Thoughts From A Sunny Trip to Florida...

As many of you know, I went to down Florida for a few to check out this year's rendition of the Baltimore Orioles. With the current trade rumors, innuendo and whatever else going on out there, I am just going to quickly jot down what I saw in Ft. Lauderdale two weeks ago.

The season is almost here, everyone!

• Dave Trembley: I do no think the Orioles could have chosen anyone better for this team. You've got a manager who's hungry for respect and for his team to do well, leading the way and having his players respond. The guys are running down the basepaths, doing the little things, playing aggressive ball (both at the bat and on the field). More than anything, I noticed his interactions with the players --- most notably Adam Jones. Rather than channeling Lou Piniella or LaRussa, he seemed to comfort his players, give praise and treat them like men, rathe! r than robots. Finally, he's nothing but great with the fans and seems to realize he's a in great spot and living out his dream. You can't but only want to root for the man.


• Adam Jones: Big kid, and although he did not do much while I saw him, he's batting a little under .400 right now. Despite his miscues in the field early on in camp, I expect him to be focused with the task at hand in the next few weeks as the season commences. From what I have heard and read, he's quite an articulate young man and one Oriole fans may come to love. Meanwhile, a lot of baseball will be watching to see how he progresses, as he was the centerpiece of the Bedard trade.
  
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Grit, Determination and a Tale of Two Games

Last night, the Baltimore Orioles may have pulled off their most memorable win in some time. There may not be anyone batting above .260 in the lineup; however, last night at the Yard — at least for the first five innings — became home run derby, or a modified version of batting practice and the latter half of the game became a battle of the bullpens.

The Orioles came back from deficits of four runs — twice — to defeat the Yankees in the 11th inning 10-9. I have no idea if the Baltimore comeback was a function the team digging deep and putting it together, or if it is because of a horrific New York relief corps, but to see them do that was beyond impressive. Cintron's single in the 11th helped gave Baltimore the victory over LaTroy Hawkins, whom New Yorkers are probably not happy with today.

If you want a recap of the game, read here; alas, what I will remember from last night is ! the post-game press conference from Dave Trembley and his emotions nearly pouring out in front of the media. (I'll see if I can find the video anywhere).

>> Read more here...

Playoff Reflections, Friday

Well, yesterday brought us more baseball -- this time, exclusively AL -- as the Division Series continued on Friday. I got home from work, and aside from talking to people off and on throughout the night -- it was all baseball, even doing cardio on my stationery bike.

The first game featured the upstarts Rays against the White Sox, and watching on TBS, it was shocking to see how many White Sox fans were there; nevertheless Tampa came back from a shaky first inning by Scott Kazmir -- where he gave up two runs -- and Chicago's inability to do anymore damage against him.

In a 6-2 final, Tampa used small ball and a huge Akinori Iwamura home run in the fifth inning to breball, tampa bay rays eak it open.

Tampa's bullpen kept the White Sox off the board, and in the end, they are now up 2-0 in the division series.

Being a fan of the Orioles, I have watched the Rays more than enough to see what they are capable of -- they are a complete te! am from top to bottom and can score in various ways -- unlike the White Sox.

I think the Sox will take a game in Chicago; however, I just think the Rays move to the next round of play and no one should confuse this team with the previous incarnations of the last decade. This Tampa team is very athletic, they don't make (many) mistakes, and they'll use various tricks up their sleeve to win.

Tampa is that good.
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The final game on the night was the Red Sox vs. the Angels. Obviously, most people know my thoughts on this series; however, last night's game was highly entertaining and might have been the best game so far I have watched on TV.

I thought the Angels would mount a challenge and they did in game two -- but, the Boston Red Sox seem to have a killer instinct that the Angels don't have. A double by David Ortiz and then a home run by the "hurt" J.D. Drew in the top of the ninth lead Boston over Los Angeles, 7-5! .

Jason Bay's home run in the first broke open the ! game and helped Boston take a four-run lead. They took advantage of a bad Ervin Santana, but his teammates chipped away at the Boston lead and Daisuke Matuszaka to tie it up. In the end, the Angels could not take advantage of opportunities -- especially in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded.

I expect Boston to finish the series up on Sunday. The Red Sox know they have the advantage, and now they head home to Fenway. The Angels will need a lot of luck on their side to win, and at this point -- if you saw the faces on some of the guys (especially Torii Hunter) -- you can tell that they are a defeated team.

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Teixeira, Rule 5 Draft and Around the Blogosphere...

The big news of the last day -- well, since C.C. Sabathia signed with New York -- is the ever interesting courtship of one Mark Teixeira. The Washington Nationals offered a an 8 year, 160 million deal for the first baseman; however, it now looks to be that all the teams involved in this whole affair have placed bids for the slugger.

I still think Teixeira goes to Boston. It's an organization that has put a premium on building winning teams, a place where he could play where the ballpark is filled every night, keep him on the East Coast and get him the national exposure that could expand his marketability.

Will the Red Sox get him despite their abhorrence of signing players to extended deals? Who knows. I think the Red Sox, much like all the teams left in the hunt for Mark have thrown out all the rules.

From Bo! ston.com: "I know there's the position that we're a superpower - we probably are, in some ways, financially - but it seems like every $100 million player that comes around always has the Red Sox in the mix," Epstein said. "We often are in the mix.

"But besides [Drew and Matsuzaka], we haven't given out those free agent contracts. That's been partly responsible for our success. We focus more on long-term building and more on building from within. That doesn't mean we won't do it for the right player, and in that circumstance, we will."

Epstein is being coy. I think the Red Sox are very well working on a deal for him, and are probably much further along than anyone will admit in this deal.

In other news, this morning the Orioles picked several players from the Rule 5 draft -- they lost Rocky Cherry as he was unprotected and went to the NY Mets -- thus, here's a brief snippet from Peter Schmuck's blog on the Baltimore Sun website:
! The Orioles selected catcher Lou Palmisano from the Nashville Sounds roster with the fifth choice in today's Rule 5 draft. Palmisano, 26, was a third-round pick in the 2003 draft who had a decent season at Double-A Huntsville in 2007, batting .256 with 11 home runs and 63 RBI, but played very little at the rookie ball and Class-A level last year because of a knee injury.

Don't look for him in spring training, because the Orioles intend to sell his rights to the Houston Astros. With the sudden infusion of cash, I wonder if the Orioles will up their offer for Mark Teixeira to $140,050,000.

For a team that started out not planning to select anyone, the Orioles were one of the most active teams in the draft, also choosing 23-year-old Birmingham Barons (White Sox) shortstop Robert Valido in the Triple-A phase of the draft and right-handed pitcher Andrew Barb (Seattle Mariners) in the Double-A phase.
As well, Ramon Hernandez was surprised by his trade to Cincinnati (as if we were); Aubrey Huff won the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award -- well deserved for his 'comeback' year in '08; Scott Erickson yearns for a comeback to the major leagues (why?); Orioles Hangout's Tony Pente likes the results from the Hernandez trade as does the Loss Column along with Around the Harbor, &a! mp; Pete Kerzel gives us his take on the deal as does Stan 'The Fan' Charles.

Meanwhile, Drew Forrester of WNST believes that the Orioles' deal for Teixeira would bring a lot of complications if he did indeed sign with the team and also thinks he's got no heart if he signs in Boston; Nestor Aparicio has his thoughts on the whole Teixeira show.

It looks like that Cesar Izturis will indeed become the new shortshop as he has agreed in principle to a two-year deal (estimated to at 3 million per year) that will be finalized once he passed a physical.

Jay Trucker of the Examiner! has a great two part series with Ken Weinman of FM 105.7 and his thoughts on the Orioles and the sports talk radio industry; Camden Chat has a little snippet on the history of the Orioles organization; the Roar From 34 has a post on the "O" chant and a little known ordinance; Weaver's Tantrum gives their thoughts on the Winter Meetings; Oriole Central reports that A.J. Burnett is more than likely not coming to Baltimore; and Sixteen Gold Gloves looks back at Wild Bill.!

Pie & The Pitching

Now that the football season is over in Baltimore, I guess it is now time to turn our collective attention to the Orioles. In my opinion, so far, the organization has done a fairly modest job in improving the team.

