out for cutting the occasional corner on his routes. Eventually Chad asked his coach what the problem was—did he expect him to be perfect on every play? Lewis responded by asking Chad if he wanted to be the best. His game would soon reach the next level.

In 2004, Chad and the Bengals proved they were no fluke. Cincinnati turned in another respectable 8–8 season, as Carson Palmer took the quarterback reins and Rudi Johnson—a junior college foe of Chad’s—became the featured back. The press had a ball with the Johnson & Johnson theme, especially with Rudi being so quiet and Chad being the NFL’s unofficial touchdown celebration king. He paid a heavy price for this distinction, earning fines for some of his more elaborate gyrations.

The piece de resistance came during a 41–38 win over the San Francisco 49ers. After finding the end zone, Chad sprinted over to a snow bank where he had stashed a pre-printed sign that he held up for the cameras: Dear NFL, Please don’t fine me again. That one cost him $10,000.

Chad led the AFC again with 1,274 receiving yards, while his 95 catches placed him third in the NFL. Among Chad’s top plays were a gravity-defying touchdown catch against the Steelers, a game-winning TD snatch against the New York Giants, a pair of 50-yard catches against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, and a diving grab in the end zone between two New York Jets defenders on a 60-yard bomb fromb Palmer. After the season, Chad was named to his second straight Pro Bowl.

After two .500 seasons, the Bengals took a giant leap forward in 2005. They won 11 times and obliterated many of their opponents. Palmer, in particular, hit his stride. At times, the Cincinnati passing game was literally unstoppable.

Chad was an essential part of that attack. He broke his '03 franchise record for receiving yards with 1,432, a total that led the AFC and was third overall in the NFL. His best game came in a loss against the Indianapolis Colts. Chad racked up 189 yards to establish a new personal high. Later in the season, he caught 11 balls in a victory against the Detroit Lions.

The Bengals won the AFC Central, but their Super Bowl hopes were dashed when Palmer suffered a devastating knee injury in the first quarter against Pittsburgh. Cincinnati fell to the Steelers and then watched them roll all the way to the NFL title.

The 2006 season was full of hope for Bengals fans, provided Palmer recovered fully. With defenses keying on Chad early in the season, the Bengals often looked elsewhere for their offense. That changed as the season wore on. In a late-October game against the Panthers, Chad set up the winning score when he sprawled and caught a fourth-down pass under heavy coverage for 32 yards. Watching from the Carolina sideline was his cousin, Keyshawn Johnson, and former college teammate Steve Smith.

Chad also turned heads off the field in '06. During Hispanic Heritage Month, Chad announced that he would prefer to be called "Ocho Cinco" (Spanish for his number, 85). In a game against the Atlanta Falcons, the "C. Johnson" on his jersey was replaced by a Velcro patch that said "Ocho Cinco." Palmer ripped off the new name tag before game time, but the league still fined Chad $5,000. Worse, the Bengals lost the game. Thanks to a deal with Atlanta’s DeAngelo Hall—if the Bengals didn’t win, Chad had to shave off his mohawk.

In November games against the Chargers and New Orleans Saints, the clean-shaven receiver gained 260 and 190 yards, respectively. The successive contests broke the two-game NFL record of 448 yards set by John Taylor of the 49ers in 1989.

Chad found the end zone only seven times in ’06, he but finished the year with 1,369 receiving yards— three more than Indy's Marvin Harrison. It was Chad’s fourth AFC receiving title, but the first time he led the NFL. No Bengal had ever done so before. Chad was the also the first player since conference play began to lead his conference in yardage four times in a row.

Chad was named a Pro Bowl starter for the fourth season in a row. In the game, he made three catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Chad drew an interference call late in the fourth quarter to set up the AFC’s winning field goal.

The 2007 season saw Chad surpass his league-leading yardage total, with a career-high 1,442 yards. Early in the year, he overtook Isaac Curtis as the team's all-time leader in receiving yards. He and Houshmanzadeh both reached the 1,000-yard plateau for the second straight season. Chad caught 93 passes in all, which pushed him past Carl Pickens for the franchise record in that category.

