Ethiosport

Ethiopia Toasted Mauritannia in CAN/WC 2010 Qualifier

2008-06-23T14:43:00.003-04:00

Ethiopia ended Mauritania's faint hopes of advancing to the second phase of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers after thumping the West Africans 6-1 on Sunday.

The home side had their way in the Group Eight game in Addis Ababa and also keep alive their hopes of catching up on leaders Morocco and Rwanda.

Strikers Teferra Fikru, Andualem Nigussie and Mohamed Mesud grabbed a brace each as the East Africans eased to the convincing win.

The visitors got their consolation through Taghiyoullah Denna in first-half injury time but the defeat means Mauritania are eliminated from any chance of advancement.

They are yet to gain a point with only two matches remaining.

The win leaves Ethiopia with six points, just three behind joint-leaders Morocco and Rwanda, who are level on nine points.

Morocco went back to the top of Group Eight with a 2-0 win over Rwanda on Saturday.

The win in Casablanca ended the 100 percent record of Rwanda and took the Atlas Lions to nine points, same as Amavubi.

Captain Youssef Safri converted a penalty in the 11th minute to give the home side the lead at the Sportif Mohamed V Stadium.

Nabil El Zhar sealed the victory four minutes after break with a strike from the edge of the box.

Rwanda played the last 23 minutes with 10 men after defender Patrick Mafisango was sent off.

Morocco will travel to Ethiopia for the next round of matches in September while Mauritania host Rwanda

Source BBC

Ethiopia Wins Mauritania in the CAN/WC Qualifier

2008-06-17T01:50:00.003-04:00

On matchday three of Africa's second qualifying round for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, Ethiopia defeated Mauritania 1-0 yesterday in the battle of the bottom sides in Group 8.

Salahidin's only goal helped the Walyas to snatch their first 3 pointer since the game started. The match took place in the capital of Mauritania Nouakchott.
The win gives the Walyas their first three points of the campaign, although they still have it all to do to catch joint leaders Morocco and Rwanda, who put their 100% record on the line when they go head-to-head on 14 June in Kigali.

The 40,000 crowd at the Olympic stadium in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott witnessed a fiercely fought game between two sides desperate to get their first points on the board. In the end, however, a late lapse in concentration by the locals allowed Ethiopia to steal all three points with a Said Salahddine strike two minutes into added time.

Despite moving into third place in the group, the Walyas still have a negative goal difference of -3. However, it is marginally better than that of the hapless Mauritanians (-7), who remain rooted to the foot of the table with three defeats from three games

Ethiopia vs Morocco WC/CAN 2010 Qualifier Video Highlights

2008-06-11T02:34:00.001-04:00

Bekele's world record attempt falls short

2008-06-08T01:38:00.008-04:00

June 8, 2008
Kenenisa Bekele's attack on his world 10,000-metre record fell short at the Prefontaine Track Classic in Eugene, Ore., Sunday.

The defending Olympic champion finished in a time of 26 minutes, 25.97 seconds — eight seconds off the record of 26:17.53, which he set in Brussels in 2005.

It is still a time that only he and two-time Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie have ever beaten and is likely to reinforce his dominance as the Beijing Games approach.

His Ethiopian teammates Ibrahim Jeilan and Maregu Zewdie filled the next two places with Mark Kosgei Kiptoo of Kenya finishing fourth.

The race was held at 9:30 a.m. local time in order to have the best running conditions possible. It was 13 degrees and calm at the start. Meet director Tom Jordan had compiled environmental conditions over the past 20 years which showed a 9:30 start was optimal.

A procession of pacemakers lined up to assist Bekele, but he was alone over the last three kilometres.

In Oslo's Golden League meet on Friday night, Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba smashed the world 5,000-metre record set by another Ethiopian, Meseret Defar.

She won the race in 14:38.73, well ahead of Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya whom she defeated to win the 2007 IAAF world championship title.

Kara Goucher, the American distance runner who shocked many by winning the bronze medal in the 10,000-metre race at Osaka, Japan, finished third in 14:58.10.

The Prefontaine Classic is held in memory of the late Steve Prefontaine, who ran at the University of Oregon and finished fourth in the 5,000-metre race at the 1972 Munich Games. He was killed in a car crash in 1975.

Ethiopian Team Loses to Rwanda

2008-06-08T01:38:00.007-04:00

Rwanda staged a thrilling comeback to beat Ethiopia 2-1 in Addis Ababa in a 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Ethiopia went ahead in the first half when Tafese Testfaye put his side ahead at the end of the first half.

But Rwanda's Abedi Said scored an equaliser half way through the second half.

Olivier Karekezi snatched victory for the Wasps just one minute before the final whistle.

Morocco moved to the top Group 8 of the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after beating Mauritania 4-1 on Saturday.

Portugal-based Tarik Sektioui put the Atlas Lions in the lead on eight minutes with a strike from the edge of the box.

The north Africans continued to dominate the game in Nouakchott and doubled their advantage through striker Abdessalam Benjelloun, who found the target in the 36th minute for his second of the campaign.

Youssef Safri made it 3-0 on the hour mark before Houssine Kharja's strike beat Mauritania goalkeeper Souleymane Diallo.

The home side scored a consolation in the 82nd minute after Dominique Da Silva converted a spot kick.

Morocco continue their 2010 qualifiers in Rwanda while Mauritania play host to Ethiopia, both games are next weekend.

World and African Cup Qualification Matches Underway

2008-06-08T01:38:00.006-04:00

Ethiopia's national soccer team started the competition by losing 3-0 to Morocco in Kazablanka last week. And the national team will be facing Rwanda in addis Ababa this sunday. Good luck to our national team. Read the full report here

Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia breaks world record in women's 5,000 metres

2008-06-08T01:38:00.001-04:00

OSLO, Norway — Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia broke the world record in the women's 5,000 metres with a time of 14 minutes 11.15 seconds at the Bislett Games on Friday.

Dibaba, an Olympic and world champion who had never broken an outdoor world mark, improved the old record by more than five seconds.

Another Ethiopian, Meseret Defar, set the old record of 14:16.63 last year at Bislett Stadium. Defar did not enter Friday's race.

It is the 54th world record set at Bislett Stadium - second only to the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden - since 1924, and the first since one of athletics' most famous venues was rebuilt four years ago.

Our Athlet's Victory Videos in Edinburgh-Kenenisa

2008-03-31T02:11:00.008-04:00

Our Athlets' Victory Videos in Edinburgh-Tirunesh

2008-03-31T02:11:00.007-04:00

Younger sister leads the way - Edinburgh 2008

2008-03-30T15:41:00.001-04:00

Edinburgh, Scotland - Sunday, 30 March 2008
There was a familiar name on the vest and a familiar smile on the face of Genzebe Dibaba as she bounced down the final, muddy slope of the three-lap course at Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park this afternoon and sped across the line to become the 2007 World Junior Cross Country champion emulating her older sister Tirunesh who won the title in 2003.

“I expected to get a medal but I didn’t expect to win,” said the delighted 17-year-old after adding a fifth World Cross gold medal to the Dibaba family’s growing collection.

“My sister gave me good advice before the race,” she said of Tirunesh, who just one hour later regained the senior title she’d won in 2005 and 2006.

Indeed, her much-honoured sister would have been rightly proud of the way Genzebe claimed victory. After sitting just behind the leaders for much of the 6km race, Dibaba pounced to the front only in the final stages of the last lap, attacking Kenya’s Irene Cheptai up the steep climb of Haggis Knowe, the round, rocky hillock that forms part of this picturesque course about 400m from the finish.

Cheptai, who had attempted to break away on the final lap, chased hard but had no answer to the Ethiopian’s surge as Dibaba sprinted past the grandstand and crossed the line in 19:59 with Cheptai second just five seconds slower.

Dibaba’s teammate Emebt Etea made up for her distastrous experience in Mombasa 12 months ago when she was stretchered from the course suffering from heat exhaustion. The 18-year-old grabbed the bronze two seconds behind Cheptai.

With Emebet Bacha in fifth place and Betelhem Moges in seventh, Ethiopia regained the team title from Kenya for the first time since 2004. It was quite some redemption after 2007 when a clutch of Ethiopians miss calculated the laps and ended up “only” with the bronze medal.

For Dibaba, who finished fifth last year, it was less a redemption than the start of a new chapter in a highly successful family saga as she followed Tirunesh and Ejagayou, the eldest of the three, in the ranks of the world’s best.

“I have looked up to my sisters for so so long. I am very happy to be like them,” said Dibaba.

Indeed, the familiarity was uncanny as Genzebe executed her victory in a style that’s become all to familiar to Tirunesh’s rivals over recent years. Always in touch but never in front, Genzebe followed a large pack that carefully negotiated its way round the muddy track through the first, shorter lap of the course.

While it was no surprise to see a mass of Kenyans and Ethiopians at the front it was Australia’s Tamara Carvolth who led in the early stages with Kenya’s Mercy Kosgei, last year’s silver medallist and one of the favourites, just on her shoulder.

But it wasn’t to be Kosgei’s day. When five Kenyans pushed on in front through the second lap, their red and black vests spread across the narrow track, Kosgei wasn’t among them. Perhaps she, like many others, was having trouble negotiating the tight, slippy corners of the course.

Three athletes fell as they approached the hill for the first time and there were other spillages later. At the end of the second lap Kosgei was well off the pace as six Kenyans and six Ethiopians led three Japanese into the final circuit.

It was only with half a lap to go that the Ethiopians pushed to the fore with Etea leading the charge and Dibaba, as ever, just off the pace.

Cheptai made her move as they came to the hill for the last time and at first it looked decisive. But Genzebe had a family trademark, the Dibaba finish, up her sleave.

She leapt past her Kenyan rival on the steepest part of the slope and in a flash was away and gone, around the hill and down past the Ethiopian flags.

“After the first two laps were over, it was only on the third lap I realised I could win,” said Dibaba. “The weather was good today.”

Etea also had good reason to be pleased with the conditions. “Mombasa was very tough last year, it was very hot and I was very ill,” she said. “It took me about three months to recover.

“Today it was comfortable and I am very happy to bring Ethiopia the gold.”

Dibaba sisters make it a family affair – Edinburgh 2008

2008-03-30T15:12:00.002-04:00

Edinburgh, Scotland - As inspiration goes it takes some beating. Only minutes after becoming the most successful woman in the history of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Tirunesh Dibaba stood in the flapping white tent that served as a media/athlete mixed zone in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park and insisted it wasn’t her own victory that had painted the broad, joyful smile on her mud-spotted 22-year-old face.

What does it mean to win your third World Cross Country long course title, she was asked? “Yes, I am very happy to win again,” she replied. “But I am more happy about my sister than I am about myself.”

Just an hour before Dibaba had defied the doubters by winning her fifth individual World Cross Country gold, her 17-year-old sister Genzebe had sprung a surprise by winning the junior women’s title, emulating her older sister’s victory from 2003, the first of Tirunesh’s eight-medal haul.

For Genzebe it was her first major honour of any kind and an immediate inspiration to Tirunesh who was watching, nervously, from the sidelines. Indeed, she was meant to be warming up for her own race, but the anxiety proved too much and Tirunesh neglected her own preparations as her sister snatched an unexpected gold and set Ethiopia on the way to a record-breaking day.

“No, I didn’t warm up a lot,” said Tirunesh. “I was watching Genzebe’s race and I was very anxious for her, more anxious than I was for myself.

“I am so happy now that we have both won golds, but I am more happy for her than I am for me.”

The Dibaba sisters may have become the first athletes from the same family to win gold medals at these championships, but neither was assured of victory until the final stages of their races. Indeed, they adopted strikingly similar race tactics.

Both spent the early laps hanging off the lead but never losing touch with the front runners. Both made their strikes on the final climb around the one testing hill on the Holyrood Park course, known to natives of Edinburgh as Haggis Knowe. And both produced unmatchable bursts of speed from the summit to take them clear of their rivals.

What’s more, after finishing fifth last year in Mombasa, when she and two of her teammates miscounted the laps, Genzebe wasn’t even favourite for her event, while Tirunesh’s form and fitness were in doubt after unsolved stomach problems had caused her to cancel much of her 2007 track season.

Incredibly, according to officials from the Ethiopian team, she was still only 75 per cent fit coming in to today’s race. “The stomach was all right today,” she said. “In the middle of the race I did begin to feel it but it slowly went away, so maybe it’s not like in the past.”

Afterwards, with the doubts truly laid to rest, both sisters were eager to give each other credit for their wins.

For Genzebe, it was Tirunesh’s “very good” pre-race advice that held the key, while for Tirunesh it was the thought of her sister’s win that spurred her into one last heroic effort at the end of her gruelling, and compelling, 8km race.

“It was partly in order to match her (Genzebe’s) achievement that I dug in and put everything I had into winning,” she said.

Back in Ethiopia they actually compete for different clubs – Genzebe for the Muger Cement Sports Club and Tirunesh for the Prisons Police – but they do often train together, along with their older sister, Ejagayou, the Olympic 10,000m silver medallist. They also plan to come together in the same club later this year.

“Genzebe is so young and talented,” said Dibaba of her younger sister. “In time I expect she’ll become even stronger and quicker than me.”

But for the Dibabas the habit of winning World Cross Country titles runs even further back in the family. Derartu Tulu, the champion in 1995, 1997 and 2000, is their cousin and Tirunesh was also keen to pay respects to the first great lady of Ethiopian distance running.

“I am aware that my cousin has won this race three times, so I’m very happy to have done the same thing,” she said.

For Tirunesh, today’s victory was something of a redemption after she was beaten last year in the heat of Mombasa by the Dutchwoman Lornah Kiplagat when chasing a third consecutive gold. It was a tough year for Ethiopia as a whole and Tirunesh was clearly motivated this afternoon by the need to put things right.

“Last year, as individuals and as a team we didn’t do well,” she said. “This year we redeemed ourselves. We have been preparing for a long time. Cross country is very important to us and we wanted to bring a strong team and do very well here.”

Well and truly redeemed on the grass, now Dibaba will aim to match her cousin again, on the track, by becoming the Olympic 10,000m champion. “I expect to do well,” she said of the Beijing Olympics this August.

Perhaps she should make sure Genzebe races as well – just for the inspiration.

Ethiopia romp home to their first ever sweep of all four individual golds – Edinburgh 2008

2008-03-30T14:58:00.002-04:00

Edinburgh, Scotland - Sunday March 2008
The heat of Mombasa is now but a memory, a nightmare of course, in the history of Ethiopian distance running.

In cold, occasionally rainy and blustery conditions in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park at this afternoon’s 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships it was not just a climatic differences between the previous and current venues of these championships which were noticeable but competitive ones too.

In Kenya last year the women’s senior team title had been the only success for the green vested runners from the Ethiopian highlands otherwise they had been routed by their Kenyan hosts, Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese and the Netherlands’ Lornah Kiplagat.

Had it just been the heat of the Indian Ocean coastal city which had defied Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba and their compatriots?

Whatever the reason Ethiopian flags were enthusiastically unfurled over the course in Holyrood Park today as a large expat community among an estimated overall crowd of over 20,000 spectators, celebrated their country's first ever sweep of the four indivdual race titles in the slippery muddy conditions of the heavily rain and wind swept grass circuit.

The last time such a feat had been achieved was 1994 when Kenya’s William Sigei (Men), Hellen Chepngeno (Women), Philip Mosima (Jnr men) and Sally Barsosio (Jnr Women) occupied all the top steps of the World Cross Country podium.

Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba, Ibrahim Jeilan and Genzebe Dibaba will now be lauded in Addis Ababa on their return home.

Kenya will be relieved to have pulled together team victories ahead of their foes in the senior and junior men’s race but this was redemption day time for Ethiopia’s Mombasa defeated who surprise, surprise, secured the other two team titles.

One could almost describe the day as ‘normal service resumed’ had the Ethiopian performance not in itself been unique in the annals of their all ready illustrious history at the World Cross Country Championships.

Haile Wins Half Marathon in Lisbon

2008-03-17T00:40:00.001-04:00

Lisbon, Portugal - Haile Gebrselassie dominated the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon from the start and made a solitary race after the 10th kilometre en route to his victory in 59:15 In the women’s field the race had a emotional finish with Kenyan Salina Kosgei achieving her third victory in Lisbon.

Near the 5 km race (in an official time of 14:00 min) Haile, with the Kenyans Charles Kamathi and Robert Cheuiyot, took the lead from a small group, but from the 10th kilometre, the Ethiopian ran alone, without “rabbits”, and so, the split times where below the requirements for an attack on the World record. With 27:59 (10 km) and 42:03 (15 km), Gebrselassie struggled for the mark, and along with it, a 50,000 euros bonus.

Haile said: "I tried to push myself for a better performance but I couldn’t do better. It’s a little bit hot, I’m feeling well, but I couldn’t achieve my goal. It’s no excuse, but I’m a litlle bit worried about my father’s health. I’m in good shape and I can’t tell why I couldn’t run faster.”

Behind him, the battle for second place was very tough, with Cheruiyot (six times on the podium in Lisbon without a victory) passing his compatriot Kamathi in the final metres.

Surprising with a fourth place showing was Samuel Karanja (1:01:52), ahead of the first Portuguese runner, Eduardo Henriques (1:02.08), who will turn 40 next week and who is preparing to compete at the upcoming IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, a few weeks after taking the Portuguese title.

Among the top ten runners, Portugal saw four runners, a strong position for them, ahead of well-known runners as Jaouad Gharib (10th), Nixon Kiprono (9th), and others.

Third victory for Kosgei

If, in the men’s race, Gebrselassie grabbed the lead and dominated the race, among the women, the title was in “game” during the entire race. All the favourites ran together, respecting each other’s form, and only in the last metres was everything solved with Salina Kosgei achieving her third title, after the wins in 2005 and 2006.

In the final “sprint”, Kosgei gained two seconds on her countrywomen Pamela Chepchumba, the 2007 World Road Running Championships bronze medalist, and to Souad Aït Salem of Algeria who both finished with the same time of 1:09:59.

Off the podium, but very close, were the Ethiopians Berhane Adere and Tigist Tufa, who had impressed with a personal best, and Atsede Habtamu who finished sixth, under 1:11, as did Briton Jo Pavey, who was seventh in 1:10.39, also a personal best.

Among the Portuguese, Inês Monteiro was the best, in 11st place, with 01:12:33.

All performances of the elite athletes can be considered because the entire course was flat and measured in accordance with IAAF rules. The conditions were a little bit on the hot side, without wind.

António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF

Leading Results -
Men:
1. Haile Gebrselassie ETH 59.15
2. Charle Kamathi KEN 1:00.45
3. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot KEN 1:00.50
4. Samuel Karanja KEN 1:00.52
5. Eduardo Henriques POR 1:02.10
6. Manuel Damião POR 1:03.07
7. Paulo Gomes POR 1:03.20
8. Hermano Ferreira POR 1:03.22

Women:
1. Salina Kosgei KEN 1:09.57
2. Pamela Chepchumba KEN 1:09.59
3. Souad Aït Salem ARG 1:09.59
4. Berhane Adere ETH 1:10.01
5. Tigist Tufa ETH 1:10.03
6. Atsede Habtamu ETH 1:10.15
7. Jo Pavey GBR 1:10.39
8. Madai Perez MEX 1:11.02

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Tariku Bekele Wins Men's 3,000 in Valencia

2008-03-10T22:09:00.001-04:00

Sunday, 09 March 2008 Men's 3000m

It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that the first time a major global title would be transferred between siblings, that the family name would be Bekele. With a dominating second half performance Tariku Bekele succeeded older broth Kenenisa as World Indoor 3000m champion.

Tariku, sixth behind his brother two years ago in Moscow, played the favourite’s role admirably, biding his time in the race’s first half before taking control over the second en route to a convincing 7:48.23 victory.

Kenyan Paul Kipsiele Koech, who took command of the race in the early stages, held on to finish a distant second in 7:49.05.

“It was a very good race,” said Bekele, who arrived in Valencia as the world leader at 7:31.09, notably, faster than his brother this year. “Winning is not easy but I have been training hard. My tactic was to run really fast during the last kilometre.”

Kipsiele Koech, better known as a steeplechase specialist, took control from the gun, followed by Ethiopian No. 2 Abrahem Cherkos, with Bekele and Australian Craig Mottram tucking in behind. Little changed by 1000m, with the field running as a fairly solid pack.

The order remained with 800m to go, but the pack was beginning to spread out, with Koech still in the lead, and Bekele ready to pounce.

He took the lead with two laps to go, with Koech, Cherkos, Mottram and Edwin Soi struggling to hang on. With Soi and Mottram dropping back, the medals and finishing order were already decided.

“I’m happy because I won a medal,” said Kipsiele Koech. “I expected to at least get something.”

Cherkos, only 18, followed Koech across the line to take bronze (7:49.96) in his first World Championships appearance, followed by Soi (7:51.60) and further back, Mottram (7:52.42).

“This is very good for the Ethiopian team,” Cherkos understated. “We are very strong runners.”

Bekele’s victory was the fifth in the event for Ethiopia. Boding well for Bekele is that he not only succeeds his brother, but also three-time winner Haile Gebrselassie as well.

Gebrselassie opts out of marathon in Olympics!

2008-03-10T11:08:00.002-04:00

Haile Gebrselassie says he will not run in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of the city's air pollution levels.

The marathon world record holder suffers from asthma and missed the 2007 London Marathon because of the problem. The 34-year-old will now try to qualify for Ethopia in the 10,000m at Beijing. "The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for me to run 42km in my current condition," Gebrselassie told Reuters.

"But I am not pulling out of the Olympic event in Beijing all together. I plan to participate in the 10,000 m event."

The International Olympic Committee has voiced concerns over the issue of air pollution in Beijing.

If contingency measures do not have the desired affect then endurance events could be delayed for a few hours or rescheduled for another day.

Last year Britain's Paula Radcliffe called in pollution experts to help her plans to run in the Games marathon.

At the time her husband and manager Gary Lough told BBC Sport that Radcliffe, who suffers from exercise-induced asthma, may have to change her medication in China.

"She may have to adapt her doses or medication but as long as we've done enough research and thought about it, it hopefully won't be an issue," he said.

"There's no point in us being especially concerned, because pollution's not really something you can control."(BBC)

Meseret Defar Completes hat-trick in Indoors Compitition

2008-03-09T04:06:00.001-04:00

VALENCIA, Spain (Reuters) - Ethiopian long distance specialist Meseret Defar and Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva won their third consecutive world indoor titles on Saturday.