For the most part, there are rave reviews about the Pie-Olson trade. While you always hate to trade pitching for a hitter, Pie just has way too much potential to just not make this move for Olson.

The Cubs may have put too much of a burden on Pie -- that organization is not a place for on-the-job training -- and he may for once get all the opportunities in the world to play in Baltimore. More likely than not, I see him starting. I think the O's are just going to let him go out there (ala Adam Jones) and hope his minor league numbers can translate in the majors. I see Luke Scott as the designated hitter, and Aubrey Huff playing at first. I think the Orioles are taking the baby steps to rebuild -- as in becoming younger and tad more athletic, and these! are things you have to do to create a system.

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A Week Later: Alex Rodriguez, I Still Don't Believe You...

Well, this afternoon, Alex Rodriguez met the media -- numbering over two hundred -- and issued a mea culpa about his steroid use in the media.

I think he's telling us only a quarter of the story, and he knew exactly what he was doing. Let's just say, I don't at all think he should be believed. Alex may have wanted to come off as a repentent man for his PED use; however, he still came off as an actor, rehearsed and only sorry he got caught -- not because of what he did.

He was still polished -- way too polished.

Again, I am really starting to like that some current players and baseball personalities -- David Ortiz, Ozzie Guillen, Jamie Moyer, Chris Young (Padres), and a few others -- have spoken out.

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O's Down Rays on Friday Night, Pictures

The Orioles defeated an AL East rival and yet another tough in customer in the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4 last night at Camden Yards. George Sherrill earned the save despite a late inning home run to Tampa catcher Dioner Navarro, and pitcher Mark Hendrickson had an solid debut in black and the orange going 5 1/3 innings and yielding a run. Ageless Melvin Mora drove in three runs in the victory;

Baltimore jumped on Andy Sonnastine as he gave up all the runs the game on eight hits, but they came back into the game in the eighth inning as Jim Johnson gave up a two run home run to Evan Longoria -- who had two on the night, the other coming off Hendrickson in the first.

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Baltimore Opens Series Against Kansas City With a Loss...

When I looked at the starters last night for both Baltimore and Kansas City, I thought in my mind -- boy, could things get real ugly. In addition, when I saw last night's starter for the Royals was Bruce Chen -- I also thought, well, the Orioles should be able to open up the four-game series on a high note and perhaps beat around their former teammate. The Orioles also faced Ryan Freel -- who was shipped out of town only mere weeks into the season and was made expendable because of Ty Wigginton and Felix Pie.

Things did not work out as planned, and Baltimore dropped the first game of the series to Kansas City, 5-3. Well, Chen didn't win the game against his fo! rmer mates, but his combination of breaking balls and off-speed stuff kept the Orioles on their toes. He gave up three runs in five innings, and got a no-decision.

Billy Butler for Kansas City was the offensive star of the game as he went 5-for-5 with 3 RBIs, while Baltimore's Adam Jones had two RBI's with a homer. Aubrey Huff had two hits, as did Nolan Reimold and Cesar Izturis.

Monday's start was important for Rich Hill, and for the umpteenth time, he struggled mightly. The southpaw only lasted 2 1/3 innings, and gave up three runs; therefore, one has to wonder if this is his last start with Baltimore.

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Toronto (21-26-12) at Rangers (31-23-6)

Rangers 1
Toronto 2

Game Highlights:

Tonight's game will be an 8pm @ MSG because of the pre-game ceremony honoring Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell.

The Rangers return home tonight where they have won six of their last nine. The road however has been a completly different story, the Rangers saw their current road winless streak reach eight games (0-7-1) in Buffalo. It is the longest winless streak for the Rangers since they went 0-10-2 over a twelve game stretch in 2000-01.

Throughout the past week the local media have been on Renney watch, wondering if and when he'd be fired. After the win aga! inst the Islanders, at least for a few days those headlines went away. But, after another awful result in Buffalo last night, against a team they are competing with for a playoff spot, those headlines have returned - many wondering if a loss tonight against the Leafs would seal Renney's fate.

Any chances of Valiquette standing in for Lundqvist tonight due to the back-to-back games this weekend were probably erased last night.

Michal Rozsival will switch his jersey to # 33 starting tonight because #3 is being retired tonight.

Scott Fartsmell, Koharski's Donuts & more!

• Here's a pretty cool story about Scott Fartsmell...whoops I mean Scott Hartnell. As rival fans you always 'hate' the other teams players. This is a good story about one Penguin fan's experience with the big-haired forward of the Flyers. Stories like these make it hard to 'hate' the guy! [Link]
  
  
• This Edmonton journalist wants the Oilers to stay away from Marian Hossa - he thinks it would be a HUGE mistake for Kevin Lowe to sign Hossa to a long-term contract in excess of ! $8M per year. A HUGE contract mistake? You mean like Dustin Penner HUGE? [Link]
  
  
• Ryan Kesler's agent tells Mike Gillis, the Canucks GM, that his client will not be giving the Canucks a 'hometown discount' this summer. With reports that the Canucks' negotiations with the Sedins have hit a wall, could another young forward be leaving Vancouver? [Link]
  
  
• Veteran referee Don Koharski will be retiring at the end of the NHL regular season. Word on the street is that Jim Schoenfeld (NYR assistant coach) will be sending Don a box of donuts. [Link]
  
  
• Last night Mike Cammalleri of the Flames tied Marian Hossa for the most goals by a player on! a new team this season. In the process, he made sure that he'! ll get a significant pay raise this summer when he's a UFA. [Link]
  
  
• For anyone interested in the KHL playoffs, here's an update. [Link]
  

2nd Round Predictions Not So Hot

Well, after going 7 for 8 in the first round, my picks in the second round brought me back to reality. Out of the four matchups - I was only correct in predicting that the Penguins would beat the Capitals.

My predictions Semi-Final Predictions:
Boston Bruins over Carolina in 6 - Result: Carolina in 7
Pittsburgh Penguins over Capitals in 6 - Result: Penguins in 7
Anaheim Ducks over Red Wings in 7 - Result: Red Wings in 7
Vancouver Canucks over Chicago in 6 - Result: Chicago in 6
My Conference Final Predictions:
Penguins over Carolina in 6
Detroit over Chicago in 6

Leading to a repeat of last season's Stanley Cup Final, only difference being that this season Marian Hossa is on the Wings, not the Penguins.

Rangers Sign Johnson; Hobey Baker Finalist

According to the New York Rangers official website:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with goaltender Chad Johnson.

Johnson, 23, was acquired by the Rangers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for a fifth round pick (151st overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, on June 27. He appeared in 35 games with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) last season, registering a 14-16-5 mark with a 1.66 goals against average.

Johnson, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player, earned CCHA Player of the Year honors, and was named to the CCHA First All-Star Team. He was also selected to the NCAA West All-American Second Team. He led the CCHA in g! oals against average and save percentage, and achieved career-highs in games played, wins, goals against average, save percentage (.940), and shutouts (six).

The 6-3, 200-pounder has appeared in 79 career CCHA games with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, posting a 25-35-11 mark, along with a 2.33 goals against average, .918 save percentage and seven shutouts. Johnson recorded his first collegiate shutout during the 2006-07 season.

As a freshman in 2005-06, he collected six wins and posted a 2.56 goals against average with a .917 save percentage. He finished the season ranked third in the conference among first-year players in goals against average and save percentage.

The Calgary, Alberta native was originally Pittsburgh's fifth round choice, 125th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Video of Rangers on Letterman

Thanks to Ranger Crisis for getting the video up right after the Rangers were on Letterman to do the "Top 10 things you would never hear a hockey player say"

Last year was much funnier

Hall of Fame Game numbers game.

Question of the day.

Weekend ratings.

NHL to extend NBC deal thru 2010.

Idle notes for '09.

Too controversial for TV.

IRL ready to rev up on Versus.

Heat/Pistons draws cold ratings.

ESPN has its most viewed NBA season ever.

Celtics, Red Sox, trade top spots in head-to-head matchups.

Big names.

Jets/Dolphins draws 10.0 overnight on ESPN

Weekend ratings predictions

Liga Inggris 2009/2010 | Anceloti Semangati Liverpool

Musim lalu Liverpool kalah dua kali dan hanya jadi runner-up Premiership. Musim ini 'Si Merah' malah sudah tiga kali kalah. Sudah pupuskah kans juara Liverpool?

