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Filed under: EPL
ARSENAL 2 WEST HAM 0
ASTON VILLA 2 WOLVES 2
STOKE 1 TOTTENHAM 2
EVERTON 2 BOLTON 0
PORTSMOUTH 3 HULL 2
SUNDERLAND 3 BIRMINGHAM 1
WIGAN 1 BURNLEY 0
Filed under: EPL Highlights
Joe and Kristian talk Champions League and Ali Gerba.
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Filed under: Podcast
Champions League
+ Lionel Messi staged another masterclass to power holders Barcelona into the quarter-finals of the Champions League following their 4-0 (5-1 aggregate) victory over Stuttgart.
+ Bordeaux survived an unlikely Olympiacos fightback to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals following a 2-1 (3-1 aggregate) victory at the Stade Chaban Delmas.
North America
+ The MLS Players Union is preparing its members for a strike on Monday if a new CBA cannot be agreed to in the current negotiations.
+ Richard Farley: MLS profits in light of ownerships’ claims.
+ Paul James: TFC continue to flounder in preseason.
+ Whitecaps fullback Takashi Hirano could miss up to six weeks with a knee injury.
+ The Crew fell 3-2 at Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
+ Robinho will miss Santos’ friendly against the Red Bulls in New York.
+ The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to approve a measure which would accept the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and allow construction of a new, 18,000-seat stadium for the San Jose Earthquakes at the Airport West site.
+ The Kansas City Wizards have signed Senegalese midfielder Birahim Diop.
England
+ Chelsea have targeted Fernando Torres and Franck Ribery as they plan squad rebuild.
+Or, Roman Abramovich is not planning wholesale changes to the Chelsea squad despite their dramatic failure in the Champions League, which has put pressure on manager Carlo Ancelotti.
+ Kevin McCarra: Chelsea need to rebuild – and they could learn from Inter.
+ Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has accepted a public apology and substantial libel damages at the High Court over false newspaper allegations that he had a serious gambling problem.
+ John Terry was involved in a car accident which resulted in one of Chelsea’s security staff suffering a badly bruised leg.
+ Chelsea security guard Steve Rowley insists he does not blame John Terry for the leg injuries he sustained in a car accident.
+ Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez is in charge of a "sinking ship" and has no dialogue with his players, according to Albert Riera.
+ Liverpool keeper Jose Reina will sign a new contract within the next month as he believes he can fulfil his dream of winning the Premier League with the Reds.
+ Landon Donovan says he might return to Everton if the Major League Soccer players go on strike next week.
+ Catania striker Jorge Martinez is in talks with Manchester City over a summer move to Eastlands.
+ Martin O’Neill is entering the battle to sign Wigan’s £15m-rated Hugo Rodallega.
+ Manchester United are giving strong consideration to increasing season-ticket prices to help with the club’s enormous interest payments, despite being acutely aware such a move would increase the sense of animosity that has led to fans protesting against the ruling Glazer family.
+ The Red Knights group are hoping the chairman of Britain’s biggest quoted hedge fund will agree to help with their bid to wrest control of Manchester United from the Glazer family.
+ The forgotten story of when Anfield was Manchester United’s home ground.
+ Aaron Lennon is to give Tottenham and England a lift by returning to light training next week. He hopes to be available for Spurs’ clash with Chelsea on April 17.
+ Birmingham City’s manager, Alex McLeish, has started negotiations with the club’s owner, Carson Yeung, over a new contract.
+ West Ham United have risked upsetting a number of their key players after taking the unprecedented step of freezing image‑rights payments.
+ Multi-millionaire rapper P Diddy is reported to be weighing up a move to take over Crystal Palace. Diddy is keen to invest some of his £360m in a club.
Italy
+ Jose Mourinho says he is free to leave Inter Milan at any point during the next three years of his contract.
+ The agent of Internazionale striker Mario Balotelli has denied reports suggesting that his client is virtually at war with coach Jose Mourinho.
+ Juventus have apparently agreed to bring Raffaele Palladino back from Genoa permanently in return for the full rights of Domenico Criscito.