Defar produced a devastating last-lap burst to see off compatriot Meselech Melkamu and complete a hat-trick in the women's 3,000 metres, while Isinbayeva claimed her third indoor gold with a leap of 4.75 metres in the pole vault.

Jennifer Stuczynski of the United States also cleared 4.75 but had to settle for silver on the countback while Brazilian Fabiana Murer took the bronze.

Olympic and world 5,000 champion Defar ran a near perfect race, biding her time as she tucked in behind the leaders in the early stages and stepped up a gear just before the last lap to win in eight minutes 38.79 seconds ahead of Melkamu.

Morocco's Meriem Alaoui Selsouli was third and Kenya's Sylvia Kibet finished fourth.

"Today it was an easy race for me, because of that I didn't have to run too fast," Defar told reporters. "It's excellent preparation for the Beijing Olympics (in August)."

Sweden's Stefan Holm went one better than Defar to notch his fourth indoor world title in the men's high jump.

As expected the contest was a duel between reigning champion Yaroslav Rybakov and Holm. The 31-year-old Swede won with a clearance of 2.36 metres while the Russian only managed 2.34.

"It's a fact as I get older it gets a bit harder to win medals," said Holm. "But I'm really satisfied with my title and I'm still motivated."

MEKONNEN REINSTATED

Ethiopia's Deresse Mekonnen had an anxious wait before finally being adjudged to have won the men's 1,500 metres.

He crossed the line first in 3 minutes 38.23 but was initially disqualified for stepping off the track after colliding with New Zealander Nicholas Willis.

However, the appeals jury decided the Ethiopian was not at fault and he was later reinstated as the winner while Willis remained disqualified.

Kenya's Daniel Kipchirchir Komen took silver and Juan Carlos Higuero pipped fellow Spaniard Arturo Casado to take the bronze.

There were surprises in the men's and women's 60 metres hurdles with hot favourites Dayron Robles and Susanna Kallur making early exits.

Robles went out in the first round after being left on his blocks when the 21-year-old Cuban thought rival Liu Xiang had made a false start.

Swedish world record holder Kallur withdrew from the semi-finals of the women's event after suffering a hamstring injury in the warm-up.

Liu took advantage of Robles' absence to add the indoor title to his Olympic and outdoor crowns with victory in 7.46 seconds, while 37-year-old Allen Johnson crossed in second to add a silver to his extensive medal haul.

Yevgeniy Borisov of Russia and Latvia's Stanislavs Olijars were awarded joint bronze medals after they could not be separated in the photo finish.

Lolo Jones took gold in the women's hurdles in 7.80 seconds ahead of fellow American Candice Davis and Cuba's Anay Tejeda.

World outdoor triple jump champion Yargelis Savigne added the indoor crown to her collection. The Cuban snatched victory from Olympic silver medallist Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece with a final leap of 15.05 metres. Slovenia's Marija Sestak was third.

South Africa's Godfrey Mokoena overhauled early leader Chris Tomlinson of Britain to win the long jump with a fifth-round leap of 8.08 metres.

Asian champion Mohamed Salman Al-Khuwalidi of Saudi Arabia also broke the 8 metre barrier to take the bronze.

Man Utd. closes the gap in english premier league

2008-03-01T16:25:00.006-05:00

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/embed/iframe/panel/cid/9Q9Z5TPRKTVTYBYJ

Kenenisa Breaks Haile's Record

2008-02-17T02:33:00.002-05:00

Bekele sets 2-mile indoor record
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 02/16/2008 10:06:19 AM MST

BIRMINGHAM, England—Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia set the world record for the indoor 2 miles Saturday, breaking the mark that had been held for five years by countryman Haile Gebrselassie.
He was timed in 8 minutes, 4.35 seconds at the Norwich Union Grand Prix, reducing the record by 0.34 seconds. Gebrselassie's record of 8:04.69 was set at the same National Indoor Arena in February 2003.
"It was not easy but I knew I could do it," said Bekele, who was chased for most of the race by Kenya's Paul Koech but produced a fast final lap to run away from the field. "Paul Koech was very close, but I knew I had a fast finish in me."
Koech finished second in 8:06.48 and Kenya's Abraham Chebii was a distant third in 8:13.28.
Bekele has broken Gebrselassie's 2,000 and 5,000 indoor marks in Birmingham. He was close to breaking Gebrselassie's 2-mile mark last year.
"It is great here in Birmingham and it helped me with the fast time today," said Bekele, who earned $30,000 for beating the mark.

Kenenisa Wins Edinburgh Cross Country

2008-01-12T21:45:00.001-05:00

Ethiopa's Kenenisa Bekele produced an inspired late surge to beat Saif Saaeed Shaheen and win the 9km title at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country.
Shaheen, the world 3,000m steeplechase champion, looked set to inflict a shock defeat on Bekele when he sprinted for home on the final kilometre.
However, the Olympic and world 10,000m champion responded and finally overtook the tiring Shaheen in the final stages.
Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea finished in third place.
"Yes it hurt, it was a hard race and he made me work with everything I had for the win," said Bekele, who has never lost a senior cross-country race.
Britain's Nick McCormick delivered another strong display of front running to defend his 4km title.
The 24-year-old survived a fall in the opening stages but quickly regained his lead to finish ahead of Briton Michael Skinner and Hungary's Barnabas Bene.
"It was tighter than I thought it would be," McCormick told BBC Sport.
"Now my next target is the 1500m in the Commonwealth Games where I think I have a realistic chance of doing well."
Gelete Burka shocked double world champion Tirunesh Dibaba to claim the women's 6km at Holyrood Park.
Defending champion Dibaba, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m in Helsinki, was the red-hot favourite but struggled over the hills and never really got going.
Burka, the Ethiopian world junior cross country champion, accelerated away from the field to win in 19 minutes flat.
Kenyan Isabella Ochichi was 12 seconds behind in silver with Dibaba back in third.
Hayley Yelling was the first Briton home in 20:06, edging out local favourite Kathy Butler and Helen Clitheroe.

Week 20 premeir League Highlights!

2007-12-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

Westham 2-1 Manchester Utd

Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

Everton 1-4 Arsenal

Portsmouth 0-1 Middlesbrough

Tottenham 6-4 Reading

Arsenal Half Season Performance Video!

2007-12-23T11:09:00.000-05:00

Surprise Start (partI)

Fall Fever(Part II)

.

Week 17 premeir League Fixtures, Results and Video!

2007-12-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

Saturday, 15 December 2007
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea(second half)

Liverpool 0-1 Man Utd

Derby 0-1 Middlesbrough

Wigan 5-3 Blackburn

Man City 4-2 Bolton
Bianchi's goal

Dioff's goal

Nolan's goal

own goal (bolton)

vassell's goal

etuhu's goal

West Ham 0-2 Everton

Birmingham 1-1 Reading

Portsmouth 0-1 Tottenham

Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa

Fulham 0-1 Newcastle

Champions League Videos!

2007-12-14T13:07:00.000-05:00

Arsenal 2-1 Steaua Bucharest

Rangers 0-3 Lyon

Barcelona 3-1 Stuttgart

PSV 0-1 Intermillan

Slavia Prague 0-3 Sivilla

Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Dynemo Kiev

Roma 1-1 Manchester utd

Fenerbahce 3-1 CSKA Moscow

Marseille 0-4 Liverpool

Real Madrid 3-1 Lazio

Olympiakos 3-0 Werder Bremen

Porto 2-0 Besiktas

Chelsea 0-0 Valencia

schalke 3-1 Rosenborg

2007-12-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

Middlesbrough 2-1 Arsenal

2008 African Champions League Draw !

2007-12-04T10:54:00.001-05:00

12th Edition of CAF 2008 Champions League draw has been made on December 4, 2007.

Ethiopian champion Awassa City is drawn against Simba of Tanzania in the preliminary round. The first game will be played in Addis Ababa on February 17/2008. If Awassa city get through to the next round, a tougher opposition from the winner of Enyimba of Nigeria and Diables Noire of Congo awaits them.

Meanwhile,Al Hilal of Sudan, a semifinalist on last champions league competition, is given a bye on the first round with six other clubs from Egypt, Cote d'ivoir, Tunisia, Algeria and Lybia. Eritrean champion Al Tahrir is paired with Kenyan champion Tusker in the first round and the winner will play against Egytian giant Al Ahly.

On Confederation Cup draw, Harar Beer will play Rayon Sports of Rwanda and the winner of the two meet Al Merreikh of Sudan in the second round.(CAF)

Kaka-European Player of the Year!

2007-12-02T09:36:00.000-05:00

AC Milan's attacking midfielder Kaká has been voted the European Footballer of the Year, collecting the Ballon d'Or live on French television on Sunday morning.

Crowning glory
The Brazilian international told free-to-air channel TV TF1: "This award crowns an outstanding year for me. I thank God for this prize, which is the biggest any player can win, and also my wife and my parents. But to get a trophy like this, you also need to have a winning team around you, that's essential – so I'm grateful to Milan and to Brazil."

Athens victory
The 25-year-old helped Milan win the UEFA Champions League last season, scoring a campaign-best ten goals for the Italian club en route to their final victory against Liverpool FC in Athens. "This is fully deserved," said Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti. "Not just for his game but also for his image. He is a great person."

World vote
The former São Paulo FC player also scored Milan's third goal in their 3-1 defeat of Sevilla FC in the UEFA Super Cup match in August. He claimed 444 points in the vote for the award, with Cristiano Ronaldo (277) and Lionel Messi (255) the next best nominees. The Ballon d'Or, which in 2006 went to Italy's Fabio Cannavaro, was this year decided by a worldwide representation of 96 journalists, rather than by the previous poll of European football journalists.

Honourable mention
The European Footballer of the Year competition continues to be organised by France Football magazine, which inaugurated the award in 1956. Completing the list of this year's top players were: Didier Drogba, Andrea Pirlo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Cesc Fabregas, Robinho, Francesco Totti, Frédéric Kanouté, Ronaldinho, Steven Gerrard, Juan Román Riquelme, Daniel Alves, Filippo Inzaghi, Franck Ribéry, Paolo Maldini, Gianluigi Buffon, Petr Čech, Gennaro Gattuso, Thierry Henry, and Clarence Seedorf.(UEFA)

Euro 2008 finals Draw!

2007-12-02T09:03:00.000-05:00

World champions Italy were pitted against old foes France in the draw for the Euro 2008 finals made here on Sunday.

The pair, who clashed in last year's World Cup final and again in qualifying for next year's European championships, were joined by the Netherlands and Romania in Group C, the dreaded group of death.

Group A:
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Portugal
Turkey

Group B:
Austria
Croatia
Germany
Poland

Group C:
Holland
Italy
Romania
France

Group D:
Greece
Sweden
Spain
Russia

Meseret Defar-Female World Athletes of the Year!

2007-11-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

Gay and Defar are World Athletes of the Year - Powell and Vlasic win Performance of the Year Award

During the celebrations of the World Athletics Gala hosted by International Athletic Foundation (IAF) Honorary President HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and IAF & IAAF President Lamine Diack in the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club d’Eté Monte Carlo, 25-year-old American Tyson Gay and Ethiopia’s 23-year-old Meseret Defar were crowned as the male and female World Athletes of the Year.

A three-time World champion Tyson Gay, the 2007 Male World Athlete of the Year commented:

“To follow in Carl Lewis's footsteps (the first winner of the IAF Athlete of the Year) is just a great honour.

"I think for this year (winning the World Championships) makes me the fastest man in the world, but I honestly think that I need to have the World record like some of the other great sprinters like Carl Lewis, Maurice Greene. I think that sets you apart, having medals and having the world record."

Winner of all her races this season, including two World records and a World best, Meseret Defar, the 2007 Female World Athlete of the Year commented: “I don’t have words to describe how happy I am.

"This is very special for me. This is very special for Ethiopian women. Those who struggle very hard and who don't have very many opportunities to achieve the highest levels of athletics. So I dedicate this award to them."

2007 World Athletics Gala Awards

World Athletes of the Year

Male Winner:
Tyson Gay USA

Female Winner:

Meseret Defar ETH

Performances of the Year
Male Winner Asafa Powell JAM
Female Winner Blanka Vlasic CRO

Hero of Athletics Award
Carl Lewis USA

Inspirational Award
Paula Radcliffe GBR

Haile Gebrselassie ETH

Newcomer of the Year
Donald Thomas BAH

Rising Star Award
Ruth Bisibori Nyangau KEN

Coaches’ Award
Vitaly Petrov UKR
(IAAF)

2010 World Cup qualifying draw! Africa

2007-11-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

Group 1
Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Tanzania, Mauritius.

Group 2
Guinea, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya.

Group 3
Angola, Benin, Uganda, Niger.

Group 4
Nigeria, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone.

Group 5
Ghana, Libya, Gabon, Lesotho.

Group 6
Liberia, Algeria, Senegal, Gambia.

Group 7
Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Botswana, Madagascar

Group 8
Morocco Rwanda
ETHIOPIA Mauritania

Group 9
Brkina Faso, Tunisia, Seychelles.

Group 10
Mali, Congo, Sudan, Chad.

Group 11
Togo, Eritrea, Zambia, Swaziland.

Group 12
Epypt, Congo DR, Malawi, Djibouti.

2010 World Cup qualifying draw! Europe

2007-11-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

Group 1
Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, Malta

Group 2
Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg

Group 3
Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland , Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino

Group 4
Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

Group 5
Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Estonia

Group 6
Croatia, England, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra

Group 7
France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands

Group 8
Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro

Group 9
Holland, Scotland, Norway, FYR Macedonia, Iceland

Week 14 Premeir League Results and Videos!

2007-11-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

Arsenal 2-0 Wigan
Both goals

Gallas

Rosicky

Bolton 1-0 Manchester United
Anelka

Newcastle 0-3 Liverpool

Manchester City 2-1 Reading

Everton 7-1 Sunderland

Birmingham 0-2 Portsmouth

Middlesbrough 0-3 Aston Villa

Bundesliga reaches cash crossroads

2007-11-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

This has been another ... er, what's the word - sobering? ... European week for the Bundesliga. Two points from six games. The only reason we're not saying that this is getting embarrassing is that it's been embarrassing for quite a long time now.

Germany's record is particularly depressing in the Champions League, where the three Bundesliga starters have accumulated, if that's the word, a silly seven points from twelve matches. No traditionally big league has ever done worse in this competition. Admittedly, a TV reporter tried to give us some solace on Wednesday, saying that the Dutch Eredivisie once racked up an even more terrible record. That was in 1999-2000, when Feyenoord, PSV and Willem II had five points after four rounds of games.

But have we already reached the point where we must compare the Bundesliga to, with all due respect, Holland's top flight? Uh. Well. I guess ... yeah.

Italy, Spain, England - even France: they are no longer the yardstick for the Bundesliga. Which is why Horst Heldt, director of football at German champions VfB Stuttgart, simply says: 'Our standards do not suffice for this competition.'

Let's be clear about this: Heldt is referring to a team that has lost every single Champions League game and was soundly beaten by Lyon - just three days before they ran rings round mighty Bayern Munich. Who had just been held to a draw by Bolton Wanderers.

A few weeks ago, I have told you how much fun the Bundesliga is and, more importantly, how fan-friendly our football has remained, compared to the corporate crassness running rampant elsewhere. But this comes at a price.

'We have to tread new paths', Heldt answered when asked about a remedy for Germany's problems on the international stage. 'If a team promoted to the English Premier League receives €40m in television money, while we - the Bundesliga champions - are getting €26m, then there is a discrepancy. We try to level out this discrepancy, and we don't want to talk about money all the time. But the fact remains that as the German champions we are in competition with clubs promoted to the Premier League.'

By which he means: in competition in the transfer market. I guess he's pointing to clubs like Birmingham City, who signed Olivier Kapo for €4.5m and Liam Ridgewell for €3m, while convincing a young Dutch player and former U21 international like Daniël de Ridder that fighting relegation in England is a fun thing to do. You may think these are trifling sums, but that's precisely what Heldt is talking about. That kind of money is usually the region in which Stuttgart operate when signing players. Usually.

VfB have twice jumped out of that region to buy big (by Swabian standards). The first time was in January of 2002, when they lured Fernando Meira away from Benfica for €7.5m. This figure was the club's record transfer fee until the past July, when Stuttgart signed the Romanian striker Ciprian Marica from Donetsk for €8m.

So, what is the connection between those two transfers? It's television money, or rather: the promise of it. For the 1999-2000 season, the KirchPayTV Holding, named after owner Leo Kirch, had secured the Bundesliga rights by promising the clubs €355m per year, a sum that would, under the contract, gradually increase to finally reach €460m. The clubs were only too willing to believe that Kirch could indeed recoup his investment by selling decoders and subscriptions to Premiere, the pay-tv station covering the league.

And they were willing to believe that the Kirch money would indeed come. Hence all the stunning transfers from that period, think Marcio Amoroso for (technically) €25m to Borussia Dortmund. Or Fernando Meira to Stuttgart.

But what followed came to be known as the Kirch Crisis, the German game's most threatening development since the bribe scandal of the early 70s. Kirch did not sell (enough) decoders or subscriptions, as fans felt very lukewarm about pay-money-to-see-football-on-television. In 2002, his company went bankrupt, and the riches he had promised the clubs never materialised.

This season, Stuttgart's new television money was coming from the Champions League, allowing Heldt to break the Swabian transfer record and land Marica. But all the signs are that VfB's future as regards transfers will again be played out in the Birmingham City territory.

Stuttgart, following their four losses, will be out of Europe - meaning out of European TV money - by December, and despite their victory over Bayern on Saturday, it's doubtful whether the club can once more qualify for the Champions League.

So, what can we do to level the playing field for the Bundesliga clubs? How can we see to it that clubs like Stuttgart can see eye to eye not with clubs like Real Madrid or Chelsea but at least with teams like Lyon - who recently signed Kader Keita for €18m, Fabio Grosso for €7m, Mathieu Bodmer for €6.5m and Anderson Cléber for €4m?

First, we (meaning the fans) can give up resistance and accept that we are not an island. If supporters all over Europe have to sell their cars to subscribe to Pay TV and mortgage their houses to afford a season ticket, well, then we might just have to lower our heads and run with the pack with our tails between our legs. After all, the sporting comeback of the year 2007 centred around none other than - Leo Kirch! In October, the 81-year-old entrepreneur came back from the dead to land the Bundesliga rights until 2015 (!) for his new company, Sirius. Which, we can presume, will try to massively reduce football on free TV.

Second, our clubs could try and produce better players. Don't laugh! The reason Lyon have been able to spend so much more money than Stuttgart is quite simple: they have sold homegrown French players, Florent Malouda to Chelsea for €21m and Éric Abidal to Barcelona for €15m.

Of course there is a third option. And that is not changing anything but our expectations. We could send teams to the Champions League, admit they are outsiders whose 'standards do not suffice for this competition' and aim towards third places in the groups to sneak into the UEFA Cup. Where our teams would then have done great if two make, say, the quarter-finals.

That's perhaps not a stance befitting the proud Bundesliga, but we can't have the cake and eat it at the same time. (By Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger)

Kenenisa finds happiness after tragedy

2007-11-17T22:00:00.001-05:00

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopian track heavyweight Kenenisa Bekele on Saturday married 22-year-old Dannawit Gebregziabher, an up-and-coming actress in Ethiopia's fledgling film industry.
Five hundred wellwishers, including fellow Ethiopian track star Haile Gebresellasie, joined the 10,000m world champion and world record holder and his bride at a plush ceremony in the Sheraton hotel.

Tragedy struck Bekele in January 2005 when his then fiancee Alem Techale, a world champion runner, died while they were out training together in the hills near the tiny trading post of Asela. An autopsy blamed a heart defect.

Bekele, 25, told local media that he would not compete in any more athletics meetings this year because of his marriage but would be ready for 2008 World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh next March.

Meanwhile, organizers of the 12th Wincanton Montferland Run, a 15-km race, announced November 14 that Haile Gebrselassie will take part in this year's race which is scheduled for Sunday 2 December 2007, according to the pro-government The Reporter.

The race is run over an undulating course in the eastern part of The Netherlands and is set to be the first race by the Ethiopian maestro since he smashed the World marathon record in Berlin on 30 September in a time of 2:04:26.

Haile intends to attack the course record which his held by compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, the triple World 10,000m champion, who ran 42:42 on the course in 2001. Another Ethiopian Deriba Merga last year missed the course record by a mere six seconds.

Week 13 premeir League Fixtures, Results and Video!

2007-11-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

11 November 2007

Bolton 0-0 Middlesbrough

Portsmouth 0-0 Man City

Reading 1-3 Arsenal
1st goal

2nd goal

3rd goal

Reading's goal

Birmingham 1-2 Aston Villa

Tottenham 4-0 Wigan

Chelsea 1-1 Everton
drogba's goal

Man Utd 2-0 Blackburn
Both goals

Week 12 premeir League Fixtures, Results and Video!

2007-11-03T08:53:00.000-04:00

Arsenal 2-2 Man Utd
Highlight

goals by rooney(44)fabregas (47)Ronaldo (81)gallas (92)

fabregas (47)

Ronaldo(82)

Gallas(92)

Aston Villa v Derby

Everton v Birmingham

Fulham v Reading

Middlesbrough v Tottenham

Newcastle v Portsmouth

Wigan v Chelsea

Result and Videos from Saturday Premier League Matches!

2007-10-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

Chelsea 6-0 Man City

Man Utd 4-1 Middlesbrough

Birmingham 3-2 Wigan

Reading 2-1 Newcastle

Sunderland 1-1 Fulham

Portsmouth 0-0 West Ham

Week 11 premeir League Fixtures and Preview!

2007-10-26T15:04:00.000-04:00

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Birmingham v Wigan

Birmingham against Wigan is a lower mid-table clash between two adjacent clubs with identical league records of played 10, won two, drawn two and lost six. Both have scored eight goals but Wigan are inferior by virtue of conceding one more (14 to 13).

The Midlanders are eager to avoid a fourth successive league loss; the Latics have lost their last four - the longest current losing streak in the Premier League, which has coincided with Emile Heskey's injury lay off.

These clubs are meeting for only the third time in the Premier League. Birmingham are unbeaten

Chelsea v Man City

Chelsea, successful in the Champions League midweek, are looking to stretch their incredible club record unbeaten home league run to a 68th game. Avram Grant is hoping his side can close the gap on Manchester City to one point.

But Manchester City, under Sven-Goran Eriksson, have enjoyed their best start to a league season in 37 years and go to Stamford Bridge in search of a fourth successive Premier League victory which would put City equal on points with leaders Arsenal.

Chelsea are vying for a 50th league victory over Manchester City, and a fifth in a row; City have not managed a single goal in five league games against the Londoners, and just one goal in 10 clashes with them.