Liverpool hanya menyudahi musim lalu di tempat kedua klasemen di bawah Manchester United. Saat itu Steven Gerrard cs mengantongi ! 86 poin hasil dari 25 kemenangan, 11 seri dan dua kali kalah.

Untuk jadi kampiun Inggris, catatan itu sudah pasti harus ditajamkan. Tapi usai dikalahkan Chelsea 0-2, Liverpool malah sudah melebihi raihan kekalahan mereka musim lalu. Liverpool kini telah kalah tiga kali.

"Tujuan kami (bangkit) di laga selanjutnya. Mereka (wartawan) bertanya pada saya dalam beberapa wawancara mengenai tiga kekalahan musim ini, tapi penting untuk tetap tenang, terus bekerja keras untuk jadi lebih baik," tegas Manajer Liverpool Rafael Benitez di situs klub.

Manajer asal Spanyol itu mengakui bahwa timnya memang sudah kalah lebih banyak dibandingkan musim lalu. Tapi raihan timnya masih berkesempatan ditajamkan lagi, toh pertarungan musim ini dia yakini akan lebih ketat dan tim unggulan akan banyak kehilangan poin.

"Kami harus fokus ke laga selanjutnya, meraih tiga poin dan melihat apa yang terjadi. Tahun ini tim-! tim papan atas akan kehilangan angka melawan tim-tim lain, jad! i kami c uma harus terus menang setiap pekan."

"Kami akan berusaha menang lawan Sunderland lalu kita lihat bagaimana nanti. Ini adalah perjalanan panjang dan kami hanya harus memikirkan partai selanjutnya saja," tegas dia.

Kans juara Liverpool memang belumlah tertutup mengingat baru delapan laga yang mereka jalani musim ini. Ditilik dari statistik musim lalu, MU yang jadi juara pun mengalami empat kekalahan.

Maka di kubu lawan, Carlo Ancelotti yang baru saja membawa Chelsea menggebuk Liverpool, juga ikut memberikan dukungan moral buat timnya Benitez tersebut. "Saya pikir kejuaraan ini masih panjang dan Liverpool punya kualitas untuk menjalani musim yang sangat bagus," ucapnya bak ingin menyemangati Benitez dan timnya.

Liga Italia 2009/2010 | Seedorf: Milan Butuh Beckham

AC Milan telah mengklaim bahwa David Beckham akan kembali kepada mereka. Kedatangan Beckham disambut gembira Calrence Seedorf karena Rossoneri memang membutuhkan tenaganya.

Sesaat setelah Beckham mengatakan bahwa dirinya 95 persen siap kembali berlabuh di San Siro, kubu Milan menyampaika! n bahwa negosiasi tersebut telah rampung. Setidaknya demikianlah yang dikatakan Wakil Presiden Adriano Galliani.

"Soal kembalinya David Beckham dalam masa peminjaman di bulan Januari telah selesai," tukasnya kepada Sky Sport Italia.

Sebelumnya, gelandang internasional Inggris itu pernah memperkuat Milan di paruh kedua musim sampai bulan Juni silam. Dalam cerita pertamanya bersama Milan itu, Beckham telah meninggalkan kesan yang cukup mendalam.

Seedorf menyebut, pemain yang akrab disapa Becks itu adalah sosok yang dibutuhkan Milan. Bahkan, menurutnya, bukan tak mungkin mantan gelandang Real Madrid itu bakal membantu Milan bangkit dari keterpurukan.

Saat ini Milan terdampar di posisi 12 klasemen sementara Seri A. Dengan koleksi nilai 9, mereka tertinggal tujuh poin dari pemuncak klasemen yang juga merupakan rival sekota, Inter Milan.

"Beckham jelas bisa membantu Milan. Saya akan sangat gembira jika ia kembali," aku Seedor! f seperti dilansir Daily Mail.

"Dia adalah pemain y! ang tela h memberikan kontribusi yang penting kepada Milan. Saya yakin ia akan melakukannya lagi apabila ia kembali ke sini," lanjutnya.

Beckham sendiri sudah tak sabar untuk bisa kembali memakai seragam merah-hitam. Ia berulang kali menyatakan keinginannya untuk kembali ke Milan, dan beberapa hari lalu mengatakan bahwa ia 95 persen akan kembali ke sana.

"AC Milan pernah bilang bahwa mereka menginginkan saya kembali sejak saya pergi dari sana untuk pulang ke Amerika. Sekarang, mereka mengatakan hal yang sama."

"Prosesnya sudah 95 persen rampung, jadi saya tak tahu kenapa hal itu tidak bisa dilakukan secepatnya," tukas Beckham.

FC BARCELONA: GOALS = HAPPINESS

THE 24 MEN OF REAL MADRID 2008/2009: THE TEAM PHOTO

FOOTBALL (SOCCER) : IT´S UNIVERSAL

ATLETICO DE MADRID 6 - ALMERIA 3: ROUND 31/2008 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

IS THE RIQUELME "GHOST" HAUNTING ATLETICO DE MADRID

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA - ROUND 19/ 2008 SUNDAY GAME RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA - ROUND 13/ 2007 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA - ROUND 7/2007 SUNDAY MATCH RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL - SEASON KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND - SEE FIXTURE

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2007:STUTTGART 0 - FC BARCELONA 2 & SEVILLA FC 4-SLAVIA PRAGA 2

HEINZE GOES TO REAL MADRID & VALENCIA GIVES UP ON VAN DAR HAART

SPANISH FOOTBALL - 1º & 2º DIVISION CALENDER FOR 07/08

VALENCIA CF NEWS. FERNANDO MORIENTES TO TURKEY?

CHELSEA FC PREPARING HUGE OFFER FOR DANI ALVES?

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 2009 - ROUND 33 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

REAL MADRID: CHELSEA FC ENTERS THE PICTURE

ATLETICO DE MADRID SIGNS JUANITO

FC BARCELONA OFFERS 20M FOR JUAN MATA OF VALENCIA CF

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 / 2010 - ROUND 5 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

La Liga Preview: Racing - Osasuna

Casillas And Capdevila Delighted After Russian Win

Arteta: I'm Sticking With The Toffees

I Would Never Have Moved To Barcelona - Trezeguet

Emery Satisfied With Draw

Getafe's Manu Del Moral Only Out For Ten Days

Vicente Soriano Guarantees Villa & Silva Will Stay At Valencia

Nicolas Anelka: Chelsea Can Beat Juventus

Porto Coach Ferreira Worried About Resinos Impact At Atletico Madrid

Safina, Mauresmo advance at Indian Wells

Wenger - City fancied Henry

Serena Williams withdraws from Family Circle Cup

Medina Garrigues pulls out at Strasbourg

Real - No Arsenal bid for Klaas

Faubert learnt Real lessons

Michael Jordan The Legend

Michael Jordan The Legend

Kaka' Belongs to Real Madrid

Real Madrid Mega Transfer 2009:
Kaka' Belongs to Real Madrid

Finally, Ricardo Kaka' the most exciting football player joined to the new los galacticos, Real Madrid Football Club. Kaka' was transferred from AC Milan after Florentino Perez choosen as New President of Real Madrid CF. Kaka' will face a new challange in Spain La Liga. Kaka' will wear costume with number 8, not number 5 as mass media said. Kaka' was issued will receive a good number that ever weared by Zinedine Zidane, its number 5. But, Kaka' already has choosen number 8 as his number in his new football club, Real ! Madrid FC. Kaka' and Ronaldo are the most wanted players to Re! al Madri d. We will watch how Kaka' plays Jogobonito in La Liga.

Defoe Happy & Kanoute Wants To Stay

By PoshSpur
For THBN

Jermain Defoe has stated that he is extremely happy at Spurs.

The striker said: "I've made it very clear I'm happy here. It's about playing, scoring goals and making the England squad.

"I'll fulfill my ambitions here at Spurs."

This is great news as Spurs prepare for the upcoming season. Some news that may not go down well with a lot of the fans is that Kanoute is also very happy and would like to stay.

