October 2010 Archives

Newcastle scored a brilliant 5 star win against Sunderland.Kevin Nolan's 3 goals will go down in legend and song. Shola Ameobi scored the other 2 goals and Darren Bent got a consolation goal in at the end for the bedraggled black cats.

Liverpool and Bolton were locked in a grim goalless struggle that was as dull as ditchwater till 5 minutes remained.That's when Torres decided to use the other end of his foot for a change.A backheel pass slipped through the defender's legs to Maxi Rodriguez he did not make any mistake.
Liverpool got a much needed win.

West Ham learned the bitter lesson about things not being really over till the fat lady sings when Song scored in the 86th minute ending what had been till then a fine display of obdurate resistance - especially from Robert Green.

David Trezeguet scored first for Hercules.Angel Di Maria gave Real their equaliser. C Ron scored 2 more in the last 9 minutes of the game to bring the smile back to Mourinho's face.

Manchester United clamoured for a penalty when Nani seemed to be taken down by Kaboul with about 5 minutes to go.Gomes put the ball down thinking it was a free kick and Nani kicked the ball into the goal.
Redknapp was livid....
"What a farcical way to finish a game. It's a handball, he's deliberately handled it and it should have been a booking,Everyone has seen him do it so we think it's a free-kick, it's just the referee that doesn't see it.Everyone saw him do it so it's a free-kick. You can't lie on the floor and pull the ball back just because you've got the hump because you didn't get a penalty.It was a scandalous decision and the referee has made a mess of it all."

No one who watched these highlights will ever forget what you did with the ball!

Alex Song was omniscient in the match's biggest moment. Scoring a goal an eternity in the making. The Cameroonian provides a talking point with being too venturesome but who can quibble now? He used his body equally well to shield the ball from prying legs at the opposite end.

Fortress Green and the structural composition of goal kept the ball out for the most agonizing match of the season as the Gunners poured it on in the second half. You could see Arsene Wenger's brows furrowing with each passing moment. A draw after such a draining match is not the result a manager needs with Chelsea rampant and the league resembling a game of snake and ladders on crack.

It was supposed to be the other clinical finisher slated to score and he almost pulled it off with a finely sliced shot which hit the upright. Walcott has been lethal in front of goal but Lady Luck continued to smile for the Hammers.

Walcott is not the only improved player - we were given a reminder of Clichy's maturation providing the assist that Song threw his head onto in the 87th minute. The much vilified left back chose to cut in buying time for more bodies to arrive for a crack at goal. A year ago, Clichy would have floated a rushed cross to no one. Obviously, having Kieran Gibbs competing for his spot has something to do with this learning curve.

There is also a feeling of calm at the back and that is because Lukasz Fabianski has asserted himself. The Polish goalkeeper was animated and decisive - at one point pulling on Fabregas jersey to position the Arsenal captain during a corner which was successfully turned away. Make no mistake this was a real test for Fabianski as the Hammers score regularly through set pieces but he was equal to the task.

The visitors had their moments with Mark Noble and Scott Parker releasing some neat passes and looking threatening on their free kicks.The first half ended deadlocked with Robert Green making some lovely saves against Fabregas and Samir Nasri. At the other end Manuel Da Costa was effective in neutralizing Marouane Chamakh. The Arsenal striker's noted aerial touch seems to be wayward as of late.

Fabregas had some deft moments but was far from assured on the ball. What is more evident is Nasri's influence on Arsenal's midfield - he is becoming an equal partner in creation with a better scoring touch from all vantage points. A blinding free kick almost got the better of Green. Arshavin continues to be a bipolar presence vacillating from brooding boredom to sudden solo bursts where he can open up the game with his first touch. But more often he continues to be forced outside where he is less of a threat.

Chelsea lead by five points and a massive goal differential but the Gunners and Man Utd are keeping it close. Nipping at their heels City, Spurs, and the ever surprising Baggies who have a very good chance of climbing to the top four against Blackpool on Monday.

" Nike Superfly II Safari." So light that it floats.Will sting like a bee too - when C Ron will use them to boot free kicks at hapless goalkeepers.
The boots will be on sale from November 15th onwards and they will be first worn by Ronaldo on November the 7th in the game between Real Madrid and Atletico.

And the technical stuff....