As for the Bengals in ’07, they were a model of inconsistency. Cincy started the year 1–4 and failed to win consecutive games until the year’s final weekend. All things considered, their 7–9 record wasn't bad, but it certainly was not good enough to make the playoffs.

Chad took some of the heat for this failure. There were whispers that his self-centered approach to football was hurting the club. Chad was used to criticism. What hurt this time, however, was that the team did not immediately rush to his defense. During the offseason, Chad lobbied hard for a trade. He had his eye on the Washington Redskins.

When training camp began in 2008, Chad was still in a Bengals uniform. He injured his shoulder in a preseason game but decided to play through the pain rather than miss time to surgery and rehab. He might just as well have skipped the year. Palmer was hurt early on, and the Bengals lost their first eight games. Chad had his worst statistical season since his rookie year, catching 53 passes for just over 500 yards and only four touchdowns.

Once again, Chad grumbled about not returning to the team in 2009. The Eagles and Giants inquired about his services, but Cincinnati had no intention of letting him go—especially after Housmanzadeh departed via free agency. The Bengals were healthy and productive when the season opened, with Palmer leading the club to nine wins in the first 12 games. The rushing attack was revitalized behind the resurgent Cedric Benson, who ran for 1,251 yards.

With Palmer back to top form, Chad had another big year. He caught 72 passes and scored nine touchdowns.

Heading into the season’s final week, the Bengals had nothing to gain or lose in their game with the Jets. They had a postseason berth sewed up. Coach Lewis elected to rest many of his starters, and New York won 37–0 to squeeze into the playoffs. Cincinnati’s first playoff opponent was, you guessed it, the Jets. The Bengals opened the scoring with a first-quarter touchdown, but it was all downhill from there. New York had no turnovers and allowed no sacks. The Jets won 24–14.

After the disappointing loss to New York, Cincinnati reassessed its needs on offense and defense. High on the team’s shopping list was a second go-to receiver to pair with Chad. The key to Bengals’ offense, after all, was giving Palmer as many quality targets as possible. The team’s defense was already good; the offense, meanwhile, had finished 22nd. Toward the end of July, the big news came: Terrell Owens had agreed to a one-year deal.

Win or lose, it will be a lively year in Cincinnati. The Bengals’ locker room may generate more news than their work on the field. For his part, Chad has said all the right things about T.O.—he has told anyone who will listen that his new teammate is the featured receiver. Of course, Chad is the ultimate showman, so this may be just part of his act.

CHAD THE PLAYER
When NFL fans look at Chad, some see an arrogant, selfish showboat. Others consider him a player whose passion and talent know no bounds. When NFL coaches watch Chad, they see two big, soft quick hands, explosive speed and breathtaking athleticism.

Chad is difficult to stop, hard to frustrate and you can’t try to trick him twice, because the trick will be on you. He studies enemy defenses and has a deep and complex arsenal of moves that he unveils slowly as a game develops.

Chad is excellent after the catch, but where he truly excels is getting the edge on his defender and then catching the ball where it’s thrown. He is just as good in mid-air, making acrobatic catches as well as anyone in the league. In fact, some teammate like to call Chad "Gumby" for his ability to twist and make circus grabs.

Ahmed Shehzad Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Full Name: Ahmed Shehzad
Date of Birth: Nov 23, 1991, Lahore, Punjab
Major Team: Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Ravi, Lahore Shalimar, Pakistan Under-19s
Playing Roll: Batsman
Batting Style: Right
Bowling Style: Legbreak

Ahmed Shehzad (born 23 November 1991 in Lahore) is a Pakistani cricketer. He plays domestic cricket for Habib Bank Limited. He made his one-day international debut for Pakistan on 24 April 2009 against Australia.

Ahmed Shehzad aims to be an aggressive batsman like Ricky Ponting, and he is well on his way if his top-order performances for Pakistan Under-19s are any indication. Shehzad made his first-class debut in January 2007, just two months after his 15th birthday, and has since established himself as an opening batsman for the U-19 team.

His 167 in the same year helped Pakistan chase down a stiff 342 in the first Youth Test against England in Derby. He backed that up with impressive performances at home, scoring 315 runs - with a highest of 105 - as Australia Under-19s were thrashed 5-0.