Man Utd v Middlesbrough

Manchester United and Middlesbrough clash for the 99th time in the league. The Red Devils are out to follow up their impressive 4-2 Champions League win away to Dynamo Kiev, with an eighth straight league victory to jump over Arsenal and return to the top of the table. The Teessiders know that a fourth straight league defeat would leave them fourth bottom, just one point above the relegation zone.

United boast the Premier League's tightest defence with three goals shipped in 10 outings and an unparalleled seven clean sheets; 'Boro have conceded the opening goal in an unequalled eight of their 10 games in this division this term. Boro have only lost once in six Premier League visits to Old Trafford since March 2002, winning two and drawing three.

Portsmouth v West Ham

Portsmouth are looking to complete five wins on the spin for the first ever time in the Premier League; West Ham are eager to avoid a third successive league reverse on the road. Harry Redknapp boasts an unbeaten record against West Ham of three wins and one draw - all as Pompey boss - since leaving the managerial position at Upton Park in May 2001.

West Ham are the only Premier League club without an overseas player on their goalscorers list.

Reading v Newcastle

This is a clash between clubs with contrasting fortunes. Reading have lost five of their last seven Premier League matches; Newcastle are looking for a fifth win in seven.

The Royals find themselves in the top 12, despite the joint leakiest defence in the Premier League; the Magpies are aiming for a top four berth, despite failing to keep a clean sheet in 17 away league games.

Sunderland v Fulham

Two off-form clubs languishing in lower mid-table, one point above the bottom three, meet on Wearside, both desperate to end unwanted sequences. Sunderland have lost the last three, and are on the longest current string in the Premier League of nine matches without a clean sheet.

Fulham are the draw specialists of the Premier League, on the longest current winless run of eight matches in the top division, and without a victory in 21 league games on the road.

Week 11 premeir League Fixtures and Preview!

2007-10-26T14:38:00.000-04:00

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Bolton v Aston Villa

Gary Megson takes charge of Bolton for the first time as they go into the weekend having suffered more defeats (seven) and dropped more points (25) than any other club in the Premier League, and entertain Aston Villa looking for their first win in seven league outings to move off the foot of the table. The Midlanders are yet to win an away league game this term.

The Trotters' return of five points from 10 games is a replica of their first taste of Premier League football in 1995-96, which ended in bottom place and relegation. Bolton scraped into the Uefa Cup by courtesy of the point gained from the 2-2 end-of-season draw in this corresponding fixture last May.

Derby v Everton

Having moved off the foot of the table with their goalless draw at Fulham last weekend, struggling Derby now line-up at home to Everton, aiming to sharpen the bluntest attack in the Premier League.

Everton find themselves in mid-table mediocrity at present with 13 goals scored, 13 conceded and 13 points accrued. Should this match end all square, it would be the Toffees' 1,000th draw in top-flight football. Derby and Everton are meeting for the 125th time in the league, and first time in six seasons.

Liverpool v Arsenal

This is the third of the so-called "Big Four" meetings of the season; Arsenal's first, and Liverpool's second following their 1-1 home draw with Chelsea.

It brings together the two remaining unbeaten clubs in the Premier League, who had contrasting fortunes in the Champions league midweek.

Should the 167th league meeting of these giants end all square, it would be the 1,000th draw in Liverpool's league history.

The Gunners are bidding for a 13th straight win in all competitions, and an eighth on the bounce in the Premier League. Their tally of 25 points after nine games is on a par with 2004-05 when they finished runners-up. It is better than at this same stage in 2003-04 (23 points), 2001-02 (18) and 1997-98 (19), when they went on to win the title on all three occasions.

Liverpool have conceded more penalties in Premier League competition than any other club this season (three); Arsenal have won more than anyone else (four), but only three have been converted.

These clubs met four times last season, and the winners netted at least three goals in each of the games, including Liverpool's 4-1 victory in this corresponding fixture in March, when Peter Crouch bagged a hat-trick.

Tottenham v Blackburn

The 100th competitive meeting of Tottenham and Blackburn finds two sides experiencing sharply contrasting fortunes.

Martin Jol was approaching three years in charge of Tottenham when he parted company on Thursday. The side are languishing in the relegation zone having made their worst ever start to a Premier League season, despite the best attacking record outside the top five.

Blackburn, with Mark Hughes just into his fourth year at the helm, are on a three-game winning run, and are replicating their best ever start in this league, made in the 1994-95 title-winning season. Spurs have lost five league games already; Blackburn have won five. The Londoners are unbeaten in seven Premier League matches with Blackburn since a 1-0 defeat at Ewood Park on 29 November 2003.

Champions League Fixtures!

2007-10-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

AC Milan 4-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Benfica 1-0 Celtic

Besiktas 2-1 Liverpool

Chelsea 2-0 Schalke 04

Marseille 1-1 FC Porto

Real Madrid 4-2 Olympiakos

Rosenborg 2-0 Valencia

Werder Bremen 2-1 Lazio

Champions League Fixtures!

2007-10-23T09:17:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 23 October 2007

Arsenal 7-0 Slavia Prague
All Arsenal goals

1st goal

2nd Goal, 3rf Goal,4th goal, 6th goal, 7th goal

4th goal

5th goal

Dynamo Kiev 2-4 Man Utd
All goals

1st goal,2nd goal, 3rd Goal,
Kiev's 1st Goal,
Kiev's 2nd Goal

CSKA Moscow 1-2 Inter Milan

CSKA Goal

Intermilan's 1st goal, Inter's Winner

Roma 2-1 Sporting
All goals

Roma's 1st Goal,, Sporting equalizer, Roma's Winner

VfB Stuttgart 0-2 Lyon
1st Goal

2nd Goal

Sevilla 2-1 Steaua Bucharest

PSV 0-0 Fenerbahce

Rangers 0-0 Barcelona

Week 10 premeir League Results and Videos!

2007-10-20T08:34:00.000-04:00

Everton 1-2 Liverpool
(Hyypia's Own goal, Kuyt's Penality, another Kuyt's Penality)

Arsenal 2-0 Bolton
(Toure's Goal, Rosicky's Goal)

Blackburn 4-2 Reading

Fulham 0-0 Derby

Man City 1-0 Birmingham

Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea
(Drogba's goal,Alex's Goal)

Wigan 0-2 Portsmouth

Aston Villa 1-4 Man Utd (First Half)

African Nations Cup Finals Draw!

2007-10-19T20:59:00.000-04:00

Hosts Ghana will play Guinea in the opening match of the 2008 African Nations Cup finals. Ghana were placed in Group A in Accra with Guinea, Morocco and Namibia in Friday's draw. "We are delighted to get the opening game, it will make for a compelling start," Guinea coach Robert Nouzaret told reporters. "It will serve as a major motivation for my players."

Holders Egypt's hopes of a record sixth title will be tested by Cameroon, Sudan and Zambia in Group C. Nigeria and Ivory Coast were paired in Group B along with Benin and Mali, meaning Berti Vogts (Nigeria) will be up against fellow German coach Uli Stielike (Ivory Coast).

Group B was due to be staged in Tamale in the north of Ghana but Confederation of African Football (CAF) general secretary Mustapha Fahmy said the venue was being moved to Sekondi which is nearer the Ghana-Ivorian border. CAF said they were able to change venues to attract more fans.

Tunisia, winners in 2004, are up against Angola, Senegal and 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa in Group D. "I think the groups are all very well balanced and there is plenty of scope for surprises," said Henryk Kasperczak, the Polish-born coach of Senegal.

The draw was conducted by three-times African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele and former France World Cup winner Marcel Desailly, born in Ghana. The tournament starts on 20 January.

Group A (Accra)
Ghana
Namibia
Guinea
Morocco

Group B (Sekondi)
Nigeria
Benin
Mali
Ivory Coast

Group C (Kumasi)
Egypt
Sudan
Zambia
Cameroon

GROUP D (Tamale)
Tunisia
Angola
South Africa
Senegal

DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO HELP SELECT THE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

2007-10-16T11:15:00.000-04:00

The IAAF is giving you the unique chance to help select the 2007 World Athlete of the Year. With the vote now open it will take just one click to pick your choice of Athlete of the Year (Man and Woman) from the candidates list selected by a panel of IAAF Experts.

With the help of your votes, which will be added to a poll of IAAF Athletics Family members, a shortlist of 3 will then be presented to a Special Jury of the International Athletic Foundation, who will then make a final selection of the World Athlete of the Year and announce the winners, live on stage, at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Gala in Monaco on 25 November.

Three athletes form our country are in the list: Haile Gebreselassie, Kenenisa Bekele and on the women side Meseret Defar. Lets try to make our athletes get what they deserve. Currently, China's Lui Xang is leading the men's category by huge margin and in the women side Croatia's Blanka Vlasic has a big lead.

Click here to vote

Few Minutes with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez!

2007-10-13T10:49:00.000-04:00

You've got to feel for Rafa Benitez. His team are unbeaten in the Premier League, only Manchester United have conceded less goals and in Fernando Torres his squad boasts one of the most exciting young strikers in the world. And yet all Benitez seems to hear are criticisms over his controversial rotation policy and how after four draws and four wins in the league the title is gone for another year.

In an exclusive interview with ESPNsoccernet Benitez explains the erratic form of this team and gives a frank response to those who have criticised his approach to team selection. The Liverpool manager also discusses the frustrations of being club manager in an international week and assesses the strength of his squad this season, the impact of Torres and his other key signings as well as the club's chances of a trophy this season.

Question: How do you feel about your current squad?

Benitez: I think that it's the strongest squad I've had here. I am really pleased with this squad.

Question: You're in a better position in the league at the moment than you were at the same time last year. But you've admitted that there has been a dip in confidence. How do you think you'll try and regain that confidence in the squad?

Benitez: In football it is very easy: Win games. We know we need confidence again, so we must try to play well, try to score and then keep winning, no? That is the key.

Question: How do you feel when it comes to the international break; there's always the worry of injury and, of course, you've got the derby coming up...

Benitez: It's really difficult, no? It's true that we have some problems, or you can have some problems with players all around the world, but also it's more difficult to train because today I have just one player and one keeper and it's difficult to prepare anything.

Question: What do you personally do in the break? Do you, do you re-think your tactics, what will you be doing?

Benitez: Well you try to watch some videos, analyse the team, how we are playing, and there are meetings with the staff, and prepare some training sessions for the players that you have. In this case, four or five maximum, today just two!

Question: You've spoken about the depth of your squad, let's talk about some of the individual players. How do you think Fernando Torres is settling in this season?

Benitez: I think it's ok, no? Everyone had questions about him before [the season], but he's started really well, he's scored some goals, and so everybody goes 'Oh, fantastic, a new top scorer, 20 goals this season!' I thought he would need time but his mentality is really good, and he's trying to play well, sometimes he can play well, sometimes he cannot but he's trying to play and, for me, he'll settle down really well.

Question: And do you think he's settled into the Premier League style better than you expected?

Benitez: No, when we signed him we knew he was a strong player and could play well with the physical approach of the Premier League.

Question: And how about some of your other summer signings?

Benitez: If you analyze the signings, some of them are young players - Leto, Lucas Leiva, Ryan Babel, but Voronin and Benayoun, players with experience, are playing well and I think that some players, will need more time.

Question: Liverpool got off to a flying start at the beginning of the season but they have stumbled a bit recently. Why do you think that is?

Benitez: Because we had started really well people were thinking perhaps this could be our year. We had some chances, but we couldn't score, then we lost some points and then people thought, maybe not. I think there is frustration around the team. Sometimes you don't know if it's better to start really well or a little bit slower and continue progressing. I think we are in a good position at the moment but it's true that we need to improve.

Question: And it's true that some of the players have experienced a dip in form recently. Why do you think that is specifically?

Benitez: Some players are playing games for us and also for the national teams, it's not easy to go, come back, and be ready. Especially because we have some early kickoffs on Saturdays, you know I am not very happy with this situation, and this one against Everton will be the same, but at the end of the day, you need two or three players playing well and then these key players can help with the rest of the team. We have had some injuries and some players are not playing at their level; that is the reason the team is not playing at their level.

Question: Let's talk about the Champions League, your specialty. The next game up for you is Besiktas. How much of a challenge do you think they will be for Liverpool?

Benitez: It's really important for us, no? We know that we didn't start really well, so we need to win, and then start thinking about the next game, but for now we have to think about the next three points.

Question: Yeah, and obviously, home and away against Besiktas. Do you think you have to win those two and also how many points do you think you need to reach the last 16?

Benitez: Really, you cannot say how many points. I think it's important to win the first one. If you can win the first one, you need to see what happened between Marseille and Porto but you just have to wait. It's better to think about one game at a time and then start doing the numbers.

Question: It was such a disappointing game for you against Marseille, wasn't it? What do you think went wrong?

Benitez: Everything (smiling). Because we're not good enough tactically, technically, mentally and we played against a team that was ready, no? They were training for 10 days without games and a new manager and they were really focused. We started the game well, more or less, but we couldn't control and then [as the game progressed] they were better and better and we didn't have the confidence that we needed. So, ok, they play a good game a we played a bad game.

Question: On paper, your group looks relatively simple. Did it surprise you how difficult Marseille was?

Benitez: When I knew what the draw was I said that these are teams with experience in Europe, so for me, no, it wasn't easy. And you can see it's not easy. Hopefully it will be ok for us at the end, but now, we need to work really hard because the other teams are now in a better position and have players with experience.

Question: And we can't go too much further into this interview without mentioning your rotation policy. Obviously you use your policies so that the players can gel as the season goes on, and so that means you have a better squad at the end of the season.

Benitez: I think if you can do the right things, changing players, sometimes you make mistakes but if everything is ok at the end of the season, you can compete for trophies, no? That is the idea.

Question: Do the players ever complain to you about the rotation system?

Benitez: Not really, they want to play every game but they don't say 'Oh, I want to play this one or the other one'. They want to play every game, but they know the situation because for three years we were doing the same here at Liverpool. I think they understand, they don't like it too much because when they are not playing they want to play but, in the end, they know this is the best for the team.

Question: This is something though, that you've obviously always done. Why do you think that it's now that everyone's talking about it?

Benitez: Because we've drawn and we've lost some games. But when we were winning, nobody talks about it.

Question: Do you credit the rotation policy for getting you into the Champions League final on two occasions?

Benitez: I think that people have a short memory, no? Because when you talk about the final of the Carling Cup, the Intercontinental Cup, Community Shield, FA Cup, two Champions Leagues, two titles in Spain, plus the UEFA Cup. It's a lot of trophies and I think that to play three finals at the end of the season, the UEFA Champions League and also the FA Cup, means that the team was ready and thanks to the quality of the players and also the use of different players in different games.

Question: Going back to the very beginning of this season, was there more focus on the Premier League or on the Champions League?

Benitez: I think that we start out with a real focus on all the competitions. If you say to me, 'Which would you prefer to win?' I would say the Premier League because everybody wants to win the Premier League. But we know that the Champions League is really important, as are the FA Cup and the Carling Cup.

Question: Focusing on the positives, you're unbeaten so far and already it's October, so you must be pleased about that?

Benitez: Yeah, it's really important. It really was a little disappointing after the weekend (a 2-2 home draw with Tottenham) because we conceded two goals, two big mistakes, but we continue unbeaten and that's important.

Question: Does it trouble you that you're six points off Arsenal? Is that something that worries you?

Benitez: I think we are in a better position than last year. That is important. If we continue to be close to the top of the table, in two or three months and continue to change players I think we will be capable of doing something at the end of the season.

Question: And finally, what are your hopes and expectations for Liverpool this season?

Benitez: To win some trophies, if it's possible. And especially now, to improve our play and start winning again with confidence and at the end of the season maybe to win some trophies.

Jose Mourinho lived with a stunning blonde mistress behind his wife’s back !

2007-10-12T17:29:00.000-04:00

CHELSEA soccer hero Jose Mourinho lived with a stunning blonde mistress behind his wife’s back for two years, The Sun reported today. The ex-Blues boss, 44, called Elsa Sousa his “Princess”, showered her with gifts and told her she was his one true love. The 34-year-old even shared a flat with “The Special One”. Players at top Portuguese side FC Porto thought she was coach Jose’s wife — until the real Mrs Mourinho turned up.

Hunk Mourinho lived up to his nickname The Special One as he and his mistress made love for hours — to the music of rock star Sting. The romps took place during a two-year affair with beautiful Elsa. A pal of 34-year-old Elsa said: “They did very saucy things together. Mourinho is a very sexual man. He particularly likes making love to Sting.” The former Chelsea boss, whose shock exit last month stunned fans, called Elsa his “Princess” and showered her with gifts — and even let her decide which club he should work for.

But his wife Matilde, whom he married in 1989, had no idea he was leading a double life. Mourinho, 44, met blonde Elsa while coaching small-town team Leiria in his native Portugal. He took her with him to FC Porto, his first big job — where the pair lived for eight months in a flat arranged by the club. Mourinho even introduced her as his wife to players and agents.

He went to coach in Leiria, 90 miles north of Lisbon, in 2001. Matilde stayed in their home town of Setabul with their daughter and son. But within months Mourinho had launched a full-blown affair with Elsa. He asked her to dinner in 2001 after popping into the small fashion store she owned. He told her she was “the most beautiful girl he had ever met”, and that he had moved to the town and did not know many people. Within weeks, she was telling people Mourinho was “the one”.

He sent Elsa love letters and was frequently seen kissing her in public, dining her, and schmoozing her with “baby-talk”. He even whisked her away for a steamy holiday in Monaco.

When The Sun put the relationship to Elsa in Leiria, she said: “Yes, yes, it’s all true.” She then met us again with Luzia Palmas, a former Benfica lawyer and colleague of Mourinho for four years. Luzia said: “He treated Elsa badly by promising her they would be together properly. “Mourinho conducted the relationship in front of everyone’s noses. In Leiria and in Porto, football colleagues all thought Elsa was his wife. He lived with her.”

Elsa started attending matches with Mourinho, as his wife. Under Mourinho’s direction the unfashionable mid-table team achieved their highest-ever league position, finishing in fifth place. As a result the colourful coach caught the eye of footie bigwigs throughout the country. In January 2002 he moved to Porto having rejected Benfica — and Elsa went with him. Mourinho introduced her to all the football agents and players as his partner.

After they moved into a flat together in Porto, Elsa lived with Mourinho for eight months. But in late 2002, his wife Matilde dropped the bombshell that she was moving to Porto, as the children were suffering from being away from their father.

Mourinho was forced to move Elsa out and be a family man again. But before Matilde arrived he took Elsa to Monaco — where he showered her with gifts and they made love all day. He begged her to continue their relationship — offering to buy her a house so they could continue their affair in secret. But her pal said: “Elsa announced she couldn’t cope with being the other woman. She told us, ‘I want a whole man, not a half. I can’t live like that’.” Mourinho carried on seeing Elsa into 2003 — even after his wife and family moved to Porto. The pal said: “Elsa then moved back to Leiria. She was devastated. Elsa told pals she last spent the night with Mourinho at the end of 2003. He joined Chelsea in 2004. (The Sun)

Adere closes 30-second gap to win second straight LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon

2007-10-12T01:57:00.000-04:00

Adriana Pirtea (Romania) had a debut at The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon she'll never forget. The 27-year-old was only 300 meters away from claiming the title-but she underestimated the defending champion. Ethiopia's Berhane Adere shrunk the gap on the inexperienced Pirtea and caught her at the end to win by three seconds.

Adere's finish in 2:33:49 was her second straight title in Chicago, though the victory came with unseasonably humid conditions. After a cluster of six elite women runners was the norm up to mile 15 when Adere and Pirtea started to separate from the rest.

The energized Pirtea began pulling away from Adere at mile 22. Her lead then increased over the noticeably tired Adere to 25 seconds. The race looked more bleak for the champion when she started slowing even more, falling behind further by 30 seconds at the 24th mile- insuperable for most.

Pireta had an impressive day attaining this lead against one of the world's best. But her gap at mile 25 started to dwindle before the runners hit the south Loop. Adere's pace increased as the Romanian's decreased considerably. Adere's fastest mile, a 5:16 at mile 24, propelled her back into challenging Pirtea.

At the 25-mile mark Adere reached deep down inside herself and willed her tired body on and up to just 19 seconds behind Pireta. The 40K mark was not kind to Pireta as she continued to slow her pace.

Pireta turned the corner for the final 1.2 miles onto Columbus Drive. As she approached the last stretch of asphalt, Pirtea felt comfortable enough to wave to the excited crowds gathered along the fences at Grant Park. But that's when the champion became a repeat champion.

"She (Pirtea) got tired and I changed into track-racing mode," said Adere. "I pushed real fast."

The former track athlete turned her jets on and used that background to her advantage. Behind by 100 meters with 300 left to the tape, Adere charged down Columbus and passed a surprised Pirtea, crossing first to a dramatic finish.

The oppressive heat was a factor, even on a leader with a thirty-second advantage with less than a third of the race left.

"The last 4K was tough," said Pirtea. "I slowed and had to run in the shade a lot." Pirtea also admitted that the distraction of cheers from the crowd for her contributed toward her false sense of comfort and eventual loss. "I didn't actually know how close she was behind me. Nobody said anything."

Pirtea's second place finish in 2:33:52 cemented her as an up-an- coming dominant runner in the marathon world. "I did have a good day and I'm hoping to have more."

Kate O'Neill, of the United States, made the red, white and blue proud today. The 27-year-old from California was hovering at fifth and sixth place most of the 26.2 trek. A disqualification of one runner ahead of O'Neill, and her determination through the pack, launched her to a third place finish in 2:36:15.

O'Neill made her move at the 20-mile mark. She overtook Great Britain's Liz Yelling and eventually sped past Benita Johnson, of Australia. The American at one point was one minute behind the overall leader. With three miles left, O'Neill controlled the third spot and crossed without a challenge. She heard some extra encouragement from the crowd during her climb to a top three placement.

"I believe I was seventh (place) for a while," said O'Neill. "They were telling me I was within striking distance, so I was trying to hang on to that motivation. I was surprised to come in third. I'm really excited. It was a great experience today."

O'Neill's third place finish earned her a $40,000 prize purse as well as a $3,500 bonus as the first American.

The thirtieth annual race gave back-to-back champion Adere a $125,000 prize purse. Pirtea's second place netted her $65,000.

Evra: I leave the show to Ronaldo!