+ Palermo’s hot property Simon Kjaer has told Liverpool and Manchester United to make him an offer he can’t refuse. But Juventus are ready to make their move for the defender.
Germany
+ Bayern Munich are in the hunt to sign Bari centre-back Leonardo Bonucci, according to his agent.
France
+ A Paris Saint-Germain football fan has died after spending weeks in a coma following an attack by rival PSG supporters.
+ Lyon presidential advisor Bernard Lacombe is "shocked" at Sidney Govou’s announcement that he wants to leave.
Scotland
+ Celtic have identified Portsmouth’s Nadir Belhadj as the answer to their problematic left-back position.
Nigeria
+ Glenn Hoddle’s decision to walk away from a near-£1m contract to manage Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup has sparked a corruption investigation.
Filed under: Morning Links
PRESS RELEASE
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact FC announced Wednesday the acquisition of a Canadian Soccer League (CSL) franchise and the creation of the Montreal Impact Academy, which will become the Montreal club’s reserve team. The new franchise will evolve in the CSL as of the 2010 season and will have its home at Saputo Stadium.This represents the first step in the creation of a development program within the club. The main objective of the Academy will be the development of Quebec players aged 17 to 21 within the club’s professional environment.
“We are taking today a further step towards the development of young players within our organization,” declared Joey Saputo, President of the Montreal Impact and Saputo Stadium. “We are taking full control of our reserve team to favour the growth of our local talent. By mixing with the first team players and by playing on the same field, the Impact will offer to its young players the best possible conditions to enhance their training experience. I wish to thank the community and the City of Trois-Rivières for their support in the last years.”
The Montreal club will manage the Academy’s technical, financial and operations-related activities. The Impact has moreover announced the nomination of Philippe Eullaffroy as head coach of the reserve team. He becomes the first director of player development to be hired full-time by the club. Eullaffroy will be assisted by Oliver Brett.
In 2009, in his first season as head coach of the Attak, Phillipe Eullaffroy led the team to the regular season championship, as well as to the first playoff championship in club history, October 25, 2009, versus the Serbian Eagles.
“Philippe demonstrated last year that he can work with a group of young players and that he is able to successfully develop them, as much on an individual basis than within a club’s mentality,” declared Impact technical director Nick De Santis. “He has gained a lot of experience, having notably worked at the training centers of Troyes and Reims.”
The 2010 season calendar in the CSL will be unveiled shortly. The cost to attend the Academy’s matches at Saputo Stadium will be of only $2.
AGOURRAM, BADESCU AND MAYARD UNTIL 2011
The Impact also announced that it had come to terms with three players from its organization. Forward Reda Agourram and goalkeeper Andrei Badescu signed two-year deals, while midfielder Pierre-Rudolph Mayard obtained a contract extension until the 2011 season. All contracts are pending USSF approval.
Agourram, a 19-year-old Montrealer of Moroccan origin, was the top scorer of the Canadian Soccer League last season, scoring 13 goals with the Impact’s reserve team in 19 matches (14 starts) and 1,356 minutes of play. He was selected Rookie of the Year, both with the Attak and in the league at the end of the 2009 season. He was invited at the Impact’s training camp January 25, 2010, and joined the team during its pre-season tour in Portugal in mid-February. Agourram took part in all three exhibition games of the team and scored a goal against Freamunde and Celta de Vigo. He also wears the colours of the U-23 Canadian National Team.
Badescu, a 25-year-old Romanian goalkeeper, was in 2009 the first goalkeeper of the reserve team and was the third goalkeeper of the Impact. With the Attak, Badescu tallied 13 wins in 16 matches and posted a 0,95 Goals Allowed Average. He evolved with various second, third and fourth division clubs in Romania, from 2000 to 2007.
Mayard, a 22-year-old Quebec midfielder, played his rookie season with the Impact last year. In 2009, he played eight matches, of which six as a starter, for a total of 478 minutes, tallying one goal and one assist for a total of three points. He is a product of the club’s reserve team who had finished the 2008 season as the top scorer of the Attak. Mayard has been loaned to the Charleston Battery, a USL Second Division club, for a 5-month period from March 10 to August 13, 2010.