Another century followed in the Youth Test against Bangladesh, and he carried that form into the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka in 2008, which Pakistan won. He made it to the Pakistan Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka the following year despite not being in the probables.

A century in the tour game against the visitors changed his fortunes. He returned to the Under-19 circuit to represent Pakistan in the World Cup in New Zealand.

Chris Gayle Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Christopher \"Chris\" Henry Gayle (born 21 September, 1979 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a West Indian cricketer who plays international cricket for the West Indies and domestic cricket for Jamaica. He is a hard-hitting left-handed opening batsman who can bowl right-arm off spin when called upon. Gayle has a variety of quality shots that he can perform. Gayle played for the West Indies at youth international level after he made his first-class debut aged 19 for Jamaica.

He played his first One Day International 11 months later, and his first Test match 6 months after that. Gayle, who normally opens the innings when he plays for the West Indies, is a destructive batsman who is most effective playing square of the wicket.

In July 2001, Gayle (175), together with Daren Ganga (89) established the record for opening partnerships at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo when they put on 214 together against Zimbabwe. However, generally speaking he had a slow start to his international career, but invigorated it in 2002, ending the year with three centuries against India in November and becoming the fourth West Indian to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year. Along with Vivian Richards, Sanath Jayasuriya and Brian Lara he is the only player in One Day International history to have three or more scores of 150. In 2005, Gayle was dropped for the first Test against South Africa along with six other players following a dispute over sponsorship issues. chris gayle wallpaperchris gayle sunglasseschris gayle battingchris gayle girlfriend.

He returned for the second test but had a poor series until the fourth Test, where he made his career-best: a match-saving 317. It was the first ever triple century against South Africa and up until Mahela Jayawardene made 374, it was the highest individual Test score against them. In August 2005, Gayle joined Worcestershire for the rest of the English season, playing eight matches.

He made two half-centuries in three first class matches and two half-centuries in five one-day matches, and won one Man of the Match award in the one-day National League. However, Worcestershire were relegated after Gayle made 1 in the final match against Lancashire. Gayle was named Player of the 2006 Champions Trophy, where the West Indies nearly defended the title which they won in 2004, being defeated in the final by Australia. Gayle scored three centuries and totaled 474 runs, 150 more than any other batsman, and also took eight wickets in as many matches.

Gayle, in keeping with the rest of the West Indies team, had a poor World Cup in 2007. He recorded a series of low scores; the one exception being a blistering 79 off 58 balls against England in the West Indies' final match. Gayle currently holds the record for the highest innings in a Twenty20 International, having scored 117 against South Africa in the World Twenty20 Championship, and, to date, is the only batsman to have hit a century in the Twenty20 format, hitting ten sixes in the match.

He is currently the only cricketer to have hit centuries in all three formats of international cricket. In April 2008, Gayle was auctioned by the franchise Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, but missed the opening games due to an ongoing Sri Lanka tour to the Caribbean. When he finally joined the team, he missed out on the action due to a groin injury he picked up during that tour. Afterwards, he had to leave to join the West Indies team for a home series against Australia, thereby not playing in the inaugural version of the IPL at all.

A thrusting Jamaican left-hander, Gayle earned himself a black mark on his first senior tour – to England in 2000 – where the new boys were felt to be insufficiently respectful of their elders. But a lack of respect, for opposition bowlers at least, has served Gayle well since then. Tall and imposing at the crease, he loves to carve through the covers off either foot, and has the ability to decimate the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers.

In a lean era for West Indian cricket – and fast bowling in particular – Gayle’s pugnacious approach has become an attacking weapon in its own right. His 79-ball century at Cape Town in January 2004, on the back of a South African first innings of 532, was typical of his no-holds-barred approach. However, Gayle’s good run ended when England came calling early in 2004, and he averaged 26 against their potent pace attack – Steve Harmison, in particular, fancied his chances against Gayle, dismissing him four times in seven innings, as a lack of positive footwork was exposed.