The Mali international said: "I had personal reasons for missing the trip which I explained to the club, but they were still disappointed.

"It has prompted rumours over my future, but I really do want to stay."

Many fans have reiterated how lazy Kanoute is. I have to agree with them. Not only does he not really off! er much to the Tottenham cause, but he is paid in the region of £1 million. Not much by today's standards. But what do Tottenham get for all those pounds they pay every week?

Fredi made 32 appearances for the club in the 05/06 season scoring 7 goals and making 4 assists. Wow! That sums it up for me.

Kanoute is a striker, yet he scored only 7 goals?! Enough said.

Sell him to a Championship team and give Barnard and Mouny a go. I am sure they will both play with spirit and vigour.

Jenas & Dawson Sign

Tottenham Hotspur have announced that both Jermaine Jenas and Michael Dawson "have signed contract extensions that will see the pair at White Hart Lane until 2013".

With Steed Malbranque having passed his medical at Sunderland, do you feel that it should have been Jenas out of the door, and not Steed?

After all, Tottenham's top 3 players (voted by us, the fans) of the 2007/2008 season were Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov, and Steed Malbranque.

As one THBN commenter noted, "it now looks like our official top 3 players of last season will be sold."

If we are successful in the signings of both Bentley and Arshavin, I can't see any room in the team for Jenas. That is already the case with Dawson, as Woodgate and King are the starting centre-backs.

I am fairly confident that Jenas won't be too happy warming the bench. Therefore, do you think that it would have been better to sell Jenas?

With today's spiralling transfer market, Jenas would have probably fetched in the region of £9 million - £11 million. Both Aston Villa and Everton were snooping around, but neither made any solid bids.

At this stage, it looks as though both Jenas and Dawson are very much apart of Juande Ramos' plans.

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Saviola to replace Keane

We've just read on Marca that Saviola is in talks with Liverpool with a view to a 6 to 12 month loan deal, which will pave the way for Robbie Keane to make his comeback after a £15 million bid was tabled just prior to Liverpool's win over Chelsea.

We'll keep all the rumours coming, no matter how silly they are!

PS. John from Grimsby has stated that Lionel Messi's move to Grimsby Town is off due to the difference in opinion over the players' image rights, which unfortunately coincided with Grimsby's.

Fabiano Impikan Bermain Bagi Milan

MILAN - Ketika AC Milan masih berusaha untuk mendapatkan penyerang baru, satu pemain menyatakan impiannya untuk bermain bagi mereka. Luis Fabiano yang masih berstatus sebagai pemain Sevilla menyatakan kalau ia bermimpi untuk bermain di San Siro dalam menanggapi berita berminatnya Milan terhadap dirinya.
Sky Sport Italia melaporkan kalau pemain Brasil itu menjadi salah satu pemain yang diinginkan Rossoneri sebagai alternatif bila mereka gagal mendapatkan Edin Dzeko dari Wolfsburg. "Milan? Itu akan menjadi sebuah impian bagi saya.
Akan sangat indah untuk bermain bagi! tim seperti Milan. Gaya permainan sepakbola di Italia selalu menarik, tetapi saya tidak tahu apa-apa." "Satu-satunya hal yang pasti adalah kalau saya masih terikat kontrak dengan Sevilla hingga 2011," kata Fabiano kepada La Repubblica.
Selain Fabiano, pemain lain yang akan dilirik oleh Milan untuk memperkuat lini depan mereka kalau Dzeko tak bisa dibeli adalah Emmanuel Adebayor dari Arsenal.

Milan Lakukan Upaya Terakhir Untuk Dapatkan Huntelaar

MILAN - AC Milan dikabarkan membuka pembicaraan tingkat tinggi dengan Real Madrid, sebagai upaya mendapatkan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Sportmediaset menulis wakil presiden AC Milan Adriano Galliani telah bertemu dengan Florentina Perez di Majorca, pekan lalu.
Keduanya membicarakan peminjaman Huntelaar selama 12 bulan, dan opsi permanen transfer sekitar £10 juta setelah masa peminjaman berakhir. Perez tidak berreaksi, dan menyerahkan urusan kepada Jorge Valdano. Belakangan, Madrid dikabarkan menolak melepas Huntelaar dengan status pinjaman.
Los Blancos lebih suk! a menjual pemain asal Belanda itu. I Rossoneri berpotensi kehilangan Huntelaar, karena Stuttgart berani membeli Huntelaar dengan harga £13 juta. Perez dipastikan akan lebih suka melepas Huntelaar ke penawar tertinggi. Sementara itu Huntelaar menolak pendekatan yang dilakukan Olympique Lyon. Semula, Lyon ingin menjadikannya pengganti Karim Benzema.

Milan Minta Korban

BOSTON - Kekuatan Inter Milan memang sulit ditandingi klub lain di Serie A. Nerazzurri kian tangguh setelah membeli beberapa pemain pada bursa transfer musim ini. Tapi dominasi Inter akan terhenti musim depan. AC Milan bertekad menyudahi langkah Inter.
Pelatih AC Milan Rossoneri Leonardo yakin anak asuhnya bisa mengubur impian-impian Inter musim depan. Perkiraan tersebut mutlak meski Milan kehilangan gelandang emasnya Ricardo Kaka. Semangat pemain Milan akan meningkat pesat keyika musim depan! dimulai.
Musim lalu, Milan harus puas bertengger di urutan ketiga klasemen akhir, tercecer dari Juventus dan Inter. Sedangkan, Inter tampil sebagai jawara Italia. Pada bursa transfer ini, Milan hanya meminang bek Amerika Serikat Oguchi Onyewu. Sementara, Inter menggaet trio Amerika Selatan Diego Milito, Thiago Motta dan Lucio.
Inter kemungkinan juga akan mendapatkan tanda tangan striker Barcelona Samuel Eto'o. "Inter sudah kuat dan pemain baru lebih memperkuat pasukan mereka. Mereka akan menjadi korban kami musim depan," kata Leonardo kepada La Gazzetta dello Sport, Selasa (21/7/2009). "Tetapi Bila Milan memiliki pemain yang mereka punya, kami akan mampu berjuang atas tempat utama di Serie A. Saya percaya dengan itu dan kami dapat membuat fans bermimpi," kilahnya

Huntelar Milik AC Milan

MILAN - AC Milan akhirnya mendapatkan striker baru. Setelah gagal membeli Edin Dzeko dan Luis Fabiano, Milan dikabarkan mendapatkan striker asal Real Madrid, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Rabu (5/8), Presiden AC Milan, Silvio Berlusconi mengadakan pertemuan dengan Wakil Presiden Adriano Galliani dan pelatih Leonardo.
Dalam pertemuan itu diputuskan, Milan akan mempertahankan gelandang Andrea Pirlo. Tak lama setelah itu, Pirlo mengatakan, dia sudah tahu striker yang akan didatangkan manajemen. "Kami sudah tahu siapa striker itu, tapi belum bisa meny! ebutkan namanya," katanya.
Media di Italia pun kemudian melaporkan, Milan membeli Huntelaar dari Real Madrid. Namun, baik Milan maupun Madrid belum mengeluarkan pernyataan resmi tentang transfer tersebut. Huntelaar sendiri sudah tak dikehendaki Madrid. Dia dianggap gagal sejak dibeli dari Ajax Amsterdam.
Sebelumnya, Milan berusaha mendapatkannya sebagai pemain pinjaman. Karena ditolak, Milan mengajukan penawaran pembelian sebesar 13 juta pounds (sekitar Rp 218,8 miliar). Huntelar akan dikontrak selama tiga tahun dengan nilai 3 juta pounds (sekitar Rp 50,4 miliar). Diharapkan, Kamis (6/8), Huntelaar sudah berada di Milan untuk melakukan tes kesehatan, kemudian menandatangani kontrak.