“These are three young players from our club, so it’s very positive,” mentioned Nick De Santis. “These three players have the potential to play in 2010. They will need to keep up the work and show consistency during training.”
Filed under: Montreal Impact
So I got the sasser worm or some weird thing that would never happen with a Mac on my computer today and it basically shut me down for four hours. So the links are late and the Champions League clips blow.
Happy St. Paddy’s day everyone.
Champions League
+ Samuel Eto’o scored the match’s only goal as Inter Milan knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League with a 1-0 win.
+ José Mourinho after Inter win: ‘Today I was the enemy – and I won’
+ Paolo Bandini: Italian press hail Inter’s ‘perfect night’ against Chelsea.
+ David Pleatt: Chelsea pay for shortage of width and craft against Internazionale.
+ Graham Poll: German inefficiency robbed Chelsea of two deserved penalties against Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.
+ Didier Drogba does not believe he deserved to be sent off against Internazionale last night but was more disappointed with the overall result of the game as his Chelsea team lost 1-0 and exited the Champions League.
+ CSKA Moscow reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla.
+ Sevilla president Jose Maria Del Nido has come out in support of Manolo Jimenez following the club’s Champions League exit, insisting the under-pressure coach’s immediate future at the club is safe.
+ Goalkeeper Andres Palop has apologized to the club’s fans after his error helped CSKA Moscow knock Sevilla out of the Champions League.
+ Barcelona playmaker Xavi has been ruled out of tonight’s Champions League match with Stuttgart through injury.
+ Italy’s World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi has insisted he isn’t impressed by the success of the ‘Big Four’ in the Champions League – because their is nothing English about the clubs.
North America
+ Paul James: TFC’s culture change a good sign of things to come.
+ The Subs Bench interviews Canadian striker Stephen Ademolu.
+ Maple Leaf Forever!: On the nü-NASL expansion scheme.
+ Hamburg’s veteran midfielder Ze Roberto has ruled out a summer move to the New York Red Bulls.
+ DC United has waived midfielder Danny Szetela.
+ Philadelphia Union manager Peter Nowak yesterday blasted what he called the excessive whining over referees’ calls, a problem he said would turn MLS into a "freak show."
+ Philadelphia Union will play Valencia on July 31st,
England
+ Iain Dowie has taken over as manager of relegation-threatened Hull City to mastermind club’s fight for Premier League survival.
+ The Premier League have confirmed a nine-point deduction for Portsmouth will take place "with immediate effect".
+ Arsène Wenger has identified the 18-year-old Ajax attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen as an Arsenal star of the future, although the manager may have to bide his time before he can conclude a deal for the Dane.
+ Arsenal youngster Armand Traore believes he will eventually play for Paris St Germain, the "club of his dreams", although he admits a move this summer would be too early.
+ Manchester City full-back Wayne Bridge is set to be sidelined for around a month after undergoing a hernia operation on Tuesday afternoon, the Barclays Premier League club have confirmed.
+ Steven Gerrard has escaped censure from the Football Association for his apparent forearm smash on Michael Brown during Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Portsmouth on Monday night after referee Stuart Attwell confirmed he dealt with the incident at the time.
+ David Conn: Tom Hicks and George Gillett take Liverpool further from new Anfield.
+ Burnley’s chairman, Barry Kilby, has dismissed claims the club are looking at replacing Brian Laws just over two months after he was appointed manager.
Spain
+ Real Madrid have started bidding early for the summer transfer market as they knock on Fiorentina’s door with €15 million for Juan Manuel Vargas.
Italy
+ Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini has rejected talk of Juventus swapping Amauri for Simon Kjaer at the end of this season.
Germany
+ Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel has agreed a new contract which ties him to the Bundesliga leaders until the end of next season.
+ Bayern Munich director of sport Christian Nerlinger has told his club’s fans they can look forward to seeing a new big name in their squad next season, regardless of whether Franck Ribery stays.
France
+ Nice have been ordered to play their Week 29 match against visiting PSG behind closed doors despite having appealed the LFP’s initial decision following crowd disturbances in Week 22’s 3-2 home loss to Monaco.