2007-10-10T11:27:00.000-04:00

After a struggling start to the season, Manchester United have come back to form in the Premier League with a 4-0 win over Wigan at the weekend and they haven't conceded a goal in the league since the derby day defeat to Man City on August 19. Part of the reason is French full-back Patrice Evra, who has been a fixture in the side this season alongside Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, after displacing Gabriel Heinze from the left-back spot with some impressive performances in last season's campaign.

The defender, who arrived at Old Trafford in May 2006, has spoken exclusively to ESPNsoccernet.fr before leaving England for France and Les Bleus' forthcoming matches against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania. Talking about Manchester, Arsenal, the French team and the new Evra:

Question: The season started quite poorly but Manchester United have made a fantastic come-back, winning eight games in a row in the Premier League and Champions League. What happened exactly?

Evra: Many people have commented on our supposed 'terrible start' but we actually just drew twice and lost once. It was anything but a drama. Now we're back behind Arsenal in the League and we have six points out of six in the Champions League. We have kept our opponents goalless for the last eight games so the confidence is high. But we have to keep it there.

To win six times 1-0 isn't possible for every team in England. It requires a complete defensive focus and that proves that we are mentally strong. I remember that last season, in the last few weeks, we were facing problems to dominate and impose our style but we always found a way to win, most of the times 1-0. It's in those moments that we recognize the great teams and let me tell you that this United team can go really far.

Question: But you have to admit that you struggled early on. The team hasn't been able to reproduce last year's seducing football yet. How do you explain that?

Evra: We have many new comers (Owen Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson, Carlos Tevez) and both the team and themselves needed some time to learn and get the chemistry right. I admit that we're not very pleasant to watch at the moment but we fight and we win, which is the most important thing. On the one hand it's very promising. We should see a terrific Manchester United in the up-coming weeks and I really hope we will score more goals soon. It will come, I have no doubt. But for us defenders it is a huge satisfaction to end the games without having conceded. We have really improved in that area and when we get better offensively, we will still need to keep that defensive strength.

Question:In the Premier League, Arsenal are still comfortably leading. What do you think about the new look Gunners side?

Evra: They remind me of us last season. We started really well, scoring a lot of goals in exactly the same way the Gunners are doing currently. But there are other contenders. I will quote Chelsea and Liverpool. Although Chelsea lost Jose Mourinho, I'm sure they will be hard to beat. Blackburn are also outsiders. We suffered against Birmingham and that shows that this championship race is very tight, more so than last year. But it is true that Arsenal are destroying everyone at the moment and even pick up results when they are under pressure, as they showed against Sunderland.

Question: In Champion's League, the team have been perfect so far with two wins and no goals against. The qualification for the knockout stage seems already in the pocket even before the trip to Kiev. Is this situation dangerous?

Evra: We will have to win there. Definitely. An away win is always a bonus and although we have six points, nothing has been achieved yet. We have to stay focused. In football, everything changes quickly and we can't forget that. We have the skills and the tools to win this year's Champions League but the competition is long. I don't want to look for excuses, but last year we faced many injuries and, in this competition, talent isn't enough.

Question:You are now the only left-back in the squad after Gabriel Heinze left for Real Madrid and Mikel Silvestre got injured for the season. With no competition, do you feel more comfortable?

Evra: I don't say to myself my status is granted. I had a very good season last year, as I was elected the best left-back in England. When you play for Manchester United though, one good game isn't enough. You have to beat your best all the time. I don't try to do things I can't do, I leave the show to Ronaldo. For me, the most important thing is to defend and do that well.(ESPN)

"I know Arsenal's young players- they can definitely win Premier League & Champions League."

2007-10-09T11:20:00.000-04:00

When Thierry Henry left Arsenal for Barcelona in the summer it was expected that he was the one moving on to better things, but the Frenchman is struggling to put his life in north London behind him. It was thought that Arsene Wenger's men would have most cause for concern after the club sold their highest-ever goalscorer to Barcelona for £16.1million. Pundits predicted that without Henry, Arsenal's youngsters would not only fail to challenge for the title, but also lose their Champions League place to Tottenham.

But Arsenal have taken the Premier League by storm while Henry has only shown glimpses of his old form. He finally ended his goalscoring drought in La Liga at the end of last month when he got a hat-trick against bottom club Levante, but he has yet to convince the fans at his new club.

The 30-year-old is still trying to find his rhythm having spent half of last season sidelined through injury and been put in the shade by Argentine Lionel Messi. On top of that he is adapting to life after his divorce from wife Claire Merry, with his two-year-old daughter Tea staying at home in London.

He said: "I miss London a lot and always will. It's a great city, I had a great life there. I lived eight years there and it's not something I can forget just like that. I am having to play myself back into form because of the amount of games I missed and it will take time."

"I played eight seasons without missing anything. It was a shock to the system to not play for six months and coming back has not been easy, but I am starting to feel better."

"The pain is going away and I felt sharper for the first time against Real Zaragoza a couple of weeks ago. It's been a long time since I felt like that."

"The atmosphere is good at Barcelona. It is like a family and reminds me of Arsenal."

The Frenchman may be missing Arsenal, but the feelings don't appear to be mutual after Cesc Fabregas revealed that one of the reasons behind their impressive form was that Henry was no longer on the pitch to intimidate them. Henry never got the chance to say farewell to the fans but is already planning a return to the club he loves to say a proper farewell at the Emirates Stadium. He said: "I think I will try and do it in December because we have a winter break in Spain and I will have the time.

"I would rather go back in a non-playing situation and be able to enjoy it. I don't want to get drawn against Arsenal in the Champions League this season. That would not be a proper way to say goodbye to the fans." "When I go I will probably just sit in the stands. I won't walk out on the pitch or anything like that.

"The focus should be on the team and I don't want to draw any attention away from them and what they're doing. They will be playing a game and I want to respect that."

"Me and Arsene have been in contact a few times since I left. I always talk to him because even with the difference of age, the bond and respect is there.

"It is tremendous that he has signed a new contract. He has great eyes and just has a talent for spotting young talent. He is a great human being as well and that's what makes the difference. He makes players feel comfortable and always gets the best out of them."

The former Juventus striker is also full of respect for the way Arsenal have played this season and feels that they have even put Barcelona in the shade.

He said: "When Barcelona are on a high we are very good, but we also have to play like that away from home."

"It's true that when everyone is committed and everyone is defending and working really hard like when we beat Zaragoza 4-1, it's always easier to win a game But we are not the only ones playing good football in Europe."

"I have been watching Arsenal and see that they are playing entertaining football and winning every game home and away."

"I know the young players there very well and they can definitely win the Premier League and Champions League this season. I watched how they beat Sevilla in the Champions League and I think they sent out a big message to the rest of Europe. Sevilla is not an easy team to play, but Arsenal played a great game."

The same cannot be said for France, whose Euro 2008 hopes suffered a major blow with a second loss to Scotland four weeks ago.

The World Cup runners-up are third in their group behind Alex McLeish's side and Italy with just three games to go and face crucial fixtures against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania in the next eight days.

Henry said: "We are not even talking about whether we can win Euro 2008 because we are fighting to qualify right now - I don't know if we will. There is a possibility that we will be at home watching it."(Daily mail)

Result from Sunday's Premier League Matches!

2007-10-07T07:16:00.000-04:00

Arsenal 3-2 Sunderland
( RVP'S Goal,Senderosgaol, Wallance's goal,Jones's Goal, RVP's Goal)

Bolton 0-1 Chelsea

Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham
(1st goal, 2nd goal, 3rd goal, 4th goal)

Blackburn 2-1 Birmingham

Fulham 0-2 Portsmouth

Man City 3-1 Middlesbrough

Newcastle 3-2 Everton

Reading 1-0 Derby

Result from Saturday Premier League Matches!

2007-10-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

Manchester Utd 4-0 Wigan
(Tevez's Goal, Ronaldo's goal, Ronaldo's 2nd goal, Rooney's goal)

Manchester Utd 4-0 Wigan

manchester utd vs Wigan Longer highlight

Aston villa 1-0 Westham

Week 9 Fixture of English Premier League!

2007-10-06T06:50:00.000-04:00

Manchester Utd v Wigan
Manchester United will be out to stretch the joint longest current winning sequence in the Premier League to six matches. All three points against Wigan will see them leapfrog Arsenal and go top of the table for the first time since they won their ninth Premier League title in May.

Wigan have lost all 17 of their Premier League matches against the so-called "big four", conceding 42 goals in the process. United are defending an unbeaten home league record this season; Wigan are chasing a first away win of the campaign. The Red Devils have scored only seven Premier League goals so far; only rock bottom Derby have a weaker attack (five goals).

Wigan have lost all five meetings with Manchester United in the league and Carling Cup final with an aggregate of 16-3. The Latics have conceded more Premier League goals to United than to any other club (12).

Aston Villa v West Ham
Aston Villa are chasing a fourth successive home win in the Premier League; West Ham are striving to avoid a third league defeat on the bounce. Victory would see the Hammers leapfrogging Villa.

Martin O'Neill's side are facing London opposite for the fourth time this season, and are yet to lose; although they did let a three-goal lead slip to share eight goals with Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Monday.

All but two of Villa's 11 points have been picked up at home; the Hammers have gained two more points on the road than at home, even though they've played one more match at Upton Park. Half of the Premier League fixtures between these clubs have been drawn (12 of 24).

Arsenal v Sunderland
Arsenal are looking to extend the longest current unbeaten run in the Premier League to 15 matches. They are on their best streak since the clubs' record run of 49 matches without defeat ended on 24 October 2004. The Gunners hold a 100% home league record; the Wearsiders are without a win on their travels.

This is Roy Keane's 50th league match in charge of Sunderland. Sunderland travel with the task of ending a 10-match losing run of Premier League trips to London, and have not won a top-flight match in the capital since beating Chelsea 2-4 on 17 March 2001. Arsenal are on the look out for a 50th competitive victory over Sunderland, and sixth in a row against them in the Premier League.

Blackburn v Birmingham
It's the second meeting in 10 days of these clubs at Ewood Park. Rovers won 3-0 in the third round of the Carling Cup on 26 September. Blackburn may have been knocked out of Europe on Thursday, but they have avoided defeat in 12 of their last 13 Premier League matches; Birmingham have won three of their last 14 in this league.

Both clubs have scored seven league goals this season, but the Midlanders have conceded twice as many as Rovers (10 to five). Blackburn are eager to clinch successive league victories for the first time this season; Birmingham equally keen to avoid consecutive league defeats for the first time. Birmingham have not won in the top-flight at Blackburn for 72 years, since a 1-2 triumph on the 28 September 1935.

Bolton v Chelsea
Chelsea return to the ground where they won their initial Premier League title in April 2005, looking to clinch back-to-back wins for the first time under Avram Grant, after Wednesday's 1-2 victory in Spain over Valencia in the Champions League; Bolton were also victorious in Europe having qualified for the group stages of the Uefa Cup.The Londoners have made their worst start to a Premier League season since 2000, and are looking for a first goal in five matches. Chelsea are vying for a fifth successive Premier League victory at the Reebok Stadium.

Bolton, unbeaten in five in all competitions, face one of the so called "Big Four" for the first time this season, having won one of their first eight league outings. They managed just one victory in their first nine matches of the 1963-64 season, when they went on to be relegated and exiled from the top division for 14 years.

Fulham v Portsmouth
This is the 50th competitive meeting of two clubs who had contrasting results last time out. While Fulham were holding Chelsea to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge, Portsmouth were engaged in the highest scoring match in Premier League history; beating Reading 7-4.

The Cottagers have drawn their last four league matches and are on the longest current winless sequence in the Premier League of six games. Pompey are looking to complete three successive league victories for the first time in over a year .

Liverpool v Tottenham
Liverpool will want to return to winning ways immediately, after their first defeat of the season, home to Marseilles in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Their opponents, third-bottom Tottenham, made progress in Europe, qualifying for the group stages of the Uefa Cup.

The Reds have won four of their seven league games this term; Tottenham have lost four of their eight and made their worst ever start to a Premier League season. Rafael Benitez has not named an unchanged starting 11 for Liverpool since 31 October last year and has only done so once in 152 games.

The Merseysiders have not conceded a goal in five league games or 478 minutes (seven hours 58 minutes) of Premier League football since Frank Lampard netted for Chelsea from the penalty spot at the Bridge on 19 August. They're yet to concede a league goal from open play. Liverpool are unbeaten in six Premier League matches against Spurs, and were one of only three clubs to do the double over the Londoners last season.

Man City v Middlesbrough
Manchester City have a 100% home record in the Premier League; Middlesbrough have lost and failed to score in three of their four league games on the road.

Victory for City would give them five home wins and equal their tally for the whole of last season at Eastlands; victory for the Teessiders would take their total of away wins to two and equal the total they managed on their Premier League travels last term. Middlesbrough have gained more Premier League points against Manchester City than any other club, with the exception of Tottenham; 32 in both instances.

Newcastle v Everton
Newcastle go into this round of fixtures as the lowest placed of seven clubs still holding an unbeaten home record in the Premier League.

The Toffees' tally of 13 points after eight matches is on a par with last season, but they have never managed back-to-back top half finishes since the Premier League was instituted. They last achieved it in 1991, when they recorded a 10th straight top half finish in the old First Division.

Reading v Derby
This is a must-win match for both sides in the first ever top-flight meeting of the bottom-four pair Reading and Derby. Between them the Royals and the Rams have leaked 39 goals in their 16 combined league matches. Reading have shipped 16 in their last five; Derby 15 in their last three away from home.

Steve Coppell celebrates his fifth anniversary as Reading manager on Tuesday. This is his 199th match in charge; it is also the 250th league game of Billy Davies' managerial career in Scotland and England. Derby have only won one league game on Reading turf; 0-1 on 3 January 2005 in the Championship.

Football's greatest actors!

2007-10-05T09:24:00.000-04:00

The controversy surrounding the incident in Celtic & AC MIllan match is under UEFA investigation. A last minute goals scored by Celtic sent their players and supporters wild. So much so that one supporter run in to the field in celebration and for the reason only known to him he hit the Milan goals keeper Dida on the face. Dida who at first appeared to chase the man collapsed covering his face after few steps. Then carried off from the field holding a bag of ice on his face. The action of the celtic fan and the reaction of Dida is under investigation by UEFA.

Dida and Celtic fan

AC Milan goalkeeper Dida took a tumble after the merest contact with a Celtic supporter. While the behaviour of the fan was inexcusable, shouldn't we also question the actions of the Brazilian? Did he really need a stretcher and ice pack after his goalmouth tickle?

Here we consider the long history of on-pitch theatrics - some call it diving...

In tribute to his drama skills we uncover some of the past masters of subterfuge and deception. Players who have no qualms at faking injury to get their fellow professionals sent off, who risk life and limb to impress officials with their gymnastic skills, and a couple who, quite frankly, need a bit of practice.

The grandaddy of all conmen must be the Chilean goalkeeper Robert Rojas who attempted to get a 1989 World Cup qualifier with Brazil abandoned. With Chile facing certain defeat and elimination, Rojas pretended to be hit by a firework thrown from the crowd by slashing himself with a concealed razor blade and was carried bleeding from the pitch, causing the game to be stopped and inciting a mini-riot inside the stadium. Sadly for Rojas, his cunning plan was caught on camera and he was banned from football for life.

Chilean goalkeeper Robert Rojas

Jurgen Klinsmann appeared to spend more time rolling on the turf than actually playing in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, inspiring Ron Atkinson to claim he hadn't seen a "mystery sniper" in the crowd following another piece of Klinsmann theatrics. But this reaction to a Pedro Monzón challenge in the World Cup Final, for which the Argentina defender received a straight red card, is a gymnastic masterclass, with the German striker pirouetting in mid-air as if he had been electrocuted.

Jurgen Klinsmann

Italians have proved themselves to be past masters at conning officials, and Fabio Grosso's superior dive not only won a last minute penalty for his side, but it also spelled curtains for Australia at the 2006 World Cup.

Fabio Grosso's superior dive

However, Grosso's international colleague Alberto Gilardino clearly has a lot to learn, judging by this risible effort to win a spot-kick for AC Milan.

Alberto Gilardino

But the most notorious piece of World Cup gamesmanship occured in the 1998 semi-final when Croatian hardman Slaven Bilic ruined Laurent Blanc's tournament by acting like a complete cissy. Still, at least it worked.

Slaven Bilic

Certainly more so than this pathetic piece of play-acting by Brazil's Rivaldo which rebounded spectacularly on him during this World Cup match with Turkey.

Brazil's Rivaldo

And just in case anyone should claim that the Premier League is exempt, Arjen Robben, the former Chelsea winger, had a well deserved reputation for reacting rather spectacularly to tackles. However, he pulled off this over-the-top attempt to successfully get Pepe Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper, sent off, with aplomb.

Robben

When he became Germany manager Klinsmann favoured Jens Lehmann over the vastly experienced Oliver Kahn as national goalkeeper. Surely it wasn't for these petulant antics the Arsenal stopper displayed against Bolton Wanderers?

Jens Lehmann

But at least Newcastle United's Steven Taylor has the good grace to look highly embarassed as his rather blatant dying swan act failed to hoodwink the referee.
Steven Taylor

See the best divers in football!

(Source: Timesonline)

Champions League Results and Videos! October 3,2007!

2007-10-03T14:44:00.000-04:00

Besiktas 0-1 FC Porto

Liverpool 0-1 Marseille

Rosenborg 0-2 Schalke 04
1st goal (Rosenborg 0-1 Schalke 04)

2st goal (Rosenborg 0-2 Schalke 04)

Valencia 1-2 Chelsea

Lazio 2-2 Real Madrid

Werder Bremen 1-3 Olympiacos

Benfica 0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Celtic 2-1 AC Milan

Champions League Results and Videos! October 2, 2007!

2007-10-02T13:35:00.000-04:00

CSKA Moscow 2-2 Fenerbahce

Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Sporting

Inter Milan 2-0 PSV

Lyon 0-3 Rangers

Man Utd 1-0 Roma

Sevilla 4-2 Slavia Prague

Steaua Bucuresti 0-1 Arsenal

VfB Stuttgart 0-2 Barcelona

Rooney: We blew Champions League last season!

2007-10-02T11:42:00.000-04:00

Wayne Rooney is 'desperate' to win the Champions League this season and believes Manchester United blew their chance last term. United looked good bets to conquer Europe after their 7-1 drubbing of Roma in the quarter-finals, only to be comprehensively outplayed by eventual winners AC Milan in the second leg of the semi-final. Roma are United's opponents again tonight in the group stage of the competition but Rooney already has his eyes on the main prize.

He said: 'I'm desperate to win the Champions League having got so close last year. 'We didn't play the way we can in the semi-final and that cost us away against Milan. 'Hopefully we can go on and get to final this year. 'We have got that little bit more experience and the players that have been brought in can add freshness towards the end of the season.'

Five of United's last seven games have ended in 1-0 wins but Sir Alex Ferguson insists there is no problem with his strikers, despite a scarcity of goals. Ferguson said: 'All the front players have been slow to get on to their game - that's understandable with Wayne with his injury and (Carlos) Tevez missing pre-season. 'They are getting better and will continue to do that. I think the partnership is good, using Wayne as a more advanced player and Carlos dropping in. 'They have that understanding, there are moments when Wayne drops in or drifts to the side but that's not a problem for us, it keeps our flow going. 'We know that Wayne can penetrate, that Cristiano Ronaldo can penetrate, and Carlos can in a different way, so I'm happy with that and I don't think there's a problem at all. 'Good players with the ability they have got will soon gel.'

Defenders Wes Brown and Nemanja Vidic are doubts after the pair picked up knocks at Birmingham - John O'Shea and Gerard Pique will step in if they fail fitness tests - but Owen Hargreaves trained this morning and is in line to make his European debut for United. Ferguson admitted he might be tempted to bring the former Bayern Munich midfielder straight back into the fray despite his lack of match practice.

He said: 'Hargreaves is a possibility but to be honest I would have liked for him to have had some more football for such an important game. 'European football is a different level for speed and tactics.'(ESPN)

Haile: ‘I can run 2:03, but I believe one day two hours will be broken’

2007-10-01T20:09:00.000-04:00

A day after breaking the World record at the real, Berlin Marathon (30 Sep), Haile Gebrselassie came to the press conference, looking happy, relaxed as usual and talking about his feelings and future goals.

“I am still overwhelmed by this tremendous race. But it is difficult to describe my feelings. You have to break a World record yourself to understand how that feels – go for it”, said Gebrselassie when asked about his mood a day after clocking 2:04:26.

At the runners’ party on Sunday night as per tradition the winners, Haile Gebrselassie and Gete Wami (Ethiopia/2:23:17), and top finishers were present. “I just had one beer mixed with a soft drink – but I did not even empty the glass”, said the Ethiopian, when reporters wondered what he drank when celebrating his victory.

Gebrselassie will now head back to Addis Abeba. His next marathon will be in Dubai in January. “Then of course there are the Olympic Games coming up, where I want to run the marathon. But I am even planning further ahead. It is my goal to come back to Berlin to run the World Championships’ marathon in 2009.”

Having now broken 24 World records or World bests, the 34-year-old indicated that his appetite for records is still there. “Getting back the half marathon World record is a goal. But it remains my secret where and when I will go for this. I know that there is a fast half marathon in Berlin in the spring but the timing does not fit so good for me next year.”

Also Gebrselassie says that the 2:04:26, with which he improved Paul Tergat’s (Kenya) time from Berlin 2003 by 29 seconds, will not be the end of the story.

“I believe that I can run 2:03. I had said that before but could not do it on Sunday. But I am convinced that I can achieve such a time in Berlin.” Gebrselassie added: “I think Berlin offers the best conditions for a World marathon chase – the course, the weather conditions, the spectators. So I think that when World records will be broken in the future it will happen in Berlin.”

Asked if he believed that one day the two hour-barrier will be broken in the marathon Haile Gebrselassie said: “Yes, of course. That will happen. But I do not know when – may be it will take 20 years or may be 40. For now I am happy that I have finally broken the World marathon record since my name is now on this record list. And in a 100 years people will still see that and say, ‘ah this was Haile Gebrselassie’.”(IAAF)

Goals from Seri A!

2007-10-01T11:15:00.000-04:00

See the goals from Seri A here!

Goals from La Liga!

2007-10-01T11:01:00.001-04:00

Click here to see the goals!

Gebrselassie offers apology to Tergat!

2007-09-30T14:37:00.000-04:00

Less than 10 minutes after breaking the world marathon record on Sunday, Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie was handed a cell phone: it was Paul Tergat calling from Kenya to offer his congratulations. "I'm sorry," Gebrselassie told his great rival and longtime friend after winning the Berlin marathon in two hours, four minutes, 26 seconds, shattering by 29 seconds Tergat's record set on the same course in 2003.