But men with little footwork often baffle experts, and after returning to form with an uncharacteristic century against Bangladesh, he exacted his revenge on England’s bowlers with a battering not seen since Lara’s 400, before coming within a whisker of emulating Lara himself, with a career-best 317 against South Africa in Antigua. In the disastrous 2005-06 tour of New Zealand he led the batting in the three-Test series, piling 235 runs – no other West Indian touched the 200-run mark.

He also bowls brisk non-turning offspin, with which he has turned himself into a genuine one-day allrounder. Maturing quickly, he has become a consistently prolific scorer in the ODIs. He averaged over 40 in the 2006-07 season with three hundreds – an unbeaten 133 against South Africa in the Champions Trophy being the highlight, and three fifties. But expected to be one of the stars of the World Cup in the Caribbean, his batting was a major disappointment. In the absence of the injured Ramnaresh Sarwan for their tour in 2007, Gayle was handed the captaincy for the limited-overs series in England and Ireland and found immediate success by beating England 2-1.

He also led in the Test series against South Africa, leaving with a 1-1 result, and was retained as captain ahead of Sarwan for the home Tests against Sri Lanka in 2008. A subsequent Test and ODI defeat at home against Australia led him to quit the captaincy, but he changed his mind, and the following season was instrumental in the defeats of England, both as captain of the Stanford Superstars in their winner-takes-all US$20million match in Antigua in November, and the Test team that secured a 1-0 triumph to bring home the Wisden Trophy after a nine-year hiatus.

By now, however, the Indian Premier League was taking over as his primary concern – Gayle’s US$800,000 price-tag made him one of Kolkata’s most expensive players, and though a groin injury ruled him out of the first edition in 2008, he played seven games in 2009 before flying to England just 48 hours before a Test match at Lord’s against England. The match was lost in three days, leading a disillusioned Gayle to declare that he “would not be so sad” if Test cricket died out.

Shahid Afridi Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (born 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency), popularly known as Shahid Afridi is a Pakistani cricketer currently playing for the Pakistani national team. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya in Nairobi and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia at Karachi. He is known for his aggressive batting style, and currently holds the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket.

In a recent survey, Afridi was named as the most popular cricketer in Pakistan. His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname \"Boom Boom Afridi\" for his fastest One Day International century just in 37 balls. As of 22 May 2007, he has an ODI strike rate of 109.38 runs per 100 balls, the highest in the game's history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.13 in Tests.

He has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease. He hits many sixes long and high, favoring straight down the ground or over midwicket. A trademark shot is a crossbatted flick to the leg-side to a ball outside off stump. This explosive style has led to some memorable shots, most notably the first ever 12 in power cricket in 2002, where Afridi successfully hit the roof.

However, his aggressive style increases his risk of getting out and he is one of the most inconsistent batsmen in cricket. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 5000 ODI runs at an average under 25. Bowling-wise, his stock ball is the leg break, but his armory also includes the conventional off break and a 'quicker one' which he can deliver at nearly 80 mph in the style of a medium-pacer. He bowls at a high speed for a spinner, resulting in lesser turn, and relying more on variations in speed. He occasionally sends down a bouncer to a batsmen, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi was born on 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan, popularly known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani cricketer and current One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 captain of the Pakistani national team in the international circuit. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia.

Afridi is from the Afridi tribe of the Khyber Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and hails from a Pashtun family. He is married and has two daughters, Aqsa and Ansha.

He is known for his aggressive batting style, and holds the record for the fastest ODI century which he made in his first international innings, as well as scoring 32 runs in a single over, the second highest scoring over ever in an ODI. He also holds the distinction of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket. Afridi considers himself a better bowler than batsman, and has taken 48 Test wickets and over 300 in ODIs. Currently Afridi is the leading wicket taker in the Twenty20 format taking 53 wickets from 41 matches.

In June 2009 Afridi took over the Twenty20 captaincy from Younus Khan, and was later appointed ODI captain for the 2010 Asia Cup. In his first match as ODI captain against Sri Lanka he scored a century however Pakistan still lost by 16 runs. He then also took over the Test captaincy but resigned after one match in charge citing lack of form and ability to play Test cricket; at the same time he announced his retirement from Tests. He retained the captaincy in limited-overs form of the game and led the team in the 2011 World Cup.