Jelang Derby Della Madonnina : Rossoneri Bidik Titel dari Derby

MILAN - Liga Italia baru saja dimulai dan jalan menuju scudetto masih jauh dari selesai. Namun AC Milan merasa optimistis untuk memenangi Seri A jika dapat meraup poin penuh dari Inter Milan. Milan akan melakoni laga derby melawan Inter pada akhir pekan ini.
Diavolo Rosso sedang berada dalam keyakinan tinggi lantaran mereka sukses membalikkan prediksi yang meragukan kesiapan mereka di awal musim dengan membekuk Siena 2-1 di laga perdana. Kondisi berkebalikan terjadi pada Inter. Nerrazuri, sebagai juara ber! tahan dan kandidat terkuat juara, hanya bermain imbang 1-1 saat menjamu tim promosi Bari.
Pelatih Inter Jose Mourinho pun tengah dipusingkan dengan formasinya yang tidak terbukti efektif. Bahkan pria asal Portugal ini akan merombak total strateginya untuk laga Derby Della Madoninna ini. Eks kapten Milan Paolo Maldini merasa mantan timnya sedang berada dalam kondisi yang ideal untuk bertemu dengan Inter.
Hal itu disebabkan keunggulan dua poin Rossoneri atas La Beneamata di klasemen sementara. "Dua poin itu cukup bernilai dan cukup membantu," ujar Maldini dikutip Goal. "Bayangkan saja jika Milan yang tertinggal dua poin setelah hasil pra-musim yang mengecewakan. Tekanan seperti apa yang dirasakan teman-teman saya? Namun sekarang Milan dapat mempersiapkan diri untuk laga derby dengan cara yang ideal," sambung dia.
Maldini juga mengatakan bahwa kemenangan atas Inter di akhir pekan akan menimbulkan dampak mental yang cukup besar bagi skuad Rossoneri. Lebih jauh, M! aldini mengatakan bahwa tiga poin dari Nerazurri akan membuka ! peluang Rossoneri untuk meraih titel Seri A musim ini. "Kemenangan dari laga derby akan membuat antusiasme dari keunggulan lima poin dan dapat menetralisir jarak yang dimiliki Inter pada saat musim dimulai. Jika kami dapat menekuk Inter, kemudian kami dapat memikirkan titel," pungkasnya.

Huntelaar Jadi Starter Lawan Livorno

MILAN - Pernyataan dengan nada mengancam dari Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, ternyata cukup didengar oleh pelatih AC Milan, Leonardo. Huntelaar akan disiapkan menjadi sterter pada laga melawan Livorno, akhir pekan ini. Striker yang diboyong dari Real Madrid tersebut, belum dipasang sebagai starter oleh Leonardo.
Huntelaar hanya sekali tampil sebagai pemain pengganti pada laga melawan Inter Milan. Sementara pada laga pembuka Serie A, dia sedang menjalani hukuman. Pemain asal Belanda ini memberikan koment! ar bila dirinya bergabung dengan Milan bukan untuk duduk di bangku cadangan.
Beruntung, Marco Borriello mengalami cedera hingga Huntelaar berkesempatan masuk starting line-up. Seperti diberitakan La Gazzetta dello Sport, Jumat (11/9/2009), cedera lama Borriello kambuh. Pemain 27 tahun ini harus istirahat selama 10 hari. Dengan demikian, Huntelaar akan berpartner dengan Alexandre Pato di lini depan Rossoneri.
Christian Abbiati, Davide Di Gennaro dan Daniele Bonera juga masuk ruang perawatan bersama Borriello. Sementara itu, Gennaro Gattuso harus menjalani hukuman akibat kartu merah yang diterimanya dalam derby Milan lalu.
Sementara itu, meskipun Filippo Inzaghi dalam kondisi fit, Leonardo masih akan menempatkan pemain 36 tahun itu sebagai pemain cadangan. Inzaghi akan disiapkan buat laga melawan Marseille, di Liga Champions pekan depan.

Abate: Milan Harus Perbaiki Diri

MILAN - Kekalahan AC Milan dari Zurich 1-0 dari Zurich di San Siro, mengejutkan. Tak ada yang menyangka tim kecil seperti Zurich menumbangkan Milan di San Siro. Rasa terkejut itu juga dirasakan Ignazio Abate.
Ia mengaku kecewa dengan hasil akhir pertandingan itu. "Kami memiliki empat dan lima kesempatan malam ini, tapi tak ada yang berhasil," kata Abate kepada Sky. "Pada akhirnya kami tidak beruntung, tapi kami berusaha untuk yan! g terbaik hingga menit terakhir."
Abate berharap timnya dapat segera pulih. Untuk dapat menuai hasil lebih baik di partai berikutnya. "Musuh kami adalah diri sendiri saat berada di lini depan, jadi kami harus memperbaiki diri terutama rasa percaya diri kami untuk memastikan ini tidak terulang." Dengan kekalahan ini memperburuk keadaan Milan yang selama ini mengalami masalah di Serie A Italia. Kondisi ini juga membuat posisi Milan melorot ke peringkat tiga klasemen grup C babak penyisihan grup Liga Champions.

sumber : kompas.com

Ireland happy with United snub

Ireland spent a week with The Red Devils on trial at the tender age of 15, but felt his future did not lay at Old Trafford after quickly becoming disillusioned.

He was frequently changing training groups and was left confused with who to impress, although the final straw arrived when he received a personal snub from Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ireland opted instead to join City where his career has flourished. The 23-year-old has gone on to make over 100 league appearances for the Eastlands club and is an integral part of Mark Hughes' team.

The Republic of Ireland playmaker is bemused at the number of youngsters who failed to make the grade at United and is pleased he was given a first-team chance at City rather than being loaned out to a lower league club.

Confused
"I didn't know where I stood at United," explained Ireland to the Daily Mirror. "I was there when I was 15, but I just didn't like it.

"Every day there I'd be tr! aining with a different bunch of kids. I didn't know who I was meant to be impressing, who my coaches were and I just felt all over the place.

"I only met Fergie once. I said 'hello' to him one day so he knew straight away I was Irish. He told me he has enough Irish players with Roy Keane and Denis Irwin, so I guess that was another hint for me to hit the road.

"I grew up supporting United so maybe my expectations were too high when I went there. But as soon as I can to City it felt right and I could see myself being where I am now.

"At United you see so many young players go out on loan, season after season, without making the first-team. I couldn't do that. I've always wanted to play first-team football and thankfully I've managed that at City."

Rumor Transfer 28/07/09 (Part II)

Arsenal ikut menjadi klub yang tertarik untuk meminang striker AS Roma Mirko Vucinic." – Daily Telegraph.

"Hull akan bersaing dengan Everton untuk mendapatkan defender Alan Hutton." – The Sun.

"Portsmouth telah mendapatkan striker Hadjuk Split yaitu Nikola Kalinic sebagai pengganti hengkangnya Peter Crouch ke Tottenham. – Various.

"Dan Pompey juga menawarkan perpanjangan kontrak kepada defendernya Sylvain Distin untuk mencegah kepindahannya ke Aston Villa sebesar 3 juta poundsterling." – Daily Mirror.

"Gelandang Fu! lham Danny Murphy dan winger Portsmouth John Utaka dikabarkan menjadi incaran Stoke." – Daily Mirror.

"Wigan menegaskan kepada mantan managernya yaitu Steve Bruce yang kini menangani Sunderland untuk tidak melakukan penawaran kepada gelandang Lee Cattermole." – The Sun.

"Pelatih Everton David Moyes mengajukan tawaran 7 juta poundsterling kepada Tottenham untuk mendapatkan defender Skotlandia Alan Hutton." – Daily Recor.

"Gelandang CA Lanus Matias Fritzler dikabarkan bergabung dengan klub La Liga yaitu Sevilla dengan nilai transfer 3 juta poundsterling." – Various.

"Tanpa adanya pengajuan kontrak setelah meninggalkan AC Milan pada desember 2008, Emerson dikabarkan akan kembali ke Santos." – L'Equipe.

"Nuremberg dan Arsenal telah sepakat dengan kontrak peminjaman defender muda Norwegia Havard Nordveit selama setahun." – L'Equipe.

"Raksasa Prancis yaitu Lyon telah mengajukan dana 12 juta euro yang telah disepakati Fenerbache untuk mendapatkan striker timnas Spanyol Daniel Guiza." – L'Equipe.

"Chelsea dikabarkan menawarkan Claudio Pizzaro dan peminjaman Michael Mancienne kepada AC Milan untuk mendapatkan Andrea Pirlo." Corriere della Sera.