Tergat, who was pipped for the gold medal in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics by Gebrselassie in two classic 10,000-meter battles, would have none of it, telling Gebrselassie he was delighted for him. "I am sorry, this record belonged to Paul Tergat," Gebrselassie told a news conference when asked about the phone call. "Paul is my friend."

Gebrselassie tried to tell Tergat he thought he had better weather conditions this year compared to 2003, when it was sunnier and warmer, although there was less wind. But Tergat responded that records were meant to be broken.

"I really wanted to do this record but I was a little bit worried about it, worried about attacking my friend's record," said Gebrselassie, 34, who fell 61 seconds short a year ago in Berlin in his first attempt to break Tergat's mark of 2:04.55. "I think Paul understands that. I talked to him and said 'Hi, Paul, I'm sorry.' I said 'You can come here and try to get it back again next year.'"

Gebrselassie, the best distance runner of his era, is one of only three men to win consecutive Olympic 10,000-meter titles, the second at the 2000 Sydney Olympics providing an indelible image when he just held off the frenzied challenge from Tergat.

Gebrselassie has now held records at distances ranging from 3,000 meters to the marathon. He set numerous world records and won four successive world titles over 10,000 meters before turning to road racing. "Sure, there's no question about that," Gebrselassie said when asked if the elusive marathon world record was the most important. "It's something special. I was dreaming of it for many years. It's my record now. I'm so happy."

On Sunday, he confidently attacked the flat, fast course under ideal marathon weather conditions and had split times that were consistently a half-minute faster than Tergat for almost the entire race.

Gebrselassie admitted he had been a bit rattled by heavy rain and strong winds in Berlin earlier in the week.

"I lost some confidence when I first arrived, you know, the weather," he said. "Yesterday, I thought 'what's going on here in Berlin?' But they kept telling me the weather forecast was 'no rain.' How do you believe that?"

The weather forecast turned out to be accurate. The rain stopped before the race, temperatures at the start were around 13 degrees Celsius, there was only a little wind and skies remained overcast until late in the race.(WCSN)

Haile Gebresilassie Broke Marathon Record!

2007-09-30T08:54:00.000-04:00

Haile Gebrselassie finally fulfilled one of his biggest dreams: The 34 year-old Ethiopian broke the World record at the real,- Berlin-Marathon, clocking 2:04:26.

Running in near ideal conditions, Gebrselassie knocked 29 seconds from the preview record, 2:04:55, set by Kenyan Paul Tergat over the same course in 2003.

“It was something very special today, the spectators gave me more support than last year,” Gebrselassie said. “I have to say thank you Germany! Today the weather was perfect.”

Running an even pace Gebrselassie was guided by a group of pacemakers until 30 k. He left behind his other rivals soon after the start and then passed half way in 1:02:29 and always on course for the record. After the last two pacemakers had dropped out at 30 k Gebrselassie increased the pace, clocking his fastest kilometre split of 2:50 at 35 k.

Kenyan Abel Kirui took second with 2:06:51 and his felllow countryman Salim Kipsang was third in 2:07:29.

Gete Wami also defended her title in Berlin. The Ethiopian clocked 2:23:17 to finish yet another Ethiopian double victory in Berlin after 2006. There was a great debut by Irina Mikitenko. She clocked 2:24:51 to finish second, which is the fastest ever Marathon debut by a German woman. She is now the third fastest on the German all-time list behind Uta Pippig (2:21:45) and Katrin Dörre-Heinig (2:24:35). (IAAF)

Result of Premier League Matches!

2007-09-29T13:30:00.000-04:00

See all the Goals here!

West Ham 0-1 Arsenal

Barclays Premier League leaders Arsenal maintained their superb start to the season with a hard-earned 1-0 win at West Ham. West Ham, though, had their chances - the best of which fell to England hopeful Dean Ashton - but they also were indebted to keeper Rob Green, who made a string a fine saves.

The Hammers have performed well against Arsenal in recent meetings - winning both games last season as they escaped the drop. However, the Gunners are currently in blistering form and again started brightly.

Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle

Elano led Newcastle a merry dance at Eastlands as Manchester City roared back to record a fourth successive Premier League home win.

The Brazilian midfielder had already established himself as a clear man-of-the-match with an inspired display of cultured passing in a pulsating contest when he strode up to rocket home the 86th-minute free-kick which guaranteed Sven-Goran Eriksson's men their 3-1 victory. Eriksson has steadfastly refused to set any targets for his team despite their amazing start to the campaign.

Portsmouth 7-4 Reading

Benjani bagged a hat-trick as Portsmouth and Reading chalked up the most goals in Premier League history in a 7-4 success for the hosts. The Royals had only beaten Pompey once in the past 25 years but cannot have defended any worse in any of those previous encounters.

Goals from Stephen Hunt and Dave Kitson actually cancelled out Benjani's first-half double but Steve Coppell's side were soon buried under an avalanche of replies. Hermann Hreidarsson headed Pompey back ahead, Benjani's third was followed by a fine strike from Nico Kranjcar and, after substitute Shane Long had pulled one back for Reading, Sean Davis netted a long-rang shot before Sulley Muntari made it 7-3 from the spot. Nicky Shorey had the last word with a deflected fourth for the visitors.

Sunderland 1-2 Blackburnastle

Two goals in two minutes from David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz helped Blackburn to a 2-1 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Bentley pounced on a rebound to open the scoring from close range on 53 minutes, and Roque Santa Cruz smashed home his fifth goal of the season two minutes later as the home side were sliced open again.

Derby 1-1 Bolton

Derby goalkeeper Stephen Bywater secured the Rams a point after a superb late double save in a 1-1 draw with Bolton at Pride Park. Bywater had seen 20 goals sail past him in just seven league games to date but he proved he has lost none of his confidence when he denied Bolton's Christian Wilhelmsson and Nicolas Anelka late on.

Kenny Miller had given the home side a 19th-minute lead in a ragged and nervy tussle between the division's bottom two before Anelka's fortunate 32nd-minute equaliser, which took a heavy deflection off Claude Davis

Wigan 0-1 Liverpool

Yossi Benayoun ended Liverpool's mini crisis with the only goal of the game as Wigan suffered a 17th defeat in 17 matches against the Barclays Premier League's fabled 'big four'. In the end it was substitute Benayoun, a £5million buy from West Ham in the summer, who netted a 75th minute winner for his first league goal for the Reds

Chelsea 0-0 Fulham

Chelsea lost captain John Terry with a suspected fractured cheekbone as Avram Grant's first home game in charge ended in stalemate and controversy. To compound matters for Chelsea, Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, playing his first game since injuring his knee against Aston Villa in early September, was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 73rd minute.

All Videos from Seri A & La Liga!

2007-09-28T18:27:00.000-04:00

See all the action and goals from midweek games in Italian Seria A and Spanish La Lega.

See Videos from Seri A Here

All Goals from La Liga Here

Week 8 Fixture of English Premier League!

2007-09-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

West Ham vs Arsenal

The 101st London league local derby between West Ham and Arsenal is staged on the eve of Arsene Wenger's 11th anniversary as manager of the table-topping Gunners.Arsenal are bidding for a fifth successive Premier League victory to maintain their two point lead at the summit; West Ham are seeking the win that could see them leapfrog Chelsea and become London's second highest placed club.

The Hammers have won only one of their last eight London Premier League derbies; that victory being 0-1 over Arsenal at the Emirates on 7 April. Arsenal are undefeated in 17 in all competitions; won 12 and drawn five since losing to West Ham on 7 April. West Ham are chasing a fourth successive Premier League victory over Arsenal.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham

Tottenham go into this round of matches, as one of four clubs with just a single Premier League win to their name this season, and with the weakest "home" form.Villa face London opposition for the third time this season and are looking for maximum points for the third time.

Martin O'Neill's side is the highest placed of eight clubs going into the weekend without an away Premier League victory. Tottenham extended their unbeaten Premier League sequence against Aston Villa to five games with a 2-1 win in this equivalent fixture on Boxing Day last year, when Jermain Defoe scored both their goals.

Birmingham vs Man Utd

Both clubs return to league business after midweek defeats in the Carling Cup. Birmingham's was 3-0 at Blackburn; United's more of a shock, as a young inexperienced line-up were defeated 0-2, home to Championship Coventry.

United are chasing a fifth successive league win and clean sheet, and could go to the top of the table. Birmingham have won half as many league games as the Red Devils, but scored one more goal.

The Midlanders have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three home Premier League matches, scoring three goals and conceding three; United have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three away Premier League matches, scoring two goals and conceding two. It's 29 years since Birmingham last beat Manchester United:an emphatic 5-1 top-flight victory on 11 November 1978.

Sunderland vs Blackburn

Two former Manchester United team mates go head-to-head tactically as Roy Keane's Sunderland face Mark Hughes' Blackburn at the Stadium of Light. The inconsistent Wearsiders have picked up five of their eight points from last minute goals. Rovers have the weakest attack of any club in the top half of the Premier League table, but remain one of three clubs still to be beaten on the road.

Derby vs Bolton

Derby have made their worst ever start to a Premier League season; Bolton have equalled theirs, which was the one-season stay in 1995-96.

Derby hold a 100% home Premier League record over Bolton (two wins out of two); Bolton have not scored a top-flight goal on Derby turf for 55 years, and have not won on enemy territory at the highest level since 1947.

Chelsea vs Fulham

The Blues go into this game in their lowest league position for five years. The 66-match unbeaten home Premier League record is therefore under serious threat in this 66th competitive meeting and 57th west London league derby against Fulham, who although fourth bottom and without an away win, are the second highest scorers in the Premier League.

While the Cottagers have opened the scoring in five Premier League matches, the Blues have conceded the opener in five; no other clubs exceed either of those totals. Consequently Chelsea have gained an unequalled seven Premier League points when losing; Fulham have squandered an unrivalled 13 points when winning.

Fulham's last top-flight victory over Chelsea at the Bridge was 1-2 on 7 March 1964.

Everton vs Middlesbrough

Everton yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season; having conceded one goal in each of their first six outings and two at Aston Villa last Sunday.

This match pits the most disciplined side in the Premier League with the worst behaved, going into this round of matches. Everton have been shown just seven yellow cards; Middlesbrough 20.

Middlesbrough cross the Pennines in search of their first maximum at Goodison Park since a 0-2 end-of-season triumph on 14 May 2000, when Brian Deane and Juninho were on target.

Wigan vs Liverpool

Liverpool go into this game as one of two clubs still holding an unbeaten Premier League record, but four points behind Arsenal at the top of the table. The last two of the Merseysiders' Premier League games have been goalless; Wigan have only recorded two no score draws in their 84 fixtures in this league.Wigan are the lowest placed of the eight clubs still unbeaten at home in the Premier League.

Liverpool have conceded more penalty kicks in Premier League competition than any other club this season (three); Wigan have converted all three they've been awarded -no club has scored more so far this term.

Manchester City vs Newcastle Utd

Newcastle go into this top five clash having made their best start to a Premier League season in six years. Newcastle have not kept a clean sheet in 16 league games on the road, since their goalless draw at the City of Manchester Stadium on 11 November last year. Alan Shearer scored the solitary goal in the Magpies' only Premier League victory on City soil, a 0-1 triumph on 30 September 2000. They have not scored in three league clashes with City, home and away.

Portsmouth vs Reading

Portsmouth, unbeaten at home in the Premier League, play Reading, yet to win away.
Both clubs are coming off single goal victories in the Premier League last weekend, but Portsmouth haven't recorded back-to-back wins in 25 league outings; Reading in nine.

Portsmouth are protecting an undefeated Premier League record against Reading, having won this fixture 3-1, and drawn 0-0 at the Madejski in last season's meetings.

Next in line to succeed Henry?

2007-09-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

Despite all the debate around Thierry Henry's departure from Arsenal, Emmanuel Adebayor has not let the added pressure of replacing the Frenchman affect his game and, so far this season, has proven that he could be the Gunners' new attacking sensation.

With five goals in his last two Premier League games, the unpredictable Togolese striker, who according to Wenger brings a strong physical impact to the side, is currently in the form of his life. This is the inerview he gave to ESPN on Sept 25, 2007.

Question: Arsenal have been the target of many critics during the off season but now lead the Premier League with 16 points. Is this revenge for the team?

Adebayor: No it's not. We are just very happy. At the start of the season, people wouldn't give us a chance to finish ahead of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. We accepted it, but we really wanted to show those people that they were wrong.

We have a very talented team, that plays attractive football and which can win a trophy this season. Predictions don't interest me much, in May we will see who will be Champions.

Question: One of the main differences with last season is that Arsenal are competitive at home, impressive I should even say. What has changed?

Adebayor: The confidence. It is getting better and better each day, as last season we were struggling on the pitch due a lack of confidence. We started the championship with two or three draws and it affected us. We didn't know what to do, we were not playing intelligently. So far this season, the team is playing without pressure, just focusing on its football and with confidence. It is a good thing for the players and the coach. We are happy all together; we always try to go forward on the pitch with the desire to win.

Question: Does this make Arsenal a serious contender for the title this season?

Adebayor: It is too early to say that. The road is still very long. We just want to keep on improving and going one step further each game. We are playing very well currently and we learn a lot. Everybody has seen how mature we have been so far and now each player knows how to play for 90 minutes. Even when we are behind, we don't panic. We have to keep this dynamic. We control the ball, that makes everything easier and makes it more difficult for our opponents.

Question: When Thierry Henry left, it's fair to say some of the players and fans were expecting the worst. Were you also worried?

Adebayor: When Thierry left, I guess many players, like me, had doubts. Thierry was very important for the team and the club. He was carrying all the pressure on his shoulders when the team wasn't playing well, although he wasn't responsible for it he was the one that was criticised. And he was OK with that. He didn't complain. This season, there is no star in the changing room, if there's something wrong the whole team is criticised and not only one man. We are all in the same boat.

Question: Did you fear that Arsène Wenger would not extend his contract?

Adebayor: Yes. If he also left, then we would have been knocked out, like a hammer to the head. He stayed and that is great news, a relief. He is doing an excellent job.

Question: When talking about Henry's successor, people pointed out Robin Van Persie and Eduardo but not yourself. Did that upset you?

Adebayor: It's just part of a footballer's life I guess. You have to give the people the freedom to judge. And for most of them, it is still Robin or Eduardo, there's nothing I can say about that. I can only play well and we will see the outcome at the end of the season. Then we will see who has replaced Thierry. It is useless to say 'It's me' or 'It's him'. The squad is young; we are willing to win trophies together and not to think about who is going to be the new Thierry.

I don't ask myself too many questions, I'm focussed on the pleasure I can get from playing on the field. Against Tottenham, for example, I scored a beautiful goal and I was very happy afterwards. But gaining the three points for the team was the most important thing and we also achieved that.

Question: Are you back in your best shape after the injury troubles you have been through over the summer?

Adebayor: I was feeling really well physically and mentally before my injury in Austria. That was really hard to accept and to live with at the start. It really affected me. I knew I would miss the first two or thee games of the season and there's nothing more important than the summer's preparation. But now I'm back and I'm playing. I can't play three games a week yet as I'm not at 100% - perhaps only 80% I'd say. It will take some time but I will get there.

Question: Since the World Cup in Germany, you have been refusing to play with the Togolese team. What's going on and will you change your mind?

Adebayor: There were many controversies surrounding the bonus issue. The problems are still there and though we are trying to solve it will take time. When you are African you have to learn to handle these things (laugh). We have a very important game at home against Mali in October and we have to concentrate on winning to qualify for the African Nations Cup.

Bayern boosting Bundesliga profile!! ( by Uli )

2007-09-25T00:54:00.000-04:00

Six or seven weeks ago, I kindly asked you to support the Bundesliga - if only because we are, all things being relative, the good guys in that morality tale known as the people's game in the corporation's age. Hoping you'll understand the difference between hubris and self-irony, I'll now add: It looks like my campaign is bearing fruit!

On Thursday, as we were driving back from our holidays in Holland (souvenir: a Willem II magnetic badge) the six o'clock news on the radio informed us that the Bundesliga was about to set a new record as regards to live coverage in foreign countries. Saturday's game between Bayern and Schalke, the newscaster informed us, would be broadcast live into 142 countries. Apparently the old record had stood at 101.

Such growing interest, I daresay, is not at all unwarranted. The past few weeks have been a lot of fun and have served to give a lot of people a good feeling about the German game. And that despite the fact everybody thinks Bayern will waltz away with the title.

But first things first. While we were in Holland, I watched both of Germany's internationals, the game in Wales and the match with Romania. It was not natural that I did so, as I normally use such trips to get away from football. Also, it was hard to put down 'Final Cut', Steven Bach's both harrowing and hilarious account of the making of the movie 'Heaven's Gate'.

Yet I was interested in how Germany's makeshift team, ravaged by injuries, would do. The two games were very different, but entertaining in their own, peculiar ways. In Cardiff, Germany played a shockingly timid Welsh side and dominated the proceedings so thoroughly that most observers criticised the team for not creating more opportunities and scoring more goals.

But I liked what I saw precisely because we were not the ruthlessly efficient, clinically precise Germany of yore. Instead, there was a great sense of un-Teutonic playfulness, epitomised by the performance of Bastian Schweinsteiger. He was mildly chided for not playing enough lethal through balls, yet I mightily enjoyed his art-for-art's-sake approach. This guy would make a great futsal player, given his tendency to gently caress the ball with the sole of his foot.

The Romania game was almost the opposite. For considerable periods it looked as if the visitors would play us off the park, as we seemed as immobile and transfixed as the Welsh had been a few days earlier. What turned the match around was in part Romanian generosity - they refused to score a second goal, then they brought on an ageing icon with a propensity for giving the ball away and finally their goalkeeper lost the plot.

But it was also down to a lot of heart and grit on the part of what amounted to a German reserve side. When Bernd Schneider scores with a header you know you're watching something out of the ordinary.

Two days later, on Friday evening, I went to see Borussia Dortmund play Werder Bremen (a match live on television in 139 countries, the radio voice had announced on Thursday). In many regards, it was just like old times again.

First, it was a floodlit match and we haven't had many of those in Dortmund since our fall from both national and European grace.

Second, the terrace was so packed that I watched the first twenty minutes standing sideways and turning my head to peek over my shoulder. Yes, this was as uncomfortable as it sounds, but a.) That's old-time football for you and b.) I had only myself to blame. I like my two beers before the game starts and usually arrive at my place on the terrace pretty late. And, well, sometimes late is too late to find a good spot to stand.

Still, despite knowing it was my own fault, I had to fight an urge to address all those teenagers next to me with a heartfelt: 'Goddamn, please move aside! I have been standing in this exact place for more than thirty years, so why don't you kiddies go and crowd some other part?' Well, then we scored three goals in ten minutes and I created some room for myself during the celebrations.

My irrational anger at the juvenile contingent on the terrace largely vanished with the goals - and evaporated for good the next morning. That's when the mailman delivered the new issue of When Saturday Comes. It carries a piece headed 'Lost Generation' that deals with the demographics of the people who watch games in England. 'A survey carried out by the Premier League last season revealed that the average age of a fan at a top-flight match is 43,' it says before adding: 'And that's old.'

Indeed. In fact, that's so old that I refused to believe this stat and consulted the internet. But guess what, it's true. The Guardian dealt with the survey back in March, saying 'a large proportion of those who cannot afford to go to matches are young' before becoming a bit misty-eyed: 'The memory that terraces were packed with teenagers and young lads - not always, it has to be said, behaving impeccably - is supported by the limited statistics available from the time.' Well, if you need less limited statistics, guys and gals, go to Dortmund's terrace and just look around. I'm younger than 43 and am still just a boring old fart there.

A few hours after I had digested the WSC article, Bayern played Schalke. If you happen to live in one of the 142 countries that covered the game, you'll probably agree it was a good match. Not great, mind you, but pretty decent considering most hyped matches never live up to expectations. You'll also have to admit that Bayern, the club Germans love to hate, make it very hard for even their staunchest detractors to bad-mouth them.

This current Munich side is no longer the cold, efficient machinery many fans have come to dislike over the decades. I mean, we have already looked at Schweinsteiger - and at Bayern he's playing alongside Franck Ribéry, fast on his way to becoming the league's most popular footballer, dazzling people with his flicks and tricks!

The current Bayern side have a trained left-winger (Zé Roberto) playing as the holding midfielder! Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose upfront seem to have secret pact going that says they must never finish coolly if there's still a one-two possible!

Then there is Lucio. In the old days, he drove his managers nuts by habitually stomping forward and leaving gaping holes behind him. We can assume that Ottmar Hitzfeld had a talk with him before the season, saying: 'Look, Lucio, even our left back is an attacking player, not to mention all those guys in midfield. So, please, do me a favour and stay at the back.'

Lucio did as he was told. For a month. Against Schalke, he was again all over the place, not caring what happened behind him. You may call that a lack of discipline, I call that a side that is fun to watch. Even if it is representing Bayern Munich. (ESPN)

Result of Premier League Matches!

2007-09-23T11:01:00.000-04:00

Newcastle 3-1 West Ham

Mark Viduka announced his arrival on Tyneside with a first-half double as Newcastle saw off West Ham 3-1.The Australian got his side off to the perfect start with a second-minute bullet header, and then converted Charles N'Zogbia's cross four minutes before half-time.
In the meantime, Dean Ashton had dragged the visitors back into it with his second goal in as many games since his return from injury, and the Hammers could count themselves unfortunate to go in behind at the break after pinning their hosts back for long periods.

Keeper Steve Harper had to produce excellent one-handed saves to deny first Mark Noble and then former team-mate Lee Bowyer, but the Magpies dominated the second half and were rewarded when N'Zogbia slotted home their third goal after 76 minutes
Aston villa 2-0 Everton

Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth

A solitary strike from Kanu was enough to give Portsmouth their first away victory of the year and consign Blackburn to a second defeat in four days.Harry Redknapp's side had not savoured a win on the road since a Boxing Day triumph at West Ham, since when they had suffered eight defeats and five draws.

Kanu's 25th-minute strike was his third goal of the season, adding to Blackburn's woes after their shock loss to Larissa on Thursday in the first leg of a UEFA Cup first-round tie.

Bolton 1-1 Tottenham

Tottenham took the lead in the 33rd minute through Keane's first league goal of the season.It was poor defending by Bolton after Jaaskelainen got a hand to Jermaine Jenas' close-range effort. The ball broke to Campo but he only succeeded in setting up Keane, who took advantage from close range.Campo made amends five minutes later by grabbing the equaliser with a thumping header into the corner following a free-kick from El-Hadji Diouf.

Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea
(Tevez Goal, Saha's Penality)
(see Rooney's attempt on goal, Sendig off of Jon Obi Mikel)

Premeir League Results and Video-Week Seven

2007-09-22T09:31:00.000-04:00

The final score of todays match in EPL.

Arsenal 5-0 Derby
(1st gaol,2nd goal, 3rd goal,4th goal, 5th goal)

Arsenal remain top of the Barclays Premier League after their five-star performance destroyed dire Derby 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium.A hat-trick from Emmanuel Adebayor and goals from Abou Diaby and Cesc Fabregas swept clueless County aside in emphatic style.The Londoners are clearly not missing the departed Thierry Henry as this latest victory preserved their 100% home record and left them undefeated so far this season.

An Emmanuel Adebayor hat-trick helped destroy Derby and keep Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. Abou Diaby put the Gunners ahead with a vicious drive into the top corner. Then Adebayor showed exquisite control to take down a Cesc Fabregas pass on his chest before rounding Stephen Bywater and slotting a second. Adebayor struck a second-half penalty and Fabregas rifled in a shot before Adebayor again chested the ball down and placed it low beyond Bywater.The final word went to the outstanding Adebayor, who once more demonstrated superb chest control before slipping the ball into the bottom corner.

Liverpool 0-0 Birmingham

Disappointment for Liverpool, who have now drawn and failed to score in their last two Premier League games. In each match Fernando Torres has started from the bench.Birmingham have defended fantastically, they've been comfortable in possession, and their goal keeper Taylor has only had to make one save.

Middlesbrough 2-2 Sunderland

Liam Miller's 89th-minute goal snatched a point for Sunderland in a thrilling 125th Tees-Wear derby. Sunderland took the lead after 75 seconds when Michael Chopra's shot hit Grant Leadbitter and fell kindly for him to slot past Mark Schwarzer. Boro equalised when Gary O'Neil's cross was headed in by Julio Arca and then Stewart Downing drilled past Craig Gordon from 25 yards out. But with time running out Miller fired in a left-foot shot from 20 yards.

Reading 2-1 Wigan

James Harper scored a stunning late winner as Reading secured a much-needed victory over Wigan. The Royals spurned several good chances before taking the lead when Chris Kirkland spilled Kevin Doyle's weak shot and Dave Kitson tapped home.

Wigan hit back and Jason Koumas curled a superb free-kick against the underside of the bar before his corner was headed in by Marcus Bent. But Harper won it, slotting in after a fabulous reverse pass from Kitson. The result which lifts Reading out of the bottom three, was harsh on the visitors given their response to going behind - although Steve Coppell's side could have been four up by the time they took the lead.

Aston villa 3-3 Manchester City

Week 7 Fixture of Premier League!

2007-09-21T00:35:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 22 September 2007

Arsenal v Derby

Arsenal enter a new round of Premier League fixtures top of the table for the first time since November 2004 and just a week or so ahead of Arsene Wenger's 11th anniversary as manager of the Gunners.

Derby go to the Emirates without a point or a goal on the road and having conceded six at Liverpool in their last away game. However, but they have just ended their four-match losing league run with Monday's 1-0 home success over Newcastle. Arsenal have won the last three meetings with Derby, and are defending an unbeaten home Premier League record against them. Derby's only Premier League victory over the Gunners was a 3-0 home success on 1 November 1997; Paul Wanchope got a brace and Dean Sturridge the other.Arsenal have never lost when Adebayor has scored; winning 15 and drawing two of the 17 matches in which he's netted

Fulham v Man City

The Citizens, who've made their best ever start to a Premier League season, are chasing a fifth victory in seven outings. They are one of three clubs who could be top of the table by Saturday night.

Fulham have thrown away an unequalled 11 Premier League points from winning positions this term. Their brittle defence in the last 10 minutes has proved a contributory factor when four goals have been conceded.

Liverpool v Birmingham

Liverpool go into this game two points off the pace, and unbeaten in eight games home and abroad this season. Birmingham are looking for a third victory in four Premier League outings. The Liverpool scored six against Derby in their last home game, but five of their 10 league defeats last season, followed midweek Champions League ties. Birmingham lead Liverpool by three wins to two in the Premier League head-to-head standings.

Middlesbrough v Sunderland

This is a mid-table north-east derby clash, pitting the two youngest managers in the Premier League against each other. Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate (37) sends out a side for the 55th time, while for Sunderland's Roy Keane (36) this is his 50th league and cup match in charge. Sunderland ended a record run of 26 winless games in top-flight football (three draws and 23 defeats), when they prevailed in the last staging of this corresponding fixture; 0-2 on 25 September 2005, when Tommy Miller and Argentine Julio Arca secured the points.

Reading v Wigan

The Premier League's most junior clubs competing this season, lock horns at the Madejski Stadium. The Royals (Reading) are battling to avoid a fourth successive league defeat; the Latics (Wigan) are searching for a first victory on the road.

==========================

Sunday, 23 September 2007

Aston Villa v Everton

Aston Villa against Everton is the most played fixture in English top-flight football. They're meeting for the 185th time; all their league clashes have been at the highest level.

Both these clubs lost their last league game, 0-1; Everton home to Manchester United, Villa away to Manchester City. Villa have drawn more Premier League matches than any other club-176

Blackburn v Portsmouth

Blackburn are one of three clubs still unbeaten in the Premier League; Portsmouth are still looking for a first away league win of the season. The Ewood Park club have kept back-to-back clean sheets; Pompey are the only club yet to open the scoring in a league game this term. Both are coming off Premier League goalless draws.

Bolton v Tottenham

Bottom placed Bolton have made their worst ever start to a Premier League season, and have lost more matches than any other club in the table (five). Tottenham began the season with great expectations of breaking into the Premier League's top four; in reality they find themselves in the bottom four with one win in six outings, and none on the road. The Trotters are the Premier League's most vulnerable club in the first quarter (22 minutes) when four goals have been let in; Spurs are the most dangerous, with an unequalled five goals scored in the same period.

Man Utd v Chelsea

The second of this season's clashes between the so-called "Big Four" clubs; Manchester United's first and Chelsea's second, after drawing 1-1 away to Liverpool on 19 August. United are pursuing a fifth straight win in all competitions and fourth on the spin in the Premier League, however they've not scored more than a single goal in any game this season.

Chelsea begin the post-Mourinho era, in search of their second win in six league and cup outings, and first goal in three Premier League matches. Victory in Avram Grant's first match in charge, would also be Chelsea's 1,500th league win in their history.

Sir Alex Ferguson had only registered one win in six Premier League meetings with Jose Mourinho; the 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on 6 November 2005 in which Darren Fletcher scored, famously ending Chelsea's 40-match unbeaten League run.

Newcastle v West Ham

Newcastle are unbeaten at home in the Premier League; West Ham are 100% away, and pursuing a fifth consecutive away league win. The Hammers are the only club yet to concede an away goal in the Premier League. The Magpies are unbeaten in seven Premiership games against West Ham (won four, drawn three); the Hammers have not won on Tyneside for nine years.

Trophies not enough to save Mourinho!

2007-09-20T21:40:00.000-04:00

Shocked? It's certainly the most interesting thing to have happened in the world of football recently, but can it be seen as the biggest surprise? The most under-pressure manager in English football has left Chelsea by 'mutual consent' and there are those that will claim Jose Mourinho jumped before he was pushed.

With their worst start in the Premier League since 2001 behind them, having lost 2-0 to Aston Villa and drawn with Blackburn last weekend, the rumours had already begun to circle over the managerial position at Stamford Bridge.

Compounded by a poor performance in midweek, billionaire owner Roman Abramovich had been seen in the stands laughing when Rosenborg took a shock lead on Tuesday night. Whether this was because a woeful 24,793 turned up to see the match, their lowest attendance since the Champions League tie against Slovakian side Zilina in 2003, or because he knew something others didn't, remains to be seen. What's certain is that the Russian had the knives out for Mourinho since he failed to deliver the Premiership title or Champions League trophy last season.

Back in May, there was speculation over who would take over the reigns from Mourinho if he did leave, but after three years in the job, the colourful Portuguese delivered a fairly sizeable haul of trophies for Abramovich. Just not the ones he wanted.

Premiership titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06, a double League Cup win and one FA Cup with victory over Manchester United last season, Mourinho was also voted Premier League Manager of the Year twice and took Chelsea to an incredible run of 66 matches unbeaten at home.

However, the Champions League prize eluded him. Tactically out-thought by Liverpool's Rafa Benitez, Mourinho struggled to impress in Europe and Abramovich was evidently keen that his £180million investment in players under Mourinho should bring about the biggest prize in European club football. After all, Mourinho had collected the prize with Porto in 2003/04 without any financial backing.

With only one game gone in this season's competition however, the disappointing draw against lowly Norwegian side Rosenborg seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back. While failure to deliver the Champions League may have been one of the main reasons behind his departure, Mourinho's relationship with the chairman has certainly played its part in events.

Clashes between the two became public knowledge with the signing of Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko. A cheque for £30.1million was cashed by AC Milan, and one of the world's top strikers arrived. Although it was clear that Mourinho had been forced to buy a player who was a close personal friend of the Chelsea owner, and not someone the manager thought would link well with the players already at the club.

This hunch proved to be correct and after a disappointing first season with the club Mourinho chose to alienate Shevchenko, incurring the wrath of the powerful Russian. With two immensely strong characters going head-to-head, there were behind-the-scenes scuffles last season, but the pair patched up their differences (with a reported meeting after the draw at Watford) and Mourinho held onto his job.

It would seem that the Portuguese had backed down in the row, but this season brought about a whole new dimension to their relationship.

Abramovich made it clear that he expected to see attacking football of the kind Chelsea had shown in their steamrollering of the Premiership in 2004/05. A summer of free-transfer arrivals, including Steven Sidwell, Alex and Tal Ben Haim, suggested that the Russian was no longer willing to bankroll such huge signings, only splashing out £13.5million on the arrival of Lyon's Florent Malouda.

Mourinho had complained about not being able to buy defenders while John Terry was out last Christmas, so there was obviously tension surrounding new acquisitions, yet he found himself in a strange situation. Having spent £200million in three seasons, to suddenly be deprived of funds must have come as a shock, although some of his signings have not helped his cause.

The likes of Khalid Boulahrouz, Asier Del Horno, Tiago and Mateja Kezman all cost a lot for what they brought to the club; but it was Shevchenko and the signing of German midfielder Michael Ballack that caused the most friction.

With Mourinho failing to get the best out of two of the world's best players, too much relied on John Terry and Frank Lampard to perform and host of injuries cost the club dearly. As with all Premier League manager's though, the finger of blame did not fall on the players themselves but on the manager.

With Manchester United to come this Sunday, the timing of Chelsea's decision to release their manager could not be worse. With the club in turmoil for the foreseeable future, whoever takes over the hot-seat is fully aware of the pressure that comes with the job.

Where Mourinho ends up next will be much more interesting. (ESPN)

Champions League Results and Videos!

2007-09-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

Barcelona 3-0 Lyon
(1st goal, 2nd goal, 3rd goal)

A Francois Clerc own goal in the first half and late strikes from Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry gave Barcelona a comfortable victory over Lyon in their Group E Champions League clash at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.It was one-way traffic for much of the contest and the Barca onslaught started early.

Rangers 2-1 VfB Stuttgart

Gomez demonstrated exactly why he was named Germany's player of the year last season by helping himself to the opener after 55 minutes. Sami Khedira's pass may have initially been intended for Cacau but he remained static, while Gomez made the run before flicking past McGregor into the back of the net. Undeterred, Rangers were back on level terms seven minutes later. Alan Hutton's superb run took him past four red shirts before setting up Adam, who gleefully lashed past the helpless Schafer.Rangers were then gifted the lead when Italian referee Stefano Farina pointed to the spot after a clumsy challenge from Stuttgart skipper Fernando Meira on Hutton.Darcheville stepped up to blast past Schafer from 12 yards with 74 minutes gone and Ibrox erupted as Rangers secured a crucial victory on match day one.

Roma 2-0 Dynamo Kiev

Perrotta put the hosts ahead after nine minutes and captain Totti got the second with 20 minutes to go.Perrotta's goal came from Roma's first attack. Max Tonetto whipped over a left-wing cross and Perrotta glanced a header past Olexandr Shovkovskiy for only his second Champions League goal.

Sporting 0-1 Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo returned in red to haunt former club Sporting Lisbon and ensure Manchester United made a winning start to their latest Champions League quest with a 1-0 victory. Ronaldo spent seven years wearing Sporting green before he left for Old Trafford in 2003 with a £12.2million price tag and became a megastar. Wes Brown's cross fell right into the danger zone and with Sporting's defenders at full stretch for the first time in the entire game, up popped Ronaldo in acres of space to inflict maximum damage on his old club from six yards on 62 minute. (Read More....)

PSV Eindhoven 2-0 CSKA Moscow
(1st goal, 2nd goal)

Danko Lazovic grabbed his third goal in four matches for PSV Eindhoven as the Dutch champions defeated CSKA Moscow at the Philips Stadion.First-half substitute Kenneth Perez added a second - his first goal for the club - 10 minutes from time as Ronald Koeman's men overcame the challenge of the Russian champions despite Vagner Love's late strike.Chances were at a premium in a physical first half which featured 17 fouls but the game burst into life in the second period, with PSV edging out their Group G rivals.

Arsenal 3-0 Sevilla
(1st goal, 2nd goal, 3rd Goal)

Arsenal continued to show few signs of missing Thierry Henry as Arsene Wenger's young Gunners swept aside Sevilla 3-0 to get their Champions League campaign off to the perfect start at the Emirates Stadium with goals from Fabregas(27th min), Van pirsie (59th min) and Eduardo(90th min). Star man Henry may have been sold to Barcelona during the summer but the rest of the squad have certainly pulled together, racing to the top of the Premier League with four wins from five games.(Read more....)

Slavia Prague 2-1Steaua Bucurest
(1st goal, 2nd goal)

Goals from Zdenek Senkerik and Tijani Belaid gave Slavia Prague a 2-1 victory over Steaua Bucharest in their Group H Champions League debut on Wednesday.Senkerik put the home side ahead after 13 minutes when forward Stanislav Vlcek's close-range shot was deflected to him by goalkeeper Robinson Zapata. The Romanians hit back in the 33rd when defender Dorin Goian headed in a corner kick but Belaid put Slavia ahead again in the 63rd with a shot from inside the box.

Fenerbahce 1-0 Inter Milan
(goal)

A 43rd-minute goal from Brazilian forward Deivid earned Fenerbahce a 1-0 win over Italian heavyweights Inter Milan in their Champions League Group G opener on Wednesday. Fenerbahce piled the pressure on the Italians in the first half, creating several chances. A shot from playmaker Alex de Souza sailed over the bar in the 27th minute and Julio Cesar saved a Deivid header in the 32nd. Fenerbahce took the lead just before half time when Deivid's volley hit the target following Alex's cross from right and Inter found no reply.

Champions League Results and Videos!

2007-09-18T15:20:00.001-04:00

European champions AC Milan began their Champions League defence with a 2-1 win over Benfica team at the San Siro.The Rossoneri looked excellent going forward but shaky at the back on occasion and more clinical opponents could have taken something from the game.

As it was, Andrea Pirlo gave them the lead inside 10 minutes with a trademark free-kick into the top corner. Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo hit the post with an open-goal header from two yards out for Benfica and Milan swiftly punished them for the miss. Kaka led a break which stretched the Benfica defence and last season's Champions League final matchwinner Filippo Inzaghi volleyed home Pirlo's chip across the box.

Marseille were 2-0 victors over Besiktas at the Stade Velodrome to go top after the first round of games. Julien Rodriguez, sent off in Marseille's home defeat to Toulouse in Ligue 1 at the weekend, scored the first after a Samir Nasri corner and former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse added a late second.

Valencia lead Group B after a 1-0 win over Schalke in Gelsenkirchen. Spain striker David Villa got the only goal for Valencia following good work by Portuguese full-back Miguel.

Nine-times European champions Real Madrid opened their Group C campaign with a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen at the Bernabeu. Raul gave the Spanish giants a 16th-minute lead but Werder levelled through Ivorian striker Boubacar Sanogo a minute later. However, Real were not to be denied and Ruud van Nistelrooy secured the points with his 50th Champions League goal.

Olympiacos and Lazio drew 1-1 in a game played behind closed doors in Greece because of past misdemeanours by the home club's fans. Argentinian midfielder Luciano Galletti scored a superb goal for the Greek side in the 55th minute, selling the Lazio goalkeeper Marco Ballotta a dummy before tucking the ball into the unguarded net. But the Roman side levelled when Luciano Zauri's low shot beat Antonis Nikopolidis at his near post. Here is the final score.

FC Porto 1-1 Liverpool
(1st goal, 2nd Goal)

Marseille 2-0 Besiktas

Chelsea 1-1 Rosenborg

Ac Milan 2-1 Benefica
(1st & 2nd goals, and 3rd goal)

Schalke 04 0-1 Valencia

Olympiakos 1-1 Lazio

Real Madrid 2-1 Werder Bremen
(1st goal, 2nd goal)

Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Celtic

The Brilliance of Bergkamp!

2007-09-18T10:19:00.000-04:00

By joining Arsenal in 1995, Dennis Bergkamp unwittingly managed to achieve something seminal. By just being himself, by bringing his prodigious talent to bear on the playing fields of England, he was largely responsible for a seismic shift in expectation levels, not just at Highbury but in the country as a whole. Once the princely Dutchman had started displaying his wares to disbelieving audiences up and down the land, once his incomparable skills became as much part of the scene as a crunching Tony Adams tackle, there was no going back for those privy to the pageant. The public wanted more. No longer would it settle for merely 'good' when it had seen what 'superb' could do to the pulse. Time had moved on and so had the demands, thanks to Bergkamp's brilliant machinations with the ball at his feet(see Bergkamp's Goal below)

A heavenly touch, extraordinary vision, a sublime range of passing plus a compendium of wonderful goals: who could settle for milk after this taste of ambrosia? Not Arsenal. Not Arsene Wenger. With the bar raised to an unprecedented height, anyone fancying a jump needed spring in his heels.

Bergkamp, to all intents and purposes, was the trailblazer at Arsenal. Without him, the likes of Vieira, Anelka, Overmars, Petit, Pires and Henry might not have been so inclined to head for N5. They had, after all, seen their predecessor arrive as the first genuine overseas superstar to be beguiled by Blighty. Before him, the feisty fireworks accompanying most tussles in this country, the muck and bullets attitude that has prevailed down the years, tended to discourage the so-called foreign 'Fancy Dans'.(Read More...)

Champions League: Big guns plan for Moscow!

2007-09-17T10:53:00.000-04:00

The aristocrats of European football get the chance to show off their latest accessories when the Champions League returns to stadiums across the continent this week. All the usual suspects, with the notable exception of Bayern Munich, begin the long road to Moscow, all believing this could be their year to reign supreme.

The first round of group matches are liberally sprinkled with heavyweight clashes, AC Milan against Benfica in Group D and the Group A opener between Porto and Liverpool standing out among the 16 games this week. Holders and seven-times European champions Milan have fond memories of playing Benfica, having twice beaten the Portuguese giants to lift the trophy.

Five-times European champions Liverpool, boosted by the arrival of Spanish striker Fernando Torres, will be wary of a trip to Porto, having not won in Portugal for 23 years. Despite being a regular for Spain, the 23-year-old Torres has never paraded his skills in the Champions League and is eager to make up for lost time. 'Everyone wants to play in Europe, to be among the greats,' he told Liverpool's Web site. 'The chance to play in the Champions League and with great players is what matters. I want to contribute with my goals.'

Porto's domestic rivals Sporting are also in action against English opposition when they take on Manchester United in Group F on Wednesday. Both sides have injury concerns with United defender Mikael Silvestre ruled out for the season with a knee injury while Sporting striker Derlei also suffering from a long-term knee problem.

Elsewhere, Spanish club Sevilla, competing for the first time in the modern version of Europe's blue riband tournament after back-to-back UEFA Cup triumphs, face a testing introduction at early English Premier League leaders Arsenal on Wednesday.

Barcelona will look forward to unleashing Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry on much-changed French champions Olympique Lyon while the champions of Italy meet the champions of Turkey when Fenerbahce host Inter Milan in Istanbul.

AC Milan needed a stoppage-time equaliser from Alessandro Nesta to earn a scratchy draw with Siena in Serie A on Sunday but coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident his side will click against Benfica.'Now we have to think about Tuesday. We are not afraid to admit we did not play very well, but against Benfica it will be a different story,' Ancelotti said.

Of all the coaches, Chelsea's Jose Mourinho has arguably the most pressure on his shoulders. Since joining the Roman Abramovich revolution at Stamford Bridge he has won everything apart from Europe's top prize. Two semi-final defeats by Liverpool have left a sour taste in the mouth of billionaire Abramovich and the Russian will expect nothing less than a trip to his own capital next May.

Chelsea will be without Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard for Tuesday's Group B opener against Rosenborg Trondheim of Norway but captain John Terry spelt out the determination in the squad. 'We're desperate to win it as a group,' he said on Chelsea's Web site. 'We're born winners here and that's going to keep us going over the next few years.'

Russia have only one club involved and CSKA Moscow could not have asked for a harder group. The 2005 UEFA Cup winners are in Group G with Inter Milan, Fenerbahce and PSV Eindhoven, who they visit on Wednesday. (ESPN)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007
FC Porto v Liverpool
Marseille v Besiktas
Chelsea v Rosenborg
Schalke 04 v Valencia
Olympiakos v Lazio
Real Madrid v Werder Bremen
AC Milan v Benfica
Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic
----------------------------

Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Barcelona v Lyon
Rangers v VfB Stuttgart
Roma v Dynamo Kiev
Sporting Lisbon v Man Utd
Fenerbahce v Inter Milan
PSV Eindhoven v CSKA Moscow
Arsenal v FC Sevilla
Slavia Prague v Steaua Bucureste

Guide to Champions League 2007/08!

2007-09-16T12:32:00.000-04:00

The first match of 2007/08 champions leage game will be played on September 18, 2007. Here is a guide to each team in champions league group stage:

GROUP A:
LIVERPOOL, BESIKTAS, FC PORTO, OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE

GROUP B:
CHELSEA, VALENCIA, ROSENBORG, SCHALKE 04

GROUP C
REAL MADRID, LAZIO, WERDER BREMEN, OLYMPIAKOS

GROUP D
AC MILAN, CELTIC, BENEFICA, SHAKHTAR DONETSK

GROUP E
BARCELONA, OLYMPIQUE LYON, VFB STUTTGART, RANGERS

GROUP F
MANCHESTER UNITED, AS ROMA, SPORTING LISBON, DYNAMO KIEV

GROUP G
INTERMILAN, PSV EINDHOVEN, CSKA MOSCOW, FENEBAHCE

GROUP H
ARSENAL, SIVILLA, SLAVIA PRAGUE, STEAUA BUCAREST

Arsenal and Manchester defeated tough opponents!

