RSS

Buying Soccer Jerseys Online


By Anne Clarke

Many active soccer players today have soccer schedules year round. When you play just as hard as any soccer enthusiast, your clothes and equipment are sure to wear and tear. Even the top brands in soccer jerseys (as any item of clothing, no matter how durable and dependable) will eventually need to be replaced.

When you need replacement soccer jerseys, whether for yourself or for the whole team, you need them to be dependable, sturdy, and you need the replacement or replacements right away.

Do not search through paper catalogues or go from store to store, buying soccer jerseys online is the easiest way to buy soccer jerseys. Perhaps you don’t even need your soccer jersey for playing soccer, perhaps you are just an avid fan and you want to flaunt your soccer jersey or show support for your favorite team as much as possible. You can buy soccer jerseys online that are in good condition at reasonable prices, and often, online you will find better prices and better selection than anywhere else soccer merchandise and equipment are sold.

You can find jerseys for your favorite World Cup team, or have a soccer jersey designed in your favorite colors, or perhaps in the colors of your favorite high school, college, or university soccer team.

The best solution for your budget if you are with a school or other community soccer team, is to buy soccer jerseys online, when you purchase soccer jerseys online you can get the exact measurements of every player so that his or her individual jersey fits perfectly.

There is always a wide selection of merchandise to choose from when buy soccer jerseys online. Along with buying soccer jerseys online, you can also purchase soccer gear, equipment and many other kinds of soccer merchandise. You are sure to be satisfied with your purchase if you buy soccer jerseys online, and while you are there look around for any other soccer merchandise you may need.

The best thing about buy soccer jerseys online is that you can don it right from the convenience of your computer, without going anywhere at all. There is a better selection of all brands, styles and kinds of soccer jerseys available when you buy soccer jerseys online.

As a consumer, the very best way to get you soccer jerseys for this season or any season to come will beautiful touch through online shopping. Buy soccer jerseys online today, you will love the endless options and the incredible convenience of online shopping for all