"Setelah lama menjadi target Lyon, Bayern dan Valencia, pemain Saint-Etienne Mouhamadou Dabo dikabarkan akan hijrah ke Portsmouth." – L'Equipe.

MU Bidik Dua Pemain Inter

Milan,-

Manchester United tampaknya sedang berusaha menembok lini pertahanan mereka dengan merekrut pemain baru. Penjaga gawang dan bek kanan yang bermain di Inter Milan pun jadi bidikan.

Baru-baru ini terkuak kabar kalau Julio Cesar sedang diminati oleh MU. Kiper Inter asal Brasil itu coba menepis, tapi nyatanya 'Setan Merah' memang benar-benar tertarik.....
"Ya, MU sudah menunjukkan minat kepada Julio, tapi mereka belum membuat tawaran resmi," aku Josias Cardoso selaku agen Cesar di Football Italia.

Saat ini MU memang seda! ng mencari calon pengganti Edwin Van der Sar di bawah mistar karena rencananya dia akan pensiun bulan Desember mendatang. Cesar sendiri masih dalam proses pembicaraan perpanjangan kontrak dengan Inter.

"Saat ini kami sedang berbicara dengan Inter mengenai kontrak baru Julio, tapi belum ada kata sepakat. Kami berharap bisa mencapai persetujuan di akhir bulan," tukas Cardoso.

Selain Cesar, Maicon yang bermain di sektor kanan pertahanan 'Nerazzuri' juga dikaitkan dengan juara bertahan Liga Primer Inggris tersebut. Diakui sang agen, Antonio Caliendo, MU memang sudah kian mendekati kemungkinan untuk merekrut Maicon yang senegara dengan Cesar.

"Ketertarikan MU terhadap klienku bukan sesuatu yang baru. Mereka sudah memantaunya sejak lama. Kini mereka tampaknya semakin serius, tapi aku pikir belum ada tawaran resmi," katanya kepada Tuttopremier.it yang dikutip Sky Sports.

INTER:TUTTI I RETROSCENA SULL'ESONERO DI MANCINI E SULL'ARRIVO DI MOURINHO

Molti giornalisti, in agguato sul portone di Via Serbelloni, si erano sorpresi di vederlo arrivare sorridente, tranquillo. Per forza: l'invito era arrivato in forma cordiale."Mancini, allora, venga da me a Milano, facciamo due chiacchiere": la chiamata di convocazione di Moratti che ha raggiunto il tecnico a Jesi era stata su questi toni.

Una volta varcata la porta, però, sono bastati due minuti perchè i sorrisi si tramutino in stupore, nervi, rabbia, imbarazzo. Comincia il Mancio: "Allora, presidente, andiamo avanti insieme?". La risposta è un montante alla mascella: "Mancini, mi spiace tanto, la devo manda! re via". Mancini è già all'angolo, ma i riflessi sono pronti: "Perchè deve? Deve o vuole?", risponde. Il presidente, a questo punto, è costretto a imbarazzate spiegazioni: parla di spogliatoio spaccato, di situazione precipitata, di sondaggio tra i giocatori che l'avrebbe visto uscire perdente. La responsabilità della sentenza, insomma, scaricata anche sulla squadra.

L'ira di Mancini monta e il tecnico, a questo punto, non esita a girare i tacchi verso l'uscita. "Bene, allora me ne vado", sibila e al tentativo di Moratti di fermarlo, di proseguire il colloquio, il mister si arrabbia sul serio: "Non sono più un suo dipendente, me ne vado quando voglio. E comunque già a gennaio aveva deciso di mandarmi via, è da tre mesi che mi dice bugie. Io non ne ho mai dette". Il presidente interista, pur in una situazione ipertesa, tocca l'altro argomento all'ordine del giorno: la risoluzione del rapporto, la buonuscita da concordare per Mancio e per il suo staff. La proposta! di Moratti è di una cifra pari a un anno e mezzo di contratto! . Parole sbagliate nel momento sbagliato: "Non le faccio nemmeno un euro di sconto. Mi darà tutto quello che mi deve dare". E' la dichiarazione di guerra che precede il congedo, gelido e assai lontano dallo standard: "Lasciamoci e rimaniamo amici".

Mancini, adesso, è ancora nella sua abitazione milanese e fonti del suo entourage parlano di una persona "atterrita, distrutta". Forse penserà alla telefonata delle "due chiacchiere", forse a una chiamata ricevuta solo il giorno precedente da Branca che voleva confrontarsi con lui sulle scelte di mercato da effettuare in merito agli esterni di centrocampo. A mente fredda, il tecnico dovrà valutare se davvero mettere tutto in mano ai legali e ottenere dall'Inter gran parte dei 24 milioni che, per contratto, gli sarebbero spettati fino alla scadenza naturale del 2012. All'Inter sanno bene che il rischio esiste: e, in caso di dichiarazione di guerra, puntano molto sulla sparata di Mancini seguita all'eliminazione col Liverpool, pa! role che, secondo il club, sono equivalenti a una volontà precisa di lasciare. L'altra tattica morattiana è quella, a bocce ferme, di un accordo privato che prevede una ricca buonuscita (si parla di 8-9 milioni di euro) in cambio, oltre che della pax legale, di una dichiarazione pubblica da parte di Mancini che parli di "scelta condivisa". Un obiettivo che, al momento, appare per l'Inter ancora più irraggiungibile della Champions League.
Il tecnico portoghese non è ancora a Milano. Indiscerzioni parlano di un suo arrivo nella città italiana nel tardo pomeriggio. Intanto Mancini non rilascia dichiarazioni alla stampa e si chiude nel suo silenzio dopo la notizia del suo esonero ricevuta ieri da Moratti.

AQUILANI RESTA,CRESPO FORSE ARRIVA

Il grande "acquisto" dell'estate la Roma deve ancora farlo. Conosce già nome, cognome e indirizzo del suo talento più ambito. E ora è pronta a fargli l'offerta che (dicono i dirigenti giallorossi) non potrà rifiutare.
Alberto Aquilani, 24 anni festeggiati ieri e un contratto fino al 2010 da 900mila euro a stagione, incontrerà Conti e Pradè il 21 luglio a Trigoria. Quel giorno la Roma gli presenterà la seguente offerta: "Insieme per i prossimi 5 anni, guadagnerai 2,3 milioni a stagione, a salire. Più premi". Difficile che il giovane romano (e romanista), cresciuto nel vivaio della Maggica, possa rifiutare.
Anche se alla Juve, così come all'Inter, all'Arsenal, al Real o al Barcellona (tutte squadre che lo hanno cercato), guadagnerebbe altre cifre: almeno 5-6 milioni in più, complessivamente. Il problema è che, per la Roma, Aquilani è incedibile: i Sensi hanno rifiutato un'offerta che comprendeva Iaquinta, Palladino e Marchionni più soldi. Dopo i rinnovi di De Rossi e! Doni sono vicini al terzo "acquisto" dell'estate. Sempre che il ragazzo si lasci comprare: la Juve e le altre ci sperano ancora.
Chiusa la pratica rinnovi, entro fine mese la Roma si butterà sull'attaccante di scorta che ancora manca a Spalletti. Con Mutu ormai lontano, Iaquinta resta una strada percorribile, ma è più probabile un affare unico con l'Inter. L'idea è questa: non più solo cash in cambio di Mancini (che entro la settimana passerà in nerazzurro), ma soldi e Crespo. L'attaccante, già scaricato dal Chelsea e da Mourinho, direbbe subito sì a un ruolo di vice Totti.

ADRI-IBRA E I LANCIERI SONO KO

L'Inter supera l'Ajax per 1-0 al torneo di Amsterdam. A decidere la gara è un gol di Adriano al 5' del primo tempo. Partono bene in nerazzurri, che trovano subito la rete con il centravanti brasiliano servito da Muntari. Poi cercano il raddoppio, ci va vicino Zanetti. In evidenza anche Ibrahimovic, nonostante i pochi minuti nelle gambe. Lo svedese, resta in campo per oltre un'ora e colpisce un palo. Il torneo lo vice l'Arsenal.