Tunisian club Olympique Beja's goalie Nadim Thabet had an embarassing moment.He thought the ball was out of play and therefore deserted his post and went off to fetch another ball from behind the goal only to realise that the original ball was still in play.
Luckily for him his defenders saved the day.
The game was between Jeunesse Kairouannaise and Olympique Beja sometime last week.

Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal thanked Sepp Blatter for refusing to introduce video technology into football.
Bayern beat Werder Bremen 2-1 in the German Cup mainly because referee Michael Weiner disallowed a headed goal by Sebastian Proedl in the 60th minute, claiming the Austrian defender had earlier shoved Bayern defender Holger Badstuber.
Platini is a bit miffed about the whole thing because he feels that he should have also been thanked.

An own goal from Newcastle keeper Tim Krul , a controversial second goal from Theo Walcott and late goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Walcott again completed the rout of Newcastle.

Maybe you have heard of the conspiracy theory that Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike.In September 1969, American college students published articles claiming that clues to McCartney's death could be found among the lyrics and artwork of The Beatles' recordings.
A suscpiciously similar conspiracy theory about Paul the Octopus is now going to be made into a movie.
Jiang Xiao is in the process of making a film about how Paul the Octopus actually died on the 9th of July and that the Germans had secretly replaced him with an identical octopus....!

And just like the fake Paul McCartney was able to sing just like the real Paul McCartney the fake Paul the Octopus was able to predict winning teams just like the real Paul the Octopus...!
Uncanny......!
The German Aquarium people have responded to Jiang Xiao's allegations with " polite bafflement"
"It's certainly not true that Paul died in the summer," said a spokeswoman for the aquarium.We can absolutely assure you that he died last night. He was about two and a half, which is the average age for an octopus. He died a simple and straightforward death."
Don't miss the movie ...!

Michel Platini was still blathering nonsense about how goal line tech would ruin football forever.The ref here thought this was a penalty.A replay would have shown him how absolutely wrong he was.
But no.
That would,according to Platini,have ruined this game.
It's an absolute shame.

..scored the goal that took the still Rooneyless Man U to the quarter finals of the Carling Cup.
Wolverhampton had come back with 2 equalisers in the game and had another 34 seconds left till the final whistle.

Barcelona beat Segunda B outfit Ceuta 2 - 0 .Maxwell scored the first and Pedro scored his first goal after his return from being injured.

Real Madrid on the other hand were unable to get past Real Murcia.
Over the last few days their combined goal score over AC Milan, Malaga, Racing Santander and Deportivo La Coruna has been 18 - 3.
Real Murcia did not let them add to that goal tally at all.
Ronaldo didn't do enough to get to be in the spotlight and had to be content to be in the laser light....

The stress of making so many accurate predictions in the World Cup took its toll evidently.Or maybe it was the vuvzelas
Paul the psychic octopus passed away peacefully in his sleep sometime last night.He was 2 and half years old.No he wasn't a baby. Two and a half years is a ripe old age for an octopus.The average life span is supposed to be one year.The larger ones can live upto 3 years and the mythical ones like the one you saw giving Johnny Depp a hard time in Pirates of the Carribean can live a bit longer.
Paul will probably get a well deserved state funeral and a memorial.

Landycakes sends a defender flying with a two handed shove that the ref should have blown.
Beckham didn't mind because he got to score a goal at the end of it.

Spain leads with 7 names in the fray.Germany are next,followed by Brazil and then the rest

SPAIN....
Xabi Alonso
Iker Casillas
Cesc Fabregas
Andres Iniesta
Carles Puyol
David Villa
Xavi

GERMANY...
Miroslav Klose
Philipp Lahm
Thomas Muller
Mesut Oezil
Bastian Schweinsteiger

BRAZIL...
Daniel Alves
Julio Cesar
Maicon

NETHERLANDS
Arjen Robben
Wesley Sneijder

PORTUGAL..
Cristiano Ronaldo

IVORY COAST...
Didier Drogba

CAMEROON
Samuel Eto'o

URUGUAY...
Diego Forlan

GHANA...
Asamoah Gyan

ARGENTINA ...
Lionel Messi

Feyenoord created a dubious kind of record by losing 10 - 0 to PSV Eindhoven.
Their previous record of the most ghastly score they had ever lost by was 8-2 against Ajax in September 1983.
The new record more or less completely eclipses the old one.The same total number of goals were scored but this time Feyenoord were at the receiving end of all of them.
Consolation ? It can only get better after this....
Jonathan Reis scored a hat-trick for PSV with Ibrahim Afellay, Ola Toivonen, Jeremain Lens (2), Balazs Dzsudzsak (2) and Orlando Engelaar also joining the goal fest..