His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname “Boom Boom Afridi”. Moreover, out of the six fastest ODI centuries of all time, Afridi has produced three of them. As of 27 February 2011, he has an ODI strike rate of 113.83 runs per 100 balls, the third highest in the game’s history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.13. He has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease.

Having started as a fast bowler, Afridi decided to start bowling spin after someone told him he was throwing. He modelled himself on Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir. Afridi began his career as primarily a bowler, however after scoring the fastest century in his maiden ODI innings more was expected of him with the bat. He considers himself a better bowler than batsman. While he is renowned for his aggressive batting, he is also a handy leg-spinner capable of producing a good mix of wicket taking balls.

He has over 300 International wickets, most of which are from the ODI format. While his stock ball is the leg break, his armoury also includes the conventional off break and a ‘quicker one’ which he can deliver in the style of a medium-pacer. He bowls at a high speed for a spinner, resulting in lesser turn, and relying more on variations in speed. He occasionally sends down a bouncer to a batsman, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

Jim Tressel Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jim Tressel (James Patrick Tressel) was born on Friday, December 05, 1952 in Mentor and he is a famous football player from United States.

Life in Brief:

Being born on Dec 05, Jim is a Sagittarius.
his ethnicity: White.
his father's name: Lee Tressel.

Jim Tressel had studied at Berea High School, Berea, OH (in 1971) and then he attended the BA Education, Baldwin-Wallace College (in 1975).Jim dated Carol Kujanek (wife) and amongst other amorous encounters was Ellen Watson (wife).Famous Why : Head Coach.

ames Patrick Tressel, born in Mentor Ohio and educated at Berea's Baldwin-Wallace College, has been the head coach of the Ohio State University football team since 2001. Tressel, whose previous coaching jobs include stints at the University of Akron, Miami University, and Youngstown State University, has a career winning percentage of over 73%.

Early Life:
Jim Tressel was born in the Lake County community of Mentor and graduated from Berea High School, where his father, Lee was head coach of the Baldwin Wallace College football team.

College Career:
Coach Tressel graduated from Baldwin Wallace in 1975. While there he played quarterback for his father on the B-W football team, earning all-conference honors his senior year.

Early Coaching Jobs:
After graduating from college, Jim Tressel was a graduate assistant at the University of Akron, where he helped coach quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs. After that, he was an assistant coach at Miami University (Ohio), Syracuse State, and Ohio State (under Earle Bruce).

In 1986, he was named head football coach at Youngstown State University. During his 15 seasons there, the team captured four national (Division I-AA) championships and appeared in two other post-season championship games. Tressel was also picked four times as Division I-AA Coach of the Year.

Jim Tressel at Ohio State:
Jim Tressel was named the head coach for the Ohio State University football team in January of 2001. Since that time he has led the team to a national championship, three Big Ten titles, and four victories in five bowl appearances. His record at OSU is 73-15 (83%), the second best record in the school's history.

Personal:
Coach Tressel is married to the former Ellen Watson, whom he met while at Youngstown State University. The couple has raised four children: daughters Carlee and Whitney and sons Zak and Eric.

Sion Milosky Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hawaii’s son and amazing Big Waves surfer Sion Milosky’s lost his life at Mavericks in California, he leaves behind his lovely wife Suzi Milosky and their two gorgeous daughters, a community now remembers him for his awesomeness in surfing, kind heart, happy spirit and an amazing husband, father and friend, Keep reading to know the rest of this story about her and so much more.

35 year old Sion Milosky a Kalaheo, Kauai native was a big waves surfer legend, a Pipe master, a 100% well grounded man, the kindest friend you could ever ask for, a terrific loving husband, caring father and wonderful brother.

He loved surfing but his passion was his family – his lovely wife and their two young daughters. He enjoyed and cherished every second he spent with his girls. As his best friend, biggest fan and loving wife, Mrs. Milosky didn’t mind the fact when there were days when her loving hubby would take some time away from them and go surfing and she would take the girls to school, go to work and send him all her love, (He loved to ride the bike with them to school) she always gave him her unconditional support for the sport he loved so much.