Funziona la coppia d'attacco Adriano-Ibrahimovic. Funziona da subito, tanto che bastano 5, miseri, minuti allo stesso Adriano per andare in gol e, in pratica, chiudere la gara. L'intesa tra il brasiliano e lo svedese fa sorridere Mourinho (invece sempre serio in panchina) che mette in campo un inedito (si fa per dire) 4-4-2. L'Ajax, da parte sua, fa di tutto per non entrare quasi mai in gara. Gli uomini di Van Basten hanno un sussulto solo con l'ingresso in campo di Sulejmani e Huntelaar. Poi il buio. L'Inter se la gode e guarda avanti... s! peranzosa.

INTER-AJAX 1-0

ANCELLOTTI NERO PER LA SCONFITTA COL LUGANO

E ora si può davvero parlare di allarme: il Milan contro il Lugano colleziona la sesta sconfitta su otto partite giocate dall'inizio della stagione. E se, prima del ko in casa contro il Bologna, ci si trincerava dietro le assenze dei vari fuoriclasse ora, con il rientro anche di Kakà, le scuse non valgono più. E lo si capisce anche dall'aria che tira in casa rossonera: Ancelotti furioso, per la prima volta, dopo una gara non parla.

LA BUNDESLIGA HA UN NUOVO RE

Nell'anticipo dell'11ª giornata di Bundesliga, il Bayer Leverkusen ha battuto per 2-0 il Wolfsburg.

Tutti nel secondo tempo i goal, con Barnetta a gonfiare la rete ospite al 57' e Kiessling a raddoppiare otto minuti dopo. Poca gloria per i due italiani del Wolfsburg: sia Barzagli che Zaccardo hanno giocato dal primo minuto, ma con quest'ultimo che ha collezionato un giallo nel primo tempo ed è stato sostituito al 69'.

tre punti importanti per il Bayer, che balza così in vetta alla Bundesliga con 24 puntiM due in più dell'Hoffenheim che comunque domani, vincendo contro il Karlsruhe in casa, può riconquistare il primo posto.

Questi i risultati e il programma di giornata:

Bayer Leverkusen-Wolfsburg 2-0
57'! Barnetta, 65' Kiessling

In programma sabato:
Bayern Monaco-Arminia Bielefeld
Energie Cottbus-Schalke
Hannover-Amburgo
Hoffenheim-Karlsruhe
Stoccarda-Colonia
Werder Brema-Hertha

In programma domenica:
Borussia Dortmund-Bochum
Monchengladbach-Eintracht Francoforte

IL MILAN COMPRA A PALERMO

da TMW

Il presidente del Palermo Zamparini ha espresso la volontà di non lasciare partire Moris Carrozzieri (28), ma secondo Tuttosport, il Milan sarebbe deciso a inserire l'ex atalantino nella retroguardia del futuro. La difesa non è il solo reparto che necessita di ritocchi e il club rossonero, che dovrebbe essere la big più attiva durante il mercato invernale, non abbandona neppure la pista che porta all'altro rosanero Giulio Migliaccio (27). Il centrocampista, che ultimamente non sta riuscendo a giocare con continuità, sembra disposto a cambiare aria e la possibilità di vestire la prestigiosa maglia del Milan è un'opportunità da cogliere al volo.

BRILLANO KAKA' E PATO,STECCA MATTIONI

Si è conclusa 2-2 l'amichevole disputata allo stadio di Ibrox Park di Glasgow tra i Rangers e il Milan. Il punteggio finale si è determinato nella ripresa, dopo che i primi 45 minuti si erano chiusi sullo 0-0. Vantaggio iniziale dei Rangers al 66' con Beasley, quindi pareggio rossonero al 70' con Pato e raddoppio di Kakà al 78'. La rete del definitivo pareggio è stata siglata da Papac all'82'. Non brilla all'esordio Mattioni.

Rangers-Milan 2-2

DEL PIERO-TREZEGUET VS CHELSEA

Senza gli ultimi infortunati Marchionni, Sissoko e Legrottaglie la Juve affronta all'Olimpico di Torino il Chelsea nel ritorno degli ottavi di Champions. Per ribaltare l'1-0 dell'andata, Ranieri si affida a Del Piero-Trezeguet, con Mellberg-Chiellini coppia centrale difensiva e Salihamidzic sulla corsia destra del centrocampo. C'è anche l'ipotesi delle tre punte, con Iaquinta in campo. Tridente per i Blues: Kalou-Drogba-Malouda.

Ranieri, che all'emergenza s'è ampiamente abituato nel corso della stagione, ancora una volta dovrà fare scelt! e obbligate, soprattutto a centrocampo, dove l'unica possibile novità potrebbe essere l'inserimento di Poulsen dal primo minuto. Il ko di Legrottaglie impone l'impiego di Mellberg al centro, con Grygera e Molinaro sulle fasce.

Per passare il turno, la Juve deve vincere con due gol di scarto. Impresa complicata, ecco perché qualcuno pensa all'ipotesi delle tre punte. Hiddink invece si affiderà al 4-3-3, con Ballack-Mikel-Lampard in mediana e la linea a quattro dei difensori formata da Bosingwa-Alex-Terry-Cole.

Fischio d'inizio alle 20:45, diretta su Tv Calcio 24 e hlts disponibili domani su Champions Show e poi su Mogulus ONDEMAND.

Ecco le probabili formazioni:
Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon; Grygera, Mellberg, Chiellini, Molinaro; Salihamidzic, Marchisio, Tiago, Nedved; Del Piero, Trezeguet
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Terry, Carvalho, A. Cole; Ballack, Mikel, Lampard; Kalou, Drogba, Malouda

numero 16 (settembre 2006)

"IL MIO ANNO PREFERITO" di N.Hornby

"English Football Days - 1863-1915" di Christian Cesarini

Ranieri ammette "Sono preoccupato". La dirigenza si ributta sul mercato

Non è tranquillo il mister della Juve.
Lo spogliatoio non è nel suo miglior momento,manca palleggio a centrocampo e l' assenza di Cristiano Zanetti pesa.
A sentir le parole di Ranieri i tifosi si pongono una semplice domanda : perché non è stato preso un altro regista sapendo la fragilità di questo giocatore?
E la risposta è un nome solo, adesso un rimpianto, un'occasione persa: Xabi Alonso.

Il mister confessa che l'interesse c' è stat! o, è stato osservato, ma non è adatto al gioco Juve. Lo spagnolo, a cui dovevano essere consegnate le chiavi del centrocampo è lento.Queste le motivazioni fornite dal mister per giustificare il mancato arrivo del regista, e la virata su Poulsen, considerato la pedina giusta per bilanciare il centrocampo. "Con Camo e Pavel sulle fasce se avessimo inserito un giocatore lento ci saremmo sblilanciati" afferma Ranieri.
I tifosi però non sono dello stesso avviso. La Juve non ha gioco né al centro, né sulle fasce (come vorrebbe Ranieri) e ora la necessità di un giocatore che detti i tempi incombe.Inoltre la difesa è in emergenza,causa infortuni e prestazioni non al top. La dirigenza dice che si sta "guardando attorno". Ma nelle immediate vicinanze non ci sono certo "occasioni". È interessante la posizione contrattuale del tedesco Schweinsteiger. L' esterno del Bayern Monaco ha una situazione particolare, simile a qu! ella di Flamini prima che approdasse in estate a Milano, spond! a Milan, proprio a danno della Juve. Poi c' è Diego, ottimo regista ma il prezzo è elevato : 13 mln di euro da versare nelle casse del Werder Brema. Per la difesa centrale fanno banco i nomi di Ivanovic, Lucho Gonzales ma più di tutti Zapata; giocatori importanti ma difficilmente separabili dalle loro società a meno di offerte "morattiane".
Serve un esterno sinistro, Molinaro non è mai stato fino ad ora incisivo e De Ceglie, non ha esperienza per giocare in Champions.
Insomma la Juve è un cantiere ancora apertissimo e ci si domanda se in estate si poteva fare di più.Alla porta ci sono sfide importanti, battere il Napoli e il Real Madrid è l'espediente necessario per risorgere in campionato e blindare il passaggio del turno in Champions.
Ma se qualcosa non dovesse andare, alla porta potrebbe andarci Ranieri.