Dedryk Boyata saw red leaving Man City with only 10 men for most of the game.They might not have gone and lost 3 - 0 if Rooney had been on the side.
Ah well.
If only...
Arsenal are in 2nd place.The much maligned Fabianski put up more than half a decent performance.He pulled off at least 3 brilliant saves in the first half.Things are looking up..

Liverpool struggled and eventually beat Blackburn 2 -1.Goals from Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Torres ( 2nd goal all season)

Just a few pictures and stuff from a memory lane that's now 70 years long..

Pele's picture on the front page of a Mexico'70 World Cup team magazine, at the Soccer Museum in Sao Paulo.

Pele poses next to a poster of the documentary film 'Pele Forever' at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Pele performs on the 'La Noche del Diez' (The Night of Number 10), show in Buenos Aires in 2005 (video)

And the prize winning picture...

C Ron is opening a bit of a lead over Messi in terms of individual goals scored this season.Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 6 -1..

Edson Arantes do Nascimento turned 70 on the 23rd of October.
Best Pele quote for the day:
"Football is the ultimate in team sport.And no individual can win a game by himself. Pele is a famous name, but Pele made his goals because another player passed to him at the proper time.And Brazil won games because Pele didn't try to make the goals by himself, but passed to others when required so that the goal could be scored."
Some history and tributes here and here and a compilation of his top ten goals..

and on Rooney and loyalty....!

This story is sent to us thanks to N Waleed ..
A couple of weeks ago, Al-Ahly (Egypt) faced Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia) in the first leg of the African Cup.
Al-Ahly won 2-1 thanks to a handball goal that the ref missed...

In an ironic turnaround the Tunisian's won the second leg by a lone goal which came off a handball which was even more blatant than the last one..
Esperance's striker Mickael Eneramo might have been playing volleyball...

The details ....

Christian's wild guess turns out to be wildly accurate.Rooney returns to the fold .

Holloway is really bugged with the Bosman ruling of 1995....

...as Manchester City beat Lech Poznan 3 -1

Barcelona made short work of FC Copenhagen. Messi made up for not scoring in the last couple of games by scoring both the goals that Barca won the game by...

This seemingly impossible feat was achieved by one Jean-Pascal Mignot - a substitute for Auxerre in their Champion's League game against Ajax.
His team were down 2 -1 and the game was almost over.
He then said something to the referee which was evidently not appreciated
So the ref walked up and showed Jean P M a yellow card.
Upon which Jean P M said a few more words.
Upon which said referee promptly showed him a second yellow card - and then the red - thereby sending off a player who was not actually on the field.
Incredible.

Anelka scored the second goal in the Luzhniki Stadium - the same venue where Chelsea lost the 2008 Champions League final to Manchester United on penalties.
Anelka had missed a penalty that day.
Redemption.

Real Madrid beat AC Milan 2 - 0 .....

..and Arsenal beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5 -1..

This is simply a negotiating ploy.

Here's what we should expect:

- Ferguson and Rooney make up in a public way
- Rooney gets what he wants - the big bucks.
- Man U finish third this season!

If only he was a little thinner.....but it's a great bit of skill anyway.

Liverpool drain the dregs as they go down 2 - 0 to Everton.They are not coming back from this.

EVE vs LIV
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Real Madrid trounced Malaga 4 -1 with C Ron getting two of those goals.The second was a penalty.Allowing C Ron to kick the ball at a goal from 12 yards is really not very fair on the goalkeeper when you come to think of it.

Barca meanwhile notched up a 2 - 1 win over Valencia.Messi scored at the end but his goal was ruled offside ....

Butterfingers - the most dreaded affliction to afflict goalkeepers ever.

Van der Sar got a sudden attack of it towards the end ot the game against Wes Brom enabling them to draw a game that Man U otherwise looked sure of winning.