2007-09-15T10:36:00.000-04:00

Everton 0-1 Manchester Utd(1st half highlight)(goal)

Nemanja Vidic nodded home a priceless winner seven minutes from time at Everton to complete a third successive single-goal triumph for Premier League champions Manchester United.The Serbian's effort, a near-post header from Nani's corner, enabled United to record a 13th win in 16 visits to Goodison Park and also keep pace with their major rivals.

Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal(1st goal)

Stunning goals from Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor earned Arsenal a 3-1 victory at White Hart Lane and piled on the misery for Tottenham manager Martin Jol.Spurs had been ahead in the 15th minute through Gareth Bale's free-kick and had chances to add to their lead before Adebayor levelled.Fabregas' strike came with 10 minutes remaining, and Adebayor also found the top corner in stoppage time, leaving Spurs with still one Premier League victory this season.

It was a cruel blow for Jol, who has appeared undermined by his board this season after their infamous meeting with Sevilla coach Juande Ramos.Spurs had not beaten Arsenal since 1999, during George Graham's reign, and there is a perception Jol struggles against the ``big four''

Portsmouth 0-0 Liverpool(Penality miss)

Jose Reina's first-half penalty save from Kanu and missed sitters by Portsmouth's John Utaka and Sulley Muntari let Liverpool off the hook in a scoreless scrap at Fratton Park, where Rafael Benitez's side had been beaten on three of their last five visits.When Spain international Reina plunged to stop Kanu's spot-kick in the 31st minute after referee Mike Riley pointed to the spot for Alvaro Arbeloa's tug on the Nigerian's shirt, Liverpool should have gone on and wrapped up another victory to take them clear at the top of the Premier League

Sunderland 2-1 Reading

Eyebrows were raised when manager Roy Keane paid Southampton £6million for striker Kenwyne Jones, but he capped a fine home debut with a superb 29th-minute strike to set his side on their way, and then provided the cross from which Ross Wallace made it 2-0 two minutes after the break.

The margin of victory would have been more comfortable had either Jones or Wallace made the most of gilt-edged chances which came their way either side of half-time.
However, after going four games without a single goal, two were more than enough to kill off a poor Royals side on the day despite Dave Kitson's late consolation effort.

Wigan 1-1 Fullham(1st, 2nd goal)

Emile Heskey completed his swift return from international redemption to the harsh reality of domestic life as Wigan and Fulham played out a scrappy 1-1 draw at the JJB Stadium.Heskey limped off with an apparent ankle injury after just nine minutes of a match which saw Jason Koumas' late penalty cancel out Clint Dempsey's opener for the visitors.

West Ham 3-0 Middlesbrough

Dean Ashton scored his first goal since the 2006 FA Cup final to help West Ham to their first home league win of the season at the expense of Middlesbrough. Bowyer opened the scoring after the restart when he picked up Carlton Cole's ball and fired in a low volley. West Ham made it 2-0 when Cole curled in a low cross that Luke Young could only poke into his own net.Ashton rounded off the scoring when he tapped in Matthew Etherington teasing ball from the left.

Birmingham 1-0 Bolton

Birmingham secured their first home league win of the season thanks to Olivier Kapo's close-range effort. The excellent Sebastian Larsson clipped in a pin-point cross for the unmarked Kapo, who stretched to poke home.The hosts were rarely troubled by a lacklustre Bolton side whose best chance was a Daniel Braaten run and shot that was blocked by Stephen Kelly. Larsson hit the bar from a free-kick and despite a late siege on their goal, the Blues held out for a deserved win.

Week 6 premeir League Matches and Review!

2007-09-14T08:42:00.000-04:00

Birmingham v Bolton
This is a bottom-five clash between two clubs looking for their second Premier League victories of the season.

Birmingham are still without a home league win; Bolton are chasing a first victory on the road and have lost their last three Premier League games away from home, trailing back to last season.

The Trotters have made their worst ever start to a Premier League season, but are on the longest current run by any club in this league since failing to score (20 matches). Birmingham are yet to keep a clean sheet.

Chelsea v Blackburn
The Londoners are chasing their 1,500th League win, to extend their record-breaking unbeaten home run to 66 league games.

Blackburn are defending a 10-match undefeated Premier League run, on the eve of Mark Hughes' third anniversary as Rovers manager. They have not lost in 14 league and cup games since last season's FA Cup semi-final, when they fell foul of Chelsea.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba remains a doubt with the knee injury he picked up in the loss to Aston Villa. Midfielder Frank Lampard is a doubtful with a thigh strain, while Michael Ballack and Wayne Bridge are still out with ankle problems.

Blackburn are waiting to confirm the fitness of Roque Santa Cruz, Benni McCarthy and Aaron Mokoena after they were away on international duty.

Everton v Man Utd
The winner of this north-west derby will go top of the table for 45 minutes at least. Everton need just a point to go top. If they finish level, it will be the Toffees' 1,000th draw in top-flight football.

Everton are unbeaten at home in the Premier League; Manchester United yet to win away from home. This match pits two Premier League ever-presents. It features the winning most club in this league (Manchester United with 369 victories) and losing most (Everton, beaten 232 times in the Premier League).

Striker Wayne Rooney has recovered from a fractured foot and is back in the Manchester United squad for the trip to former club Everton. Cristiano Ronaldo returns from suspension but Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea are out after picking up injuries on international duty.

Portsmouth v Liverpool
Liverpool go into a weekend round of Premier League matches at the top of the table for the first time in five years. The Merseysiders are the only club to have scored first in all their Premier League games this season; Pompey are the only club to have conceded the opening goal in all of their games in this league this term.

Sunderland v Reading
This is a bottom-four clash between two clubs with identical Premier League records of won one, drawn one and lost three. Sunderland are superior, having scored one more goal. Both clubs have found league goals hard to come by of late: Sunderland 270 minutes, Reading 226 minutes.
This is the first ever meeting of these clubs in top-flight football; all previous league meetings have been in the second tier.

Tottenham v Arsenal
This is the 141st north London league derby between Tottenham and Arsenal, and their 31st clash in the Premier League. Arsenal have won three of their four Premier League matches this season; Tottenham have lost three of their five.

The Gunners have drawn their last four away league games; including the 2-2 stalemate at White Hart Lane on 21 April, the only occasion Arsenal have scored more than a single goal in eight Premier League outings on the road.

Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon is in contention to return after recovering from knee surgery. Darren Bent , Anthony Gardner and Michael Dawson are also in the squad but Ledley King remains on the sidelines.

Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia will start ahead of Jens Lehmann. Lassana Diarra may make his debut, but Philippe Senderos (suspended) while William Gallas and Emmanuel Eboue are out injured.

West Ham v Middlesbrough
West Ham and Middlesbrough lie adjacent to each other in mid table, and have each picked up seven points out of the last nine (win, draw, win). The Hammers have lost only one of nine home Premiership meetings with Middlesbrough, and have won the last five.
The Londoners have been shown fewer yellow cards in Premier League competition than any other club (four); the Teessiders have been shown more than any other (16).

Wigan v Fulham
A match between two clubs with 100% Premier League records. Wigan have made a 100% winning start at home; Fulham, a 100% losing start away from home. The Cottagers are on the longest current run in the Premier League without an away victory of 19 games, and have lost the last six. The first goal the Londoners score will be their 1,000th in top-flight football.

Fulham have not won at Wigan since prevailing 1-3 at second league level on 1 September 1992.

Euro 2008 Qualifying Results and Video!

2007-09-12T17:32:00.000-04:00

England produced their best performance under manager Steve McClaren as they beat Russia 3-0 at Wembley on Wednesday night to bolster their hopes of qualifying for Euro2008. Two goals from man-of-the-match Michael Owen and a late strike from Rio Ferdinand clinched a memorable win for England.

Scotland took a giant step towards qualifying for the 2008 European Championships with an amazing 1-0 win over France in the Parc des Princes. After surviving a first-half of almost total French domination, lone striker James McFadden scored a glorious 30-yard drive in the 63rd minute to give Scotland all three points.Alex McLeish's side are top of Group B having taken six points from the French and with two of their last three games at Hampden Park. Italy moved in to second place with a win in Ukraine but the night belonged to the Scots, who caused a massive shock in Paris - and one which looked so unlikely for most of the match

England 3-0 Russia , France 0-1 Scotland, Andorra 0-6 Croatia ,

Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-1 Moldova , Bulgaria 3-0 Luxembourg

Cyprus 3-0 San Marino , Denmark 4-0 Liechtenstein, FYR Macedonia 1-1 Estonia

Finland 0-0 Poland ,Iceland 2-1 Northern Ireland , Kazakhstan 2-2 Belgium

Lithuania 2-1 Faroe Islands , Norway 2-2 Greece ,Slovakia 2-5 Wales

Slovenia 1-0 Belarus , Turkey 3-0 Hungary ,Portugal 1-1 Serbia , Spain 2-0 Latvia, Albania 0-1 Netherland

'We don't need a billionaire'- Arsenal chairman

2007-09-11T08:04:00.000-04:00

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood insists suggestions the club need a billionaire backer are 'lunacy'.There has been much speculation the Gunners are ripe for a takeover, with the likes of Alisher Usmanov and Stan Kroenke having already taken a considerable stakeholding in Arsenal's parent company.

Former Gunners vice-chairman David Dein - who controversially left the club in April - long held the opinion that the Gunners needed major foreign investment in order to compete with their Premier League rivals like Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, who all have international backing. But Hill-Wood insists Arsenal's sensible financial policy will work in their favour. He said: 'We have always run Arsenal as a business and kept within reasonable bounds.

'All this nonsense about needing a billionaire to put a whole lot of money in to help shore up the annual deficit is not going to happen - it is lunacy.' Hill-Wood told BBC Sport: 'I have no objection to foreign investors coming into the Premier League, it's going to be beneficial.

'Most of them are investment people and they are not buying into clubs because they have the passion for the local team they have supported since they were two years old.

'They think that football and the Premier League is an attractive investment and they want a return on that.

'That will work in our favour. There will be a more sensible attitude in transfer fees at silly levels and all this sort of thing.

'People putting £100million in are going to want to see how they can make a profit. To go on paying more to players is not justified or sensible.'

Hill-Wood maintains the board have no intention of selling any more shares in the club - but would listen to any 'sensible proposals' from the likes of Usmanov and Kroenke.

There has been uncertainty surrounding the direction of the club following the high-profile departure of Dein and sale of captain Thierry Henry to Barcelona, although speculation surrounding Arsene Wenger's future was finally concluded last week when the Frenchman signed a new three-year deal with the club.

Dein left the Gunners board following a disagreement over plans to bring investment from Kroenke - who owns a 12.2% stake in the club - to the Emirates Stadium.

Last week Dein sold his 14.58% stake for £75million to Red and White Holdings Ltd - a company co-owned by Russian tycoon Usmanov and business partner Farhad Moshiri that has pledged to buy shares in the club - and was then appointed its chairman, fuelling talk of a forthcoming takeover.

But while Hill-Wood admits Arsenal, who release their financial figures for the year later this month, would be prepared to listen to what interested parties may have to say, he insists the board have no plans to sell. 'The major shareholders have no intention of selling and wouldn't welcome an offer,' he said.

'We will have a dialogue with any principal or major shareholder. If they have got some sensible proposals we will listen to them.'(ESPN)

Birhane Adere bounces back with Rotterdam Half Marathon victory!

2007-09-10T10:32:00.000-04:00

Ethiopia ’s former world 10000m and half marathon champion Berhane Adere bounced back to winning form with victory in the Rotterdam Half Marathon on Sunday.

Adere , who had been ruled out of action for several months after injuring herself on the way to a ninth place finish in the 2007 Flora London Marathon, set out to attack South African Elena Meyer’s official record time of 66.44, dropped Kenyan rival Pauline Wangui to take victory in 71.11.

It was a welcome return to winning ways for Adere who had returned to action briefly in July when she attempted to register the IAAF World Championships qualification mark for the 10000m in Barakaldo , Spain , but dropped out of the race won by fellow Ethiopian Ejegayehou Dibaba.

Adere will now return to Addis Ababa where she is expected to start training before an autumn marathon.

In the men’s race, All-African Games half marathon champion Deriba Merga recorded a personal best time of 59.25 to finish third behind Kenyan race winner Evans Cheruiyot and his compatriot Patrick Musyoki.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia ’s newly-minted world 5000m champion Meseret Defar will attack her own world 5000m record at the Memorial Ivo Van Damme- IAAF Golden League meeting- in Brussels , Belgium on Friday.

Defar, who holds world records over the indoor 3000m and the outdoor 5000m, will take part in her first race since winning her first world title on the third attempt. The target for Defar will be her world record time of 14:16.63 set less than three months ago in Oslo .

Defar will have contrasting memories of the Memorial Van Damme meeting. Two years ago, she set an African record time beating Berhane Adere ten days after losing to Tirunesh Dibaba in a sprint finish at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki , Finland .

But last year, she led for large parts of the race in a world record attempt, but losing once again to Dibaba in a sprint finish as the latter made it five wins in the IAAF Golden League circuit.(GER News)

Namibia Qualified to Ghana 2008 after Defeating Ethiopia in Addis!

2007-09-08T17:49:00.000-04:00

Little Namibia snatched a place at the 2008 African Nations Cup after a sensational finish to Group 10 Saturday.

A last-minute goal by Muna Katupose earned the Brave Warriors a 3-2 win in Ethiopia and top spot after favoured Democratic Republic of Congo could only draw 1-1 at home against Libya.

Namibia climbed from third place before the final-round qualifiers to first with 10 points followed by DR Congo (nine), Libya (eight) and Ethiopia (six) in one of the most intriguing of the 12 mini-leagues.

Ivory Coast confirmed their entry into the 16-nation tournament scheduled for Ghana between January 20 and February 10 after forcing a 0-0 draw with Gabon in Libreville.

The Ivorian Elephants, runners-up to hosts Egypt in the 2006 edition of the biennial competition, topped Group 1 with 10 points while Gabon collected seven and Madagascar ended pointless.

Ranked 32nd out of 53 African countries, Namibia trailed twice in the stamina-sapping 2,400-metre altitude of Addis Ababa before grabbing only a second appearance at the showpiece of African football.

The Brave Warriors previously qualified in 1998, losing to Ivory Coast and South Africa and drawing with Angola, and a squad coached by Zambian Ben Bamfuchile were considered outsiders when the race to reach Ghana began.

Birhanu Bogale gave Ethiopia the lead on the stroke of half-time and Rudolph Bester levelled midway through the second half only for Salhadin Said to put the home team ahead again just 180 seconds later.

But Bester equalised after 81 minutes and Katupose became the hero of the south-west Africa country whose national team comprises footballers based in Namibia and neighbours Angola and South Africa.

Needing a win to secure a ninth consecutive visit to the Nations Cup, DR Congo went ahead just before half-time in Kinshasa when Shabani Nonda converted a penalty awarded for a foul on Mbala Mbuta.

But a Libyan team under new Tunisian coach Faouzi Benzarti equalised early in the second half as they sought a victory that would have taken them to Ghana as group winners.

After dominating the first half, Ivory Coast relied on a defence superbly marshalled by Kolo Toure of Arsenal to contain a Gabonese side needing an improbable six-goal triumph to go through on head-to-head records.

Euro 2008 Qualifying Results and Video!

2007-09-08T17:35:00.000-04:00

France held on to top spot in Euro 2008 qualifying Group B following a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Italy on Saturday in their second meeting since last year's World Cup final.Italy's Filippo Inzaghi lobbed on to the bar on the half hour and Nicolas Anelka of France only had keeper Gianluigi Buffon to beat following the break in the best chances of this tough-tackling match.

Miroslav Klose celebrated his 70th cap and debut as captain with two clinical goals as Germany took a step closer to Euro 2008 qualification with a convincing 2-0 win over Wales on Saturday. Klose needed just five minutes in Cardiff to celebrate his milestone when Germany's attack sliced through the Welsh defence and Kevin Kuranyi slid a pass to his skipper for the 28-year-old to put his side ahead.

Michael Owen scored one of the finest goals of his international career as England got their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign back on track with a 3-0 win over Israel on Saturday. Owen's 38th England goal, a sublime half-volley from 20 yards, was sandwiched between Shaun Wright-Phillips's first-half opener and a Micah Richards header midway through the second period as Steve McClaren's side strolled to their first win at the rebuilt Wembley.

All results

Belarus 1-3 Romania(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th goal) , Croatia 2-0 Estonia , Georgia 1-1 Ukraine

Holland 2-0 Bulgaria, Hungary 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina

England 3-0 Israel , Italy 0-0 France ,Latvia 1-0 Northern Ireland

Luxembourg 0-3 Slovenia , Malta 2-2 Turkey ,Moldova 0-1 Norway

Russia 3-0 FYR Macedonia(1st,2nd,3rd goal) , San Marino 0-3 Czech Republic

Scotland 3-1 Lithuania , Serbia 0-0 Finland, Slovakia 2-2 Rep of Ireland, Iceland 1-1 Spain

Sweden 0-0 Denmark , Wales 0-2 Germany, Portugal 2-2 Poland

All Premier League Goals from Week Five!

2007-09-06T14:03:00.000-04:00

Nigeria Reach Fifa U-17 Final!

2007-09-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

Goals from Macauley Chrisantus, Yakubu Alfa, and Kabiru Akinsola helped Nigeria seal a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Germany at Suwon Sports Complex on Thursday and earn a place in Sunday's Final against Spain in Seoul FIFA World Cup Stadium.

Nigeria coach Yemi Tella rang two changes to the side that defeated Argentina 2-0 on Sunday, with defenders Usman Amodu and Daniel Joshua given their third chance to play in this tournament, while Germany boss Heiko Herrlich opted to start with his best eleven who scored four goals against England in the quarter-final.

With the rain coming to a stop an hour prior to the kick-off, it was the Germans who took the initiative on the slick pitch. In the 4th minute, Sascha Bigalke rounded three defenders on the left before unleashing a low shot from the centre of the area which was easily saved by Oladele Ajiboye.

That proved to be a rude awakening for the Golden Eaglets. Lukman Haruna's fierce free-kick from 30 metres was tipped away by Rene Vollath three minutes later, but the German goalkeeper failed to clear Yakubu Alfa's ferocious volley in the 10th minute, and Macauley Chrisantus intercepted the loose ball to fire home his seventh goal of the tournament.

Despite their captain Haruna being replaced by Ademola Rafeal due to an injury in the 16th minute, the Golden Eaglets kept up the pressure and doubled their lead just two minutes later. Yakubu Alfa's 20-metre effort sailed through Vollath's hands into the top left-hand corner of the net. (Read More......)

Uli says Bundesliga season as good as over !

2007-09-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

For those who know and follow Bundesliga, here is ESPN soccernet writer Uli Hesse-Lichtenberge's this weeks article in full.

With the 2007/08 Bundesliga season as good as over (if you haven't followed the German media, let me tell you that Bayern have already won the league), it's about time we honour the coach of the year. No, it's not Ottmar Hitzfeld, despite leading the Munich giants back to the top of the heap and presumably also to triumph in Europe. (The German media is as yet undecided whether Bayern will certainly win the UEFA Cup - or just probably.)

The coach of the year, according to a representative Soccernet poll held among all German-born columnists, is Ernst Middendorp, the man in charge of Arminia Bielefeld.

A look at the current standings will tell you that Arminia are one of the few teams still able to catch a glimpse of Bayern, albeit only on a clear day. That, however, is just a part of the reason why it's time to honour Middendorp.

It's unlikely Bielefeld will stay in the upper third of the table for too long (then again, with Middendorp you can never tell), though even a mid-table position would be mighty fine for one of the traditionally most unglamorous teams in the Bundesliga.

A bigger part of the reason why Middendorp is our coach of the year is that he was certainly the hero of last season's script, never mind Stuttgart's Armin Veh.(Read More...)

FC United of Manchester!

2007-09-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

FC United of Manchester is the new addition to the football family. It was formed on 5 July 2005 by disgruntled Manchester United supporters after the takeover by American billionaire Malcolm Glazer. The rebel fans moved quickly enough to establish a breakaway club in time for the 2005/2006 season with Karl Marginson as a manager.

Obviously the Glazer takeover was the final straw for many diehard manchester United fans. But Marginson says it's just the fans' frustration at excessive crowd control at Old Trafford: "A lot of people have been upset over the past few years with being told they can't sing, they've got to sit down, they can't stand up. Things that they've been used to over the years, going to the Stretford End, sitting and singing with their mates, hopefully we can give something back to them," he added.

FC United currently play their home games at Gigg Lane after Bury agreed to help them out. It was going to be Droylsden whose boss Dave Pace was close to finalising a deal but initial talks broke down.

The official attendance for the club's opening league match at Gigg Lane against Padiham was 2,498 higher than the gate of some in League Two! Unofficial reports put the gate for the Padiham game a lot higher.

What do the fans feel about Man United now? (Read More....)
This is a match that took place in may 2007. FC united are of course in Red

Chelsea Lost at Aston villa!

2007-09-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

Aston Villa 2-0 Chelsea
Jose Mourinho must be developing an intense hatred for visits to Villa Park after Martin O'Neill condemned Chelsea to yet another dose of Midlands misery.Debutant Zat Knight and Gabriel Agbonlahor both scored in the second half to leave Mourinho still waiting for his first Premier League victory at this particular corner of the West Midlands.

Arsenal 3-1 Portsmouth
Adebayor converted the spot kick to send Arsenal into a lead they never relinquished as Arsene Wenger's side cantered to their third Premier League win of the season. Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky completed the rout with second-half strikes and the only cloud over an scintillating display was the 50th minute dismissal of Philippe Senderos.

Blackburn 1-0 Manchester City
Benni McCarthy scored the only goal as Blackburn deservedly beat Manchester City at a sodden Ewood Park.McCarthy struck from close range in the first-half after Kasper Schmeichel parried a header from Roque Santa Cruz.

Defar was ‘100 per cent sure of personal triumph’

2007-09-02T07:04:00.000-04:00

Although she ran a time slower than when she won the World Junior title five years ago – and more than 40 seconds outside her World record - for Olympic champion Meseret Defar only one thing mattered in the 5000 metres final here last night (1). After two unsuccessful attempts, Defar finally won her first senior outdoor World Championship title.