Brazil
+ Corinthians are ready to offer Deco an escape from Chelsea. The playmaker is desperately unhappy at Stamford Bridge and wants to return to Brazil after the World Cup.
Rules and such
+ UEFA president Michel Platini is continuing to campaign for more referees on the field in football.
+ Football clubs can seek compensation if young players they have trained sign their first professional contract with a club in another European Union country, judges ruled.
Filed under: Morning Links
PRESS RELEASE
Toronto FC announced today that forward Ali Gerba has been asked to return to Toronto to continue his pre-season, while the team remains in Charleston, SC until Sunday, March 21.
“Ali’s performance this pre-season has not been up to our expectations,” said manager, director of soccer Mo Johnston. “We hold all our players to a high standard, and we think that the best thing for him is a few days away from the team. This will be addressed further when the team returns back to Toronto.”
The club has no further comment at this time.
Filed under: Toronto FC
North America
+ Toronto FC general manager Mo Johnston has said that the club has sent Canadian forward Ali Gerba home from pre-season training in South Carolina. “He’s worked hard but his play was not up to scratch,” Johnston said.
+ The Canadian Stretford End: Gerba-Gate shows the good and the bad of the Canadian National Team.
+ Red Nation: Stick a fork in Mo Johnston, he’s long past done.
+ The 24th Minute: No pressure Chad Barrett, but it’s all on you.
+ Marc Weber: Examining the “rift” in the Whitecaps front office over their MLS move.
+ The Impact have called a press conference for Wednesday where they will announce a change in the structure of the club.
+ MLS players would make big mistake with strike, AEG chief says.
England
+ Rafa Benítez gambled and won as Liverpool moved back up to fifth with a 4-1 victory over Portsmouth that was stylish as well as convincing.
+ Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard faces possible censure after cameras appeared to catch him striking Michael Brown on the back of the head in an incident not seen by the match referee during their 4-1 win over Portsmouth at Anfield.
+ Manchester United chief executive David Gill has launched a staunch defence of the business practices of the Glazer family in response to the growing campaign against them.
+ A student working part-time in an Old Trafford catering kiosk said he bought a green and gold scarf outside the ground and wore it during his half-time shift at last week’s Champions League match against Milan only to be sacked when he refused to remove it.
+ José Mourinho breezed back into Stamford Bridge last night to declare he was "home" and should still be Chelsea’s manager.
+ Paul Robinson’s World Cup dreams hang in the balance after scans revealed a significant tear in his calf.
+ Tottenham will sign midfielder Sandro for £9 million in the summer, according to Internacional president Vitorio Piffero.
+ Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tom Huddlestone has signed a new contract which will keep him at White Hart Lane until 2015.
+ The consortium led by Rob Lloyd hoping to buy Portsmouth will begin negotiations in earnest on Tuesday after the property developer held preliminary talks with administrator Andrew Andronikou at Anfield on Monday night.
+ Sol Campbell has promised not to pursue Portsmouth through the courts for £1.7m in unpaid wages and image rights payments until a buyer has been found for the stricken club.
+ Calum Davenport will leave West Ham after agreeing a pay-off. The defender has been back in training after suffering horrendous leg injuries in an alleged stabbing.
+ Hull being relegated would leave club with a £21 million black hole.
+ Adam Johnson is likely to come into the England reckoning following David Beckham’s injury but Fabio Capello’s main concern is Aaron Lennon’s fitness.
+ Wembley Way, the approach to the home of English football, was built by German prisoners of war, according to a new documentary.
Spain
+ Jose Manuel Jurado’s brilliant late winner earned 10-man Atletico Madrid a narrow victory over mid-table rivals Osasuna yesterday.
+ Real Madrid have made Ashley Cole their No 1 target to fill the problem left-back position.
+ Real Madrid general director Jorge Valdano has revealed the club are in talks with Gonzalo Higuain over a new deal which he hopes will keep the striker at the club for the rest of his career.
+ Real Madrid head coach Manuel Pellegrini has dismissed rumours of dressing room unrest surrounding Kaka at the Bernabeu.