Doing something that he loved, he lost his life on Wednesday March 16th, 2011 at Half Moon Bay, a couple of miles from San Francisco where the Jay At Mavericks Big Wave Invitational was being held. It was about 6:30 p.m when he was pulled down by two huge waves (60 feet tall) his friends and staff searched for him, they found his body in the water 20 minutes later about a mile away. Fear went through their minds mostly when they saw his lips were blue and his eyes were bloodshot. He received CPR for several minutes and blood came out of his mouth before he was taken to Seton Coastside Hospital in Moss Beach where he was pronounced dead at 7:45 p.m, an autopsy will reveal his cause of death.

What can we tell you about the stunning, sweet and kind Mrs. Milosky is this.. Susan Olaes Milosky, aka Suzi, was born in Oahu, Hawaii. She is in the real estate business, when she is not working she can be found enjoying quality time with her family outdoors or surfing, playing tennis or volleyball.

Our heart is with her in this difficult time, back at home, Suzi, her girls, many fellow surfers, friends, family and fans gathered at the beach for a small memorial in her husband’s memory. Volcom, his newest sponsor opened a fund for Suzi’s daughters, the dear surfer’s Family Fund. You can see Mrs. Milosky’s daughters’ picture here.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sion Milosky’s wife, daughters, rest of his family and friends throughout this terrible time. Would you like to send her your condolences? You can see Suzi Milosky’s picture with her family in the video provided below.Big wave surfer Sion Milosky died Wednesday after he was pitched into the sea by a towering wall of water and then held beneath the surface by a second wave at Maverick’s Beach in Half Moon Bay, about 25 miles south of San Francisco.

Milosky, 35, wiped out after catching the wave just before dark at Mavericks, home to some of the biggest waves in the world, according to Jack Morrisey, surfing team manager for Milosky’s corporate sponsor, Volcom.com.

“It’s with a very heavy heart that we bid farewell to Hawaiian family man and big wave surfer Sion Milosky,” Volcom said in a statement. “After a wipeout and a two-wave hold down at Mavericks, Sion passed away. Words can¹t begin to describe how saddened we are by this loss.

“Sion’s first passion was his wife and kids, and surfing giant waves was his second,” the statement added. “Our sincere condolences go out to Sion’s family and friends.”

Morrisey said photographers “loved Sion,” a native Hawaiian, because of his penchant for riding huge waves.

Maverick’s generates waves up to 80 feet high because of its geography and geology. After gaining momentum for 1,000 miles, arctic swells slam into a reef off tiny Pillar Point, a peninsula that juts into the Pacific at Half Moon Bay. There, the sea bottom abruptly rises from a depth of more than 100 feet to only a few feet, punching the swells skyward.

Professional surfer Mark Foo died in a surfing accident at Mavericks in 1994.

Morrisey said Volcom was creating a foundation for Milosky’s two young daughters.

Lionel Messi Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

2011-03-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

Lionel Andrés Messi was born on 24 June 1987. He is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for La Liga team Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Considered as one of the best football players of his generation and frequently cited as the world's best contemporary player,[6] Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21 and won both by the age of 22. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his "successor".

Lionel Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency.

Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07: he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign.

Lionel Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.

Lionel Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, to parents Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory worker, and Celia María Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner. His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona where his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883. He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matías as well as a sister named Maria Sol. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario.

At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Primera División club River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment, as it cost $900 a month. Carles Rexach, the sporting director of Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial. Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain. His family moved to Europe and he started in the club's youth teams.

Lionel Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup. He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine model, Luciana Salazar. In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina, I am relaxed and happy". He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario. They plan to wed near the end of 2010.

He is featured on the front cover of the video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the game. Messi, along with Fernando Torres, is the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer. Messi is sponsored by the German sportswear company Adidas and features in their television advertisements.

He has two cousins in football; Maxi and Emanuel Biancucchi.

Lionel Messi was announced as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF on 11 March 2010.

Lionel Messi - Argentina National Team
Lionel Messi was offered the chance to play for the Spanish national football team, but declined, preferring to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay.