Pubblicato da Raffaele Simeone - REDATTORE SEZIONE F. C. JUVENTUS

Calcio Mercato Results: ROMA

ROMA

! !

data trasferimento	nome giocatore	tipo movimento	squadra di provenienza
31/08/2009	ZAMBLERA FABIO	TEMPORANEO	NEWCASTELE UNITED
31/08/2009	DI GIOACCHINO PAOLO	DEFINITIVO	SIENA
31/08/2009	LOBONT BOGDAN	TEMPORANEO	DINAMO 1948
22/08/2009	BURDISSO Nicolas Andres	TEMPORANEO	INTER
23/06/2009	GUBERTI STEFANO	DEFINITIVO	BARI

http://www.lega-calcio.it/it/Serie-A-TIM/Calciomercato/ROMA.page

Carlsberg to be Dumped out of the Jersey

Liverpool look set to end their 17-year partnership with Danish brewers Carlsberg at the end of the 2009/10 season, according to reports.

Carlsberg and the club have not been able to reach an agreement on a new shirt sponsorship deal, with the Reds looking to double their price from the last time the deal was extended.

Reports suggest that financial giants Standard Chartered look set to sponsor the Reds for around £15million per year.
Standard Chartered recently narrowly lost out to Aon in competing to sponsor Manchester United and have extensive overseas interests particularly in the Far East, an area Liverpool are seemingly keen to develop their 'brand'.

Either way, Liverpool are due to have a change in home kit by Adidas next season after 2 years with the current design.

Kalou coy on contract talk

The Blues are keen to tie the Ivorian forward down on fresh terms as his current deal is set to expire next summer.

The 24-year-old has spent the last three years at Stamford Bridge, and has matured into a fine attacking talent.

A lack of opportunities at Chelsea has, however, led to speculation regarding his future.

Arsenal have been linked with a move in the past, while former Blues boss Joe Mourinho is said to be keen on taking him to Inter Milan.

Waiting game
Kalou is set to sit down with his current employers in the near future to talk about his plans, but he is giving nothing away at present.

He admits he is flattered to be mentioned alongside some of Europe's biggest clubs, but has stopped short of suggesting that he is keen to move on.

"We have to wait and see what happens," Kalou told skysports.com.

"I am relaxed. My contract this season is important as I need to be playing football an! d play well for my country.

"Having teams interested in me shows I am doing well, so let's wait and see."

"All because of the beautiful feet"

Prediction Score La Liga Primera: 1-2 November 2008

There is a bomb into the Zenit versus Juve

Prediction Score Serie A Italy: 24-25 January 2009

Red card for the whole team

Shoulder surgery rules Zaheer out of Champions Trophy

Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan is likely to be ruled out of the Champions Trophy starting late September, after undergoing a major shoulder surgery in South Africa last month. There are fears that he could miss the seven-match home ODI series against Australia in November-December as well if the recovery doesn't go according to plan.

Zaheer picked up the injury to his bowling shoulder during the second edition of the IPL while playing for the Mumbai Indians. He fell on his shoulder while fielding and was subsequently advised to rest. Zaheer aggravated the injury playing in the World Twenty20 and had to undergo surgery in South Africa in July, causing him to miss the four-match ODI series in West Indies.

The 30-year-old has been advised a minimum of three months' rest after his shoulder was operated upon by Dr Mark Fergus! on, who has successfully treated Sachin Tendulkar and former players Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble in the past.

The team for the ICC event has to be selected by August 23 but the national selectors are likely to meet earlier to pick the squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka starting September 8 and the Champions Trophy in South Africa that starts on September 25. Zaheer was named in a list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy.

Test Match Series: Sri Lanka v New Zealand

26-08-2009 at Colombo, Day 2 of 5

In Play

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat

Sri Lanka 1st Innings 416 all out (130.3 overs)

New Zealand 1st Innings 81 for 3 (21.4 overs)

Sri La! nka 1st Innings - All out

c Oram !

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Paranavitana	c Taylor	b Vettori	19	38	2	0
Dilshan	c and b	I O'Brien	29	58	1	0
Sangakkara	b Vettori	50	96	9	0
M Jayawardene	c B McCullum	b I O'Brien	92	234	8	0
Samaraweera	c B McCullum	b Patel	143	240	17	1
Kapugedera	c Vettori	b Patel	35	63	3	1
Jayawardene	c I O'B! rien	b C Martin	17	18	3	0
Prasad	c Taylor	b Patel	6	12	1	0
Herath	lbw	b Patel	0	1	0	0
Muralitharan	not out		17	19	1	1
Thush! ara	c Patel	b ! Vettori< /td>	0	5	0	0
Extras		1nb 2b 5lb	8
Total		all out	416	(130.3 ovs)

R 20.0 78 Bowler O M W C Martin 24.0 3 81 1 I O'Brien 22.0 3 73 2 Vettori 40.3 12 104 3 Oram 21.0 7 56 0 Patel 3 4 Ryder 3.0 1 17 0

M Jayawardene Fall of wicket 34 Paranavitana 75 Dilshan 115 Sangakkara 295 367 Kapugedera 389 Jayawardene 396 Prasad 396 Herath 415 Samaraweera 416 Thushara

Back to top

New ! Zealand 1st Innings

!

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
McIntosh	lbw	b Prasad	5	6	1	0
Guptill	c Muralitharan	b Thushara	35	44	7	0
Flynn	c Jayaward! ene	b Thushara	13	24	3	0
Taylor	not out		20	41	3	0
Ryder	not out		2	17	0	0
Extras		2nb 2w 2lb	6
Tota! l		for 3	81	(21.4 ovs)

Bowler O M R W Dilshan 1.0 0 6 0 Thushara 9.0 2 37 2 Prasad 4.4 0 31 1 Herath 7.0 5 5 0

Fall of wicket 14 McIntosh 49 Flynn 63 Gup! till

Strauss rues poor batting display

Captain Andrew Strauss blamed England's poor batting for his side nine-wicket defeat by Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final at Centurion.

England tumbled to 101-6 before getting up t! o 257, though they still lost by nine wickets after Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson both hit centuries.

"Our batsmen were to blame on a wicket where we should have been looking at scoring at least 300 runs.

"We tried to be positive but the shots did not come off," said Strauss.

England were indebted to a stand of seventh-wicket stand of 107 between Tim Bresnan (80) and Luke Wright (48) but the innings fell away after their dismissals and ended during their batting powerplay with a run-out in the 48th over.

"We were definitely keen to go out there and play our shots on a very good wicket and unfortunately it didn't come off," added Strauss.

!

"You live by the sword and you die by the sword.

"We have to keep playing our shots, it's refreshing to see the guys going out there and expressing themselves but we have to work on our skills to improve our percentages."

Australia, who have beaten England in seven of their last eight one-day matches, cruised to the target with 8.1 overs to spare thanks to a brutal unbeaten 134 from Watson and a faultless 111 not out from Ponting.

Strauss added: "When you lose six wickets for 100 runs it's always going to be hard to stay in the game.

"All credit to Tim Bresnan and Luke Wright for making sure we weren't completely out of the game, but we needed three or four early wickets and we didn't get them.

"Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting played magnificently well and they did a thoroughly professional job on us.

"We can take a lot from this tournament. I think we've played some good cricket, but ultimately Australia were too strong."

The defending champions now go forward to Monday's final against either Pakistan or New Zealand full of confidence.

Ponting and Watson's unbroken stand of 252 was an Australian record for any wicket in one-day cricket, while skipper Ponting became the third player in history to pass 12,000 one-day international runs as he notched up his 28th ODI century.

The 34-year-old, playing in his 323rd one-day international, followed Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya in reaching t! he landmark.

He said: "We ! were pre tty good and very good with the bat.

"I was confident that we could chase the England total and we stood up and got the job done.

"These are the sort of games that you look forward to. These are the moments that we pride ourselves on, standing up in big games and today we've been able to do that.

"We can take some confidence out of that for when we go to the final on Monday."

Watson was named man of the match after coming off a poor run of form to hit seven scorching sixes in a tremendous display of power hitting, while he also contributed two wickets with the ball.

He said: "Ricky really helped me a lot throughout my innings, especially in the middle period, so to have him there getting me through th! at period was excellent."