Nikola Zigic scored first for Birmingham Shortly after that Arsenal were able to equalise through a penalty.The replay showed that Chamakh seemed to go down a bit too conveniently in the area.The ref however - who did not get the benefit of a replay to get a better look - thought it was a foul and awarded the spot kick,which Samir Nasri duly converted. Chamakh was also responsible for the second goal - which in contrast was made up of some pretty brilliant passing and skill...

and while we are in the land of the rising sun here's a look at Japan's promo video for their 2022 World Cup bid.
If Japan should win the bid visitors to Japan in 2022 will get more than the first rays of the rising sun.There's also going to be lots of high tech futuristic stuff which basically boggles the imagination involved.
Also plenty of what Blatter considers the dirtiest word of all .."technology"

Footage from the Euro qualifier between Italy and Serbia which had to abandoned because of flare throwing hooligans.Platini on the incident.

Kazakhstan to their credit were able to hold out till the second half before conceding any goals.The second half however saw Miroslav Klose (who else? ), Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski get their name on the scorecard.

Kazakhstan v Germany
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Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored 4 minutes into the game. Ibrahim Afellay doubled Holland's lead shortly before half time. Both players scored again in the second half. Andreas Granqvist scored a consolation goal for Sweden from a free-kick.

Netherlands v Sweden
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The Scots came back from being 2 goals down and that's the way the score stayed till a mere 10 minutes of play remained.
But the team that Paul the Octopus had put all his money on in the world cup was not to be denied.Fernando Llorente latched on to a deep Capdevilla cross and took the game for Spain.

The first of Portugal's 3 goals against Iceland was from a C Ron freekick.An unusual one - just clearing the wall and taking one bounce before it beat the goalkeeper into the net...
Raul Meireles and Helder Postiga scored the other portuguese goals.(All goals)

Under-21 European Championship play-off second leg. Chris Maguire made the Iceland goalie remember that it was important to stay on his line.Iceland went on to beat Scotland 2 -1 nevertheless....

Daniel Alves and Pato handed Luis Menezes his third win as coach scoring a goal apiece against Ukraine.It also happened to be the first game ever between the two countries.

Egypt went down to Niger in the an African Cup of Nations qualifier like Goliath went down to David.
A team ranked 154th in the World beat ninth-ranked three time defending champion Egypt with a solitary stone ..er goal.

Germany whacked Turkey by three goals to nothing in their Euro qualifier.Klose the relentless german scoring machine added another 2 goals to his already enviable tally of international goals.

Spain kept their perfect record in it's pristine state.
It's been three years since Spain have dropped points in a qualifying match. They played Lithuania without Xavi,and beat them even so..
David Villa missed this opportunity to become Spain's all-time top scorer.He missed a few sitters and hit the pole on one ocassion.
Fernando Llorente emerged as the hero scoring two goals.David Silva scored the third.

France put some distance between the bad memories of the South African disaster and the loss to Belarus in their first Euro qualifier.
They beat Romania 2 - 0, both goals coming at the end of the game.
Draws between Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1-1) and Luxembourg and Belarus (0-0) mean that France ,by default, are now on top of their group.
Laurent Blanc,looking down from the dizzying height, is a happier man ........!

After a 4-4 draw with Cyprus and the shock 1-0 loss to Norway the Portuguese team finally have something to cheer about.
Nani scored twice in three minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo added another goal to his very small tally of goals scored for his country.
Portugal beat Denmark 3-1 to collect its first win in Euro 2012 qualifying.....
New coach Paulo Bento is making a difference..

Ireland lost 3 -2 to Russia.In Dublin
Thierry Henry's only comment on the goals scored by the Russians was an incredulous "Look ma no hands"....!

Steve Zakuani against Toronto FC ..Beckham's freekick didn't make the cut.

Apart from being the latest evidence of Brazil under Mano Menezes the friendly was also Iran's Karim Baqeri's last international game.

The game against Villingen was 93 minutes old and goalie Daniel Militec did not see Julian Jaizay skulking behind him.He put the ball down to take a goal kick and suddenly realised he had forgotten the oldest goalkeeping rule in the world - namely - watch your back.......!

South Korean Chung Mong-joon has given his strongest hint yet that he will challenge Sepp Blatter for the presidency of world governing body FIFA next year.
Chung, a FIFA vice-president, told the Leaders in Football conference in London that a contested election would be "healthy".
Blatter's expression reveals that he is possibly not really thinking any "healthy" thoughts about Chung at the moment......................!

Lionel Messi with the Golden Shoe he picked up for being the top European goalscorer during 2009-10 season with 34 goals.

Mourinho's men posted 6 goals past a hapless Deportivo La Coruna.C Ron got his name on the score card twice so he is looking happy and not sulky for a change.Mourinho's frown lessened in intensity.Juan Rodriguez pulled one back for the opposition.