In June 2005 Messi starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship in The Netherlands, picking up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel was already being compared to Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football players of all time.

On August 4, José Pekerman called him up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut against Hungary — coincientally the very same side that Maradona debuted against for Argentina. However, he only played for three minutes of the game, being shown a red card and making him leave the field in his first attempt on goal.

Lionel Messi - FC Barcelona
Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age for his hometown club, Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as his parents were unable to pay for treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. Shortly after arriving, Lionel tried his luck with a trial at FC Barcelona, despite being only 13 years of age. He excelled at the trial and rapidly found himself starting for the Barcelona B team, averaging more than a goal per game.

In October 2004 Messi made his official debut for the first team against RCD Espanyol, becoming the third-youngest player to ever play for FC Barcelona. He scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete on 2005-05-01.

On 2005-06-27 FC Barcelona renewed his contract until 2010, establishing a selling clause of €150 million.

Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on September 25 and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled their quota of non-EU players. Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on September 28 against the Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful.

Ryan Giggs Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

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Date of Birth : 29 November 1973, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Birth Name : Ryan Joseph Wilson
Nickname : Giggsy
Height : 5' 11" (1.80 m)
Spouse : Stacey Cooke (7 September 2007 - present) 2 children

Ryan Giggs was born on Thursday, November 29, 1973 and is a famous personality.Ryan Giggs is one of the most talented players of his generation. He has the ability to dribble and pass players, and in his time has scored some spectacular goals.

Ryan Giggs has spent the majority of his playing career being an integral part of a successful Manchester United season. A rarity for modern players he has played most of his career for both the same club and same manager.

With Manchester United, Ryan Giggs has won the most prestigious club trophies including, the English Premiership, The European Cup, The F.A. Cup and the World club championship.

Ryan Giggs has played many internationals for Wales, but was never able to guide them to a major international tournament despite coming close in the qualifiers for the World Cup 2008.

Wayne Rooney Biography News Profile Relationships Pictures Wallpaper Online Video.

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Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Liverpool) is an English rooneyfootballer.He currently plays for the English Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team. He normally played as a second striker to Ruud van Nistelrooy for his club team before van Nistelrooy's move to Real Madrid, although during 2005-06, he showed his versatility as a player by shifting to the midfield and playing on both flanks. He wears number 8 for Manchester United and wears number 9 the English national team.

Rooney was brought up in an urban area of eastern Liverpool called Croxteth, where he and his two brothers attended the local De La Salle Catholic School.

His boyhood team was always Everton; his love for his home town club was famously bore out when he wore a T-shirt reading "Once a blue, Always a blue". However, he would end up playing just two seasons with Everton before demanding, and then executing, a transfer. This has left him on unfavourable terms with Everton fans, as they showed when he returned to Goodison Park and he was booed severely.

Although he has been under an intense media spotlight since first arriving on the scene in 2002, it was not until his performances at Euro 2004 that he gained a reputation on the world stage, as he spearheaded the English attack, scoring four goals. Rooney is also on the cover of the FIFA 07 video game in the United Kingdom.

Rooney has also been compared to George Best and Paul Gascoigne in terms of talent.

Wayne Rooney in the Premiership
After excelling for Liverpool Schoolboys and The Dynamo Brownwings, Rooney was signed by Everton shortly before his 11th birthday. Rooney gained national prominence on the 19th of October 2002 when he became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the Premier League at 16 years and 360 days while playing for Everton (though this record has since been surpassed twice). His goal against then-champions Arsenal was a last-minute winner and brought to an end the London side's 30-match unbeaten run. At the end of 2002 he won the BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year award. On 26 December 2002 he "achieved" the record of becoming the youngest player ever to be sent off in a Premiership game. This is also his only standing record in the Everton books.

National team career
He has also figured prominently in recent England international matches, after having become the youngest ever player to play for England, in a friendly against Australia, on 12 February 2003, aged 17 years, 111 days. This record has since been surpassed by Theo Walcott, who came off the bench to play in England's friendly against Hungary on 30 May 2006. England's youngest ever player previous to Rooney was James F. M. Prinsep of Clapham Rovers, who made his debut almost one and a quarter centuries before, on 5 April 1879, aged 17 years, 253 days. Rooney is also the youngest England scorer ever (17 years, 317 days).