She could hardly have timed it better. The Ethiopian millennium celebrations begin this month (12 September) and Defar, who held up a board in the stadium after her race broadcasting the fact, is thrilled. “It happens only once every thousand years and to win at the World Championships on the eve of the millennium means this is a big celebration for me,” she said. “It is going to be a great memory.”

The memory is all the sweeter for Defar’s previous senior World Championships experiences. In her first one, in Paris in 2003, illness prevented her from qualifying for the final. In her second, in Helsinki in 2005, she had to settle for the silver medal as her compatriot, Tirunesh Dibaba, beat her on the last lap.

“In Osaka I am the champion, I am very happy,” Defar said. Defar’s victory is the latest success in all-conquering year for the 23-year-old. In February she broke the indoor World record for 3000 metres, after previous failed attempts then, in May, she set an outdoor Two Miles World best in Carson City.

Most impressive of all, though, Defar improved the World record by eight seconds (14:16.63) at the Golden League meeting, in Oslo in June, then took her brilliant form this year to Algiers, where she won the All Africa Games title in July. She is not finished yet.

Defar said that she would be going for another World record this summer but, asked where, she replied: “This is a secret. This is my special season and I will try again (to break) my World record after this race.”

In a tactical battle, Defar won with a kick 200 metres from home. As pleased as she was for herself, she had one complaint – that Ethiopia did not win all three medals. Defar’s was the only one as Meselech Melkamu finished 6th and Gelete Burika 10th. In Helsinki, Ethiopians had filled the top four spots. “This was a slow race, a tactical race,” Defar said.

“I used team tactics and waited for my team members after pulling away slightly with 2 laps to. I was looking back and monitoring the whereabouts of my team. I was waiting for them to catch up with me but, when I saw they were not going to, I just took off by myself. But my team was not so good today – I am very sad for my team.

“In Helsinki we took first to fourth places and it was a wonderful achievement for Ethiopia. We expected that we would be able to repeat the achievement here but Tirunesh was not able to take part. Nevertheless the remaining three of us expected that we could take the top 3 positions and it was for that reason I ran a tactical race.”

Commenting on the slowness of the time, Defar said: “This is the World Championships. I run for my country, for my flag, and I was only going for the gold medal. This was a very important race for me for the next Olympics. It will serve as good preparation.” She added that she was always “100 per cent sure” she would win.

The absence of Dibaba, the previous title-holder and winner of the 10,000 metres here, made Defar’s task easier. Dibaba was missing with stomach trouble but nothing could detract from Defar’s satisfaction, which she compared with other big triumphs.

“Having participated twice before, and won this time, makes it special for me but most special of all is the Athens Olympics of 2004,” Defar said. “I participated in that race after a lot of difficulties and to win under those conditions makes it extremely special. I don’t think that, even if I won two golds in one Olympics, I would feel as special as that. I also feel very strongly about the time I broke the World record by eight seconds.”

On the Mens 5000m Bernard lagat of USA won gold with 13:45:87 followed by kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ugandan Moses Ndiema Kipsiro. Ethiopian Tariku Bekele finished 5th while Abraham Cherkos was 7th. USA leads with 23 Medals, Kenya is second with 13 while ethiopian is 4th with 4 medals of which 3 are gold.(IAAF)

Week 5 premeir League Matches!

2007-08-31T23:37:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 01 September 2007

Bolton v Everton
Everton's record signing Yakubu is expected to make his debut, though he may not start the match.

Fulham v Tottenham
This is the second London derby of the 2007-08 Premier League season. Fulham lost the first, 2-1 at Arsenal. Fulham and Tottenham have identical league records so far this season of played four, won one, lost three and scored five, although the Cottagers have conceded two more goals.

Liverpool v Derby
Unbeaten Liverpool are yet to concede a goal from open play this season, and are the only club to have scored first in all their Premier League matches.

Man Utd v Sunderland
Roy Keane returns to Old Trafford for the first time as an opposing manager, as Manchester United against Sunderland, pits the oldest and youngest managers in the Premier League against each other.This will be Sir Alex Ferguson's 1,159th match in charge of the Red Devils, and Keane's 48th at the help of the Black Cats.Defeat for Manchester United would make it their worst ever start to this stage of a Premier League season.

Middlesbrough v Birmingham
The 100th competitive meeting of Middlesbrough and Birmingham; two clubs averaging a point a game so far in this Premier League campaign. The Teessiders are aiming to register the 1,500 league win in their history, three days before the 37th birthday of manager Gareth Southgate.

Newcastle v Wigan
Newcastle are still unbeaten in the Premier League, but the only club without a home goal.The Magpies have not netted in six league games at St James' Park. The home fans last saw their side net in the Premier League on 10 February.

Reading v West Ham
The Hammers have never won on Reading soil, and are yet to score a Premier League goal against the Royals.The Royals have not suffered back-to-back losses in 10 Premier League outings.
---------------
Sunday, 02 September 2007

Arsenal v Portsmouth
These two clubs ended last season with a no score stalemate at Fratton Park, but there has never been a goalless draw between any clubs in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium. Pompey are not only chasing a first ever Premier League victory over Arsenal, but also a first win on Gunners' turf in over half a century. Their last win at the north London club was a 1-3 top flight triumph on 17 September 1955

Aston Villa v Chelsea
Villa are aiming to extend their undefeated home Premiership sequence against Chelsea to nine games. They've not lost a home League game to the Londoners since March 1999 (two wins, six draws).

Blackburn v Man City
A victory would make it Rovers' best start to a Premier League campaign in a decade, while three points for Manchester City would make it their best ever start in this league.Rovers did the double over Stuart Pearce's City with an aggregate of 7-2 last season - Morten Gamst Pedersen scored three of those seven goals.

Arsenal sign Diarra from Chelsea!

2007-08-31T23:21:00.000-04:00

Arsenal completed a late move to sign midfielder Lassana Diarra from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee. Diarra, who has played for France in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, can also play at right-back.The Gunners say the 22-year-old Frenchman, who can play at right-back, has signed a long-term deal.

The former Le Harve player said: "I have great respect for the manager Arsene Wenger and am attracted by the style of football that the team plays."Of course I am excited by what the future holds and keen to play my part in helping Arsenal fight for trophies." Diarra will wear the number eight shirt.

Wenger added: "Lassana is a multi-functional player, making him a great addition to our squad. Not only is he hard working, he has a creative edge and is comfortable playing in the middle of the pitch or at right-back

Aston Villa finally got their man yesterday when Curtis Davies, the much sought-after West Bromwich Albion defender, moved across the second city. Davies has joined initially on loan, with a view to a permanent £9 million move next summer.

Davies said: "I think the fee has been agreed and we'll see how things go this season, and then it should become apparent whether I'm signing or not. I'm sure Villa have got first dibs and I'm sure something will be done at the beginning of next season."

Deadline day saw much activity, though there were few high-profile moves. Middlesbrough and Portsmouth were the busiest clubs, with midfielder Gary O'Neil leaving Fratton Park for the Riverside in a £5m move.

Portsmouth also sold defender Dejan Stefanovic, to Fulham for £1m, and were in talks last night with a view to signing the London club's Papa Bouba Diop.

Fulham defender Leroy Rosenior was also in talks with Reading in a deal that was aimed at taking Seol Ki-Hyeon in the opposite direction. The Cottagers were also hoping to sign Spurs' Danny Murphy.

Middlesbrough added a second Egyptian to their ranks. Having bought Mido from Spurs recently they signed Mohammed Shawky, from Al-Ahly, for £650,000.

Two players left Middlesbrough with Jason Euell joining Southampton and David Knight moving to Swansea.

Wigan manager Chris Hutchings made his ninth signing of the summer with striker Marcus Bent moving to the JJB Stadium on a season-long loan from Charlton. They sold Caleb Folan to Hull, the Yorkshire club paying a record £1m.

It is understood Tottenham rejected an enquiry from Manchester United for Jermain Defoe while, across the city, Sven-Goran Eriksson loaned out two players, with Danny Mills joining Charlton and Bernardo Corradi heading for Parma.(BBC,Telegraph)

Ronaldinho will join Chelsea!!

2007-08-31T23:09:00.000-04:00

Ronaldinho, the Brazilian superstar, has agreed to join Chelsea — but not until the start of next season. He spent yesterday afternoon with his agent brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira, in talks with Barcelona president Joan Laporta in a desperate attempt to secure an immediate move to Stamford Bridge. But a lack of time ahead of last night's closure of the transfer window denied Chelsea and the Catalan club the chance to reach an agreement and the 27-year-old double World Player of the Year will now make the switch next July. As Sportsmail revealed on Monday, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich spent last weekend in talks with Moreira in an audacious bid to bring the World Cup and Champions League winner to the Premier League.

But during informal discussions the two clubs were unable to agree a fee, Chelsea valuing the player at around 70million euros (£47.5million), but Barcelona demanding nearer 100m euros (£66m).

On Thursday night, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said they would not be signing Ronaldinho in what remained of the transfer window and made the point that it would be of no use to them to bring him over in January either. That was because, by then, he would be cup-tied for the Champions League, but Kenyon admitted that Ronaldinho was the kind of player Chelsea would like and said 'never say never'.

Now, it is understood, all parties accept it would be more prudent to delay for 11 months, although Ronaldinho is said to be frustrated because he was given a strong indication that Barcelona would be prepared to let him leave at the right price.

Yesterday he expressed that disappointment to friends but said he was now confident he would be a Chelsea player for the start of next season when a deal would be more attractive to the English club as he will only have two years left on his contract by then.

Meanwhile, Joe Cole, Andriy Shevchenko and any other wannabe Chelsea first teamers have been told to get in line and take their chance when it comes, just as Sean Wright-Phillips did.

Cole's unhappiness at not starting games surfaced this week. But Steve Clarke, manager Jose Mourinho's assistant, said Wright-Phillips was an example to follow adding: 'Sean had been used to being top guy at Manchester City and not having the same scrutiny of his performances. He came here and suddenly had to perform in just 20 minutes from the bench.

'He came on, didn't do very well and found himself out again. That was disappointing him gradually he picked it up and realised that in those 20-25 minutes, he has to impress. He has to impress every day in training.

'He's been doing that since January. Now he's one of our most consistent performers.'

Both Shevchenko and Cole are fit for the trip to Aston Villa tomorrow but may have to be satisfied with place on the bench. (Daily mail)

Champions League Draws!

2007-08-30T12:24:00.000-04:00

Champions League Draws!
Group A
Liverpool
Porto
Marseille
Besiktas

Group B
CHELSEA
Valencia
Schalke 04
Rosenborg

Group C
REAL MADRID
Werder Bremen
Lazio
Olympiakos

Group D
AC MILAN
Benefica
Celtic
Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E
BARCELONA
Lyon
Stuttgart
Rangers

Group F
MANCHESTER UNITED
Roma
Sporting Lisbon
Dinamo Kiev

Group G
Intermillan
PSV Eindhoven
CSKA Moskow
Fenebache

Group H
ARSENAL
Sivilla/AEK Athense
Steau Bucharest
Slavia Prague

Bekele’s Mombasa nightmare is dispelled!

2007-08-28T19:49:00.000-04:00

With the awful memories of his Mombasa debacle no doubt lingering somewhere in the back of his mind Kenenisa Bekele withstood the repeated surges of the man who supplanted him as World Cross Country Champion five months ago to win his third consecutive World 10,000m title.

By no means was this an easy victory however. Many athletes wilted under the oppressive heat and humidity and Zerseney Tadesse of Eritrea, the 2007 World Cross Country and Road Running champion, himself was shut out of the medals after gamely piling on the pressure from the start. Bekele was both relieved and satisfied with his performance spending more time in the mixed zone talking to media in both English and Amharic, than the 27:05.90 it took him to cover the 25 laps of the Nagai stadium.

“It was very tough, very hard, especially with 3 laps left when I was very tired,” Bekele revealed, his shoulders wrapped in the Ethiopian flag someone had tossed onto the track at the finish. “I told Sileshi to follow the Kenyan athlete because I am very tired I am tired to change the pace with this guy. After one lap left I picked it up again. It’s not easy to run in this weather, it’s very tough.” (Read More...)

The Life and Soul of Manchester utd Retired!

2007-08-27T23:59:00.001-04:00

With an outstretched right boot, Ole Solskjaer wrote his name into Manchester United legend. Using the poacher’s instinct that has served him so well, he latched on to Teddy Sheringham’s nod down and diverted the ball into the roof of the Bayern Munich net. “And Solskjaer has won it”. The recording of Clive Tyldesley’s commentary from that night at the Nou Camp still sends a shudder down every United fan’s spine. Some even wake up to it as the recorded message on Manchester United alarm clocks. Sheringham had equalised just moments before in injury time as United completed the most remarkable comeback in European Cup history to lift the trophy in 1999.

Few could have been more deserving than Solskjaer of that 2-1 win in Barcelona. But that is not the only reason he was adored by United fans. In an age of football celebrities, Solskjaer has always been a man who exudes humility. Married with two children, you will rarely see him pictured in Manchester’s nightspots or in glossy magazines. He is simply a footballer and family man. Once dubbed The Baby-faced Assassin, it seems almost inconceivable that at 34 his career is at an end.(Read More...)

Kenenisa Bekele wins his third consecutive World 10,000m title!

2007-08-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

Kenenisa bekele won his third consecutive 10000m in Osaka, Japan today with his best time of the year,27:05:90. His fellow country man, sileshi sehin finished second with 27:09:03 and Kenyan mathathi was third three second behind.

Kenenisa Bekele dropped off the pace a couple of times during the last two laps of the 10,000 metres, and it looked as if perennial minor medallist Silesi Sihine might emulate his fiancée, Tirunesh Dibaba, and win the world title. But it wasn’t to be. Bekele was only kidding. He made up the gap which had been forged before the bell by the little known Kenyan, Martin Irunqu Mathathi, then tracked Sihine past the 200 metres line before launching a killer sprint to another distant victory.

With two gold and one silver, Ethiopia lies second in medal standing behind the leader USA who has 7 medals, 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze.

Manchester United recorded the First win of the Season!

2007-08-26T17:11:00.000-04:00

Manchester Utd 1-0 Tottenham
(goal, 1st & 2nd half-short highlights)
Nani’s first Premier League goal gave Manchester United their first victory of the season in a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

Middlesbrough 2-2 Newcastle
(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th goal)
Mark Viduka came within minutes of handing Newcastle a precious derby victory on his return to Middlesbrough as the sides fought out a 2-2 draw. The Australian claimed his first goal in a black and white shirt and his 150th in British football 13 minutes from time as the Magpies twice took the lead at the Riverside Stadium.

Sunderland 0-2 Liverpool
(1st, 2nd goal)
Andriy Voronin struck to end Roy Keane's hopes of another dramatic Sunderland escape and finally gave Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez something to cheer about as the Ukrainian forward secured a 2-0 away victory.

Arsenal 1-0 Manchester city
(goal)
Kasper Schmeichel's heroics were not enough to preserve Manchester City's 100% record in the Premier League this season as Cesc Fabregas struck late to earn Arsenal a 1-0 victory.Fabregas found the top corner to become the first goalscorer against Sven-Goran Eriksson's City, who had won their first three games.

Astonvilla 2-1 Fulham
(1st, 2nd & 3rd goal)
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill was banished from the dug-out after a verbal blast at referee Steve Bennett and then saw substitute Shaun Maloney snatch an injury-time winner for a 2-1 success against 10-man Fulham at Villa Park.

Bolton 3-0 Reading
(1st, 2n & 3rd goal)
Sammy Lee celebrated his first victory as Bolton manager, after succeeding Sam Allardyce at the end of last season, with a 3-0 home win over Reading.Five games in to his tenure, the former Liverpool coach saw his team secure a crucial three points thanks to goals from Gary Speed, Nicolas Anelka and substitute Daniel Braaten.

Chelsea 1-0 Portsmouth
(Goal)
Frank Lampard's first-half goal moved Chelsea to the top of the Barclays Premier League and cast doubt on the ability of Portsmouth goalkeeper David James to reclaim the England number one jersey

Derby 1-2 Birmingham
(1st,2nd & 3rdgoal)
Cameron Jerome repaid manager Steve Bruce's faith in him by scoring both goals - one after just 30 seconds - as Birmingham recorded their first Barclays Premier League victory of the season by a 2-1 margin at Derby.

West Ham 1-1 Wigan
(1st & 2ndgoal)
Lee Bowyer rescued a 1-1 draw for West Ham with a rare goal in a late show started by Austrian Paul Scharner's acrobatic overhead strike 12 minutes from time, after battling Wigan had been given a pounding

Everton 1-1 Blackburn
(1st & 2nd goal)
Everton stole a point from a Blackburn side still stung by being labelled 'violent' by Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger last week. This full-blooded contest was never that, but Rovers received a slap in the face themselves when they conceded an equaliser with just 12 minutes left

Premier League schedule- Week 4!

2007-08-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 25 August 2007

Arsenal v Man City
Leaders Manchester City are looking to kick off a league campaign with four straight victories for the first time since 1961. City are the only club yet to concede a goal in this Premier League season.

Aston Villa v Fulham
Fulham last experienced a top flight victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park in 1966 when they won the 5 to 2.

Bolton v Reading
Bolton, the only club without a Premier League point, are in danger of losing the first four games of a league season for the first time in 26 years, and the first four of a top-flight campaign for the first time in 44 years.

Chelsea v Portsmouth
Chelsea are aiming to stretch their unbeaten Premier League sequence to 18 games, and their record run without defeat at home to 65 league games. Chelsea have a 100% Premier League record against Portsmouth, of eight wins out of eight. It's 50 years since Portsmouth last beat Chelsea in a league match.

Derby v Birmingham
It's the first time Derby and Birmingham have met in the Premier League. Defeat for Derby would equal their worst ever start to a Premier League season, while failure to win by Birmingham would make this their worst start to a Premier League campaign.

Everton v Blackburn
These clubs are evenly matched in Premier League terms (11 wins a piece with four draws) and each have won six of the 13 clashes at Goodison Park with only one draw.

Sunderland v Liverpool
Roy Keane approaches the end of a highly successful first year in football management, with a Sunderland side that have made the best start of the promoted clubs. Unbeaten Liverpool need to score once to total 7,000 league goals in their history.

West Ham v Wigan
West Ham are chasing their first home point of the season; Wigan their first on the road.The Hammers are in pursuit of a second league goal.Whenever these clubs have met for Premier League action, the side playing away from home has prevailed

------------------------
Sunday, 26 August 2007

Man Utd v Tottenham
Middlesbrough v Newcastle

Too early for Manchester United to hit the panic button!

2007-08-22T22:43:00.000-04:00

Setanta Sports pundit Emmanuel Petit claims it is too early for Manchester United to hit the panic button.

I have not been disappointed by Manchester United’s start, but surprised. It is very difficult to confirm your status when you have won the league. Chelsea did it in the recent past when they won two Premier League titles consecutively.

You have to be mentally strong to do it. United are struggling despite having an impressive squad. It really surprises me because they did look good in The Community Shield.

Manchester City are experiencing a rebirth. They kept some key players and added new ones, brought in a new coach and this mix brings freshness and a new mentality to the club.

I do not think sacking Martin Jol would be a good decision for Tottenham, it would be an error. Jol is working hard and is improving the team. He created a team based on a winning mentality. They now need to pass a stage, from outsiders to league contenders.

They spent millions to have a new status and I was one of those who said they would take Arsenal’s Champions League spot.

I think they need time, not too much, and a reference match to be conscious of their possibilities. The players have to be aware of their qualities.

Steven Gerrard is the player who has impressed me the most in the first few weeks of the season. He has made a very good start of the season, but his injury against Toulouse is a blow.

His first match against Aston Villa which was live on Setanta was just brilliant.

To my mind, using him in the centre of midfield is the best thing for him and the team. I am very happy to see him play in his best position.

It is also good news for England. People say him and Frank Lampard cannot play together, but I think they can. And I am just happy to see Gerrard at the top of the tree.

Clichy keen to add to his experience!

2007-08-22T00:10:00.001-04:00

Despite being only 22, Gaël Clichy, is alongside Kolo Toure and Gilberto Silva as one of the most experienced performers at Arsenal - the club he joined in 2002 from French side Cannes. As perhaps the best left back in the Premier League, Clichy has not only got his eyes on winning the English title but also on playing for 'Les Bleus'. ESPNSoccernet met him in London.

Question: In your 2-1 win against Fulham and in the 2-0 win against Sparta, Arsenal seemed to display a new mental stability towards the end of the matches.

Clichy: 'It just goes to show that we will never ever give in. Things have changed in comparison to the last few seasons. In the past two years we failed to have a true winning attitude at the start of the season and that cost us dearly. Last year we lost seven points in the first three matches of the season. We gave up more easily towards the end of the matches simply because we weren't focused enough. We especially had problems against the lesser sides. After a win in Manchester you simply cannot allow yourself to go and lose points against Wigan. But this has been a big learning experience for us and today we finish the game with the same focus as we start it.'

Question: Thanks to your 2-0 win in Prague you took a huge step towards qualifying for the UEFA Champions League again.(Read More...)

Manchester City on Top of premeir League!

2007-08-19T15:25:00.000-04:00

Manchester City 1-0 Manchester Utd

Sir Alex Ferguson's early season problems deepened after Geovanni's first half goal settled the Manchester derby in favour of Sven Goran Eriksson and left Ferguson's United without a win in their opening three league games.

Blackburn 1-1 Arsenal(1st, 2nd goal,)

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann continued his nightmare start to the season with a second-half error to gift Blackburn's David Dunn an equaliser in a stormy 1-1 draw on Sunday.

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (1st, 2nd goal)

Fernando Torres marked his first appearance at Anfield with an impressive debut goal for Liverpool but it was not enough to earn his club all three points as referee Rob Styles handed Chelsea a controversial second-half penalty in Sunday's 1-1 draw.

Mestawet Tufa-Another Hope for Ethiopian Athletics Team!

2007-08-18T18:06:00.000-04:00

Of the few things that irritated Ethiopian runner Mestawet Tufa in the two years prior to 2007, the mention of the words 10,000m definitely topped the list.“I hated the mention of the event,” Tufa says. “Five years ago when I competed for the first time in the event in Addis Ababa, I was lapped by five or six runners and finished seventh.” Instead of working hard and getting better at the event, Tufa chose to stay away from the event until this year when she ‘gambled’ on a decision to return at the 36th Ethiopian Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa. (Read More...)