+ Sid Lowe: Anarchic and entertaining, Valladolid’s coach is not like the team.
Italy
+ Mario Balotelli looks set to leave Inter Milan at the end of the season – unless San Siro boss Jose Mourinho beats him to the exit door.
+ Italy boss Marcello Lippi has come out in support of Mario Balotelli after he was excluded from Inter’s squad for today’s match against Chelsea.
+ Daily Mail: Lucio — How a free spirit they call Horse learned to harness the power that broke Didier Drogba.
+ AC Milan were handed a silver lining following David Beckham’s injury when it was revealed Alessandro Nesta should be back in action in around a month.
+ AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf has questioned whether team mate David Beckham will be able to motivate himself to return after the England midfielder ruptured his Achilles’ tendon playing at the San Siro at the weekend.
+ Serie A Round 28 Recap: AC Milan have Seedorf to thank.
Germany
+ Raphael Honigstein: Ultras up the ante as Hertha pay for sins committed in a former life.
+ Hertha Berlin president Werner Gegenbauer does not believe the position of coach Friedhelm Funkel is under threat. The Hertha board met on Sunday night to discuss the club’s predicament.
+ Franck Ribery has rebuffed Bayern Munich’s first approach to commence negotiations over a new contract and told them to wait until the end of the season.
France
+ Samir Nasri has admitted that he fears he could lose out on a World Cup place because he is being played out of position.
Scotland
+ Graham Spiers: Scottish referee in danger of looking biased towards Rangers.
Brazil
+ Tim Vickery: Fitness the key for Brazillian success.
Filed under: Morning Links
Theo’s 21st Birthday
“It’s a huge milestone in any young person’s life,” The Daily Mail’s Marcus Barnes writes of the 21st birthday, ‘and for a footballer it’s an excuse to flash the cash and have a night out with his team-mates.”
So just how did Theo Walcott’s party planner(s) decide to “flash the cash” for his big 2-1 celebration?
By purchasing this kick-ass birthday cake!
You can eat that. How awesome.
Reminds me of some of the works of art my parents would get for me from East York’s Alpine Bakery whenever the fourth of June came around.
The Mail also has photos of the other footballers attending Theo’s big day, including a candid shot of Andrey Arshavin and his wife Yulia.
Arshavin Chats
Speaking of Arshavin, (see what I did with that segue there?), the Russian attacker’s surreal webchats are quickly gaining Internet fame.
Here’s a sampling of the typical Q & A that takes place between Arshavin and his fans:
From iloveme
Andrey, what do you think people need pain for?
Arshavin: For people not to forget that they are mere mortals. Some people say that suffering purifies the soul.From tasha100 know,
You know sometimes I feel so down. What shall I do?
Arshavin: Try to overcome this situation. Think that after this bad streak, there’s definitely going to be a good one. Despondency is a sin.From liza1951
The question is – do you approve when a girl starts using makeup very early in her life?
Arshavin: As for the makeup, this is a purely personal matter for each girl, although I think it is better to consult a professional regarding this question.
Hi, Andrey! Some people say that the rain comes when the angels cry; some people say that it is a natural process. What do you think? Do you like rain?? Hi to Julia and the kids !!!!!
Arshavin: No, I do not think that it’s angels’ tears. It’s simply a natural phenomenon. Although it sounds more romantic the way you put it.
Check back in the archives to find Arshavin’s thoughts on women smoking, prenuptial agreements, and Canada hammering Russia 7-3 in Olympic hockey.
Now That Takes Some Nerve
If you haven’t seen Giuseppe Mascara’s penalty against Inter last Friday, have a gander:
1-1 against the Serie A leaders in the 81st minute, with his team — while out of the drop zone — still not assured of its safety from relegation. And he chips his penalty right down the middle.
What a legend.
Giuseppe Mascara, you have a new fan.
More Crudeli Than You Can Handle
Hat-tip to Vancouver Whitecaps Correspondent Simon Fudge who, after seeing my Tiziano Crudeli post last week, linked me up to the official website of everyone’s favourite Milan superfan.
If that’s not an instant bookmark I don’t know what is.
Filed under: Uncategorized
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