His reputation as one of the world's most exciting young players was further enhanced by his impressive performances for England at Euro 2004 in Portugal. At the tournament Rooney became the youngest player ever to score in the UEFA European Football Championships, when on 17 June 2004 he scored twice against Switzerland; although the Swiss player, Johan Vonlanthen, broke this record against France four days later. Unfortunately Rooney was injured early in the quarter final match against Portugal and England were subsequently knocked out on penalties.

World Cup - Wayne Rooney
There was concern for Rooney's fitness ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup after the fourth metatarsal on his right foot was broken, possibly in several places, following a seemingly innocuous challenge from Paulo Ferreira during Manchester United's 3-0 defeat away at Chelsea on 29 April 2006, putting him out of action for an estimated six weeks. This was also the first match he played in the re-branded Nike Total 90 'Supremacy'. The boot's safety went under the spotlight after many considered it unsafe to wear.

A bone scan on 25 May 2006 suggested he would not be expected to return in time for the World Cup group ties, with a decision to be made on his return to training after these games had passed. Shortly afterwards his international manager confirmed he would travel with the squad to Germany, and would return to have another bone scan on 7 June. Ahead of this scan, Wayne claimed to be feeling fine and was "300% confident" of his own fitness. Rooney was reported to be back, doing light training on 2 June, working on kicking the ball and running.

On 7 June, Wayne Rooney had his second scan, with reports saying he would play in the World Cup as he boarded a flight to Baden-Baden to regroup with the England squad.

On 8 June, Sven-Göran Eriksson said that he was "injury free" and that "he just needs to get back his fitness before he can play". Eriksson hinted at a possible involvement in the later group stage matches and almost certainly, should England progress, in the second round of the competition.

On 15 June, Sven-Göran Eriksson and FA doctors declared Rooney match fit in time for the match against Trinidad & Tobago. Prior to the match there was much speculation as to whether his health would be risked by playing him at this stage; the speculation was ended when he entered the match in the 58th minute, replacing Michael Owen. Although Rooney did not score, England's fans were keen to see him running with pace (as if he was match fit many weeks before his medical clearance) and making his presence felt on the attack. On 18 June, Eriksson announced that Rooney would be starting England's next game. Rooney's rush into play was much to the dismay of his club team, Manchester United, who were concerned that a full recovery would be jeopardised.

On 20 June, Rooney started in the final group match, England against Sweden, helping England to a 2-2 draw.

On 25 June, Rooney once again started in England's second round game (knock-out rounds) against Ecuador. Although he failed to score, he looked lively and appeared to be fully fit and definitely match fit.

On 1 July, Rooney was sent off in the quarter final against Portugal while fighting for possession with Chelsea and Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. Rooney appeared to stamp down on Carvalho's groin and was sent off by referee, Horacio Elizondo. Rooney later announced, through the serialisation of his biography in the Daily Mail, that the stamp on Ricardo Carvalho was unintentional. He became only the third English player to be sent off in a World Cup Finals. Due to his red card, he missed England's opening Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra on 2 September and Macedonia on 6 September.

On 22 August 2009, he became the 20th Manchester United player to have scored over 100 goals for the club, finding the net twice in a 5-0 away win at Wigan Athletic.

His performance for Manchester United have led many to say he is one of the greatest football players in the world. If not the best player, then in the top two with Lionel Messi of Barcelona
2010 World Cup

The 2010 World Cup was another comparative disappointment for Wayne Rooney. England lost in the second round against Germany, and Wayne failed to find his great form of the previous domestic season. In the lead up to the World Cup finals, much media speculation suggested Wayne Rooney was the key to a good England performance. It is possible this weight of expectation played on Rooney's mind.
2010/11 Season

In November of 2011, Wayne Rooney shocked fans by suggesting he was ready to leave Manchester United, even raising the possibility of moving to Manchester City. In the end, he signed for Manchester United on a new contract making him one of the best paid players in the world.