There are many positives that Arsenal can take back home from their Chelsea loss. They were bright in possession, created more goal scoring chances, and the defense held up very well against Chelsea's robust counterattacks. Hats off too to Lukasz Fabianski - he had to be beaten by two absolutely spectacular goals by a familiar duo of Arsenal assassins. We definitely did not hand the game to them.

The Polish goalie might have been justified by butterflies in the stomach facing a team that has been ruthless in embarrassing him at every previous occasion. But he was assertive bar one time and he came up with some excellent saves. The sight of Fabianski changing Anelka's trajectory resulting in a narrow miss and then going low to block Essien's shot is a sign of a goalie developing some smarts to go with his technical skills. Two matches and Fabianksi is inspiring much more confidence than he has in a long time.

Marouane Chamakh almost gave Arsenal a dream start in the first minute and there were some very close calls for the Blues with Koscielny, Arshavin, and Nasri coming very close. But the script is a familiar one by now - it would be to Arsenal's detriment the longer the game went on without a goal.

On cue, the industrious Ramires drove down the field and squared the ball to Ashley Cole with the wing back taking it all the way down the channel before he crossed. Drogba emerging from the shadows fronted Sebastian Squillaci with the narrowest of angles at his disposal and turned the ball into goal with the cleverest backheel. Amidst his unsurpassed power are these subtle touches that make him almost impossible to defend. It was the 39th minute and all Wenger could do was to shake his head in disbelief. Yet again, Drogba had found a way to punish Arsenal.

What was encouraging was Arsenal's second half display. For about 20 minutes the Gunners pinned back the Blues as they buzzed and hovered around goal and recycled attack after attack. Nasri worked the tight spaces in the middle, helped by Wilshere and Diaby to keep up the pressure. Clichy and Sagna crept up the flanks and sought out Chamakh with their crosses. The equalizer was there. Surely, the Blues would let their guard down for just their third goal given up. There was a moment when Abou Diaby's strike hit John Terry and the ball looped over a stranded Petr Cech and tantalizingly close to goal. But despite all that dominance, it was the Gunners coming close to going behind again after Squillaci's mistake gifted Anelka a clear chance at goal.

The Gunners finally did fall behind after Drogba was brought down by Koscielny for a free kick. It was dead center and 25 yards away. This time Drogba dawdled on the ball as Alex prepared his run up. If Drogba's goal was all touch and trickery, Alex's shot was a howitzer. It would have breached the Maginot Line. We only had a human wall and manned by players who were only too human. It had goal written on it from the time it left his boot.

The match was done and dusted. Arsenal again undone by Chelsea's efficiency. We really do look like a bunch of querying schoolboys when we play them. When will we have our answers? Its great to see Arsenal churn out profits on their real estate ventures, make millions on the transfers, and win kudos for their financial stewardship that will no doubt keep them in good stead in the long term while their peers navigate more uncertain times but such losses really put a blemish on Wenger's skinflint philosophy. It's telling that the only team that put a crimp on Chelsea's winning ways is a team that has outspent them in recent years. It will come down to conceding goals and at this point Arsenal does not look like it can stop a team more determined than them.

Osaze Odemwinggie is the first Nigerian player in 7 years to win the Barclays English Premier League player of the Month.
The last Nigerian to win the award was Austin Jay Jay Okocha with Bolton Wanderers in November 2003.

FIFA's new online Transfer Matching System (TMS) became mandatory from Friday 1st October onwards.
Clubs are required to match the details of any international player transactions and upload proof of payment, identification of agents and documents to confirm a player's new employer.
If the buyer and seller provide differing information, the player can't change teams. All deals must be concluded before the transfer window closes, and FIFA has created an online clock to end the ambiguities over last-second agreements.
The system will also shut down as soon as the transfer deadline is passed, preventing any confusion over whether paperwork was lodged in time.
Blatter,whose reluctance to mix technology with football is legendary,is seen above asking Platini to explain how the system works to him.
Then he said... "This is a historic moment for football." and other words to the same effect.

And Australia have Nicole Kidman pushing their cause....

More evidence on why goalkeepers eventually all end up like mad Jens...! ( or shave their heads and end up like Barthez)
From certain angles it looks like he punched the ball into his own goal.

...for themselves by winning their first game ever - beating FC Twente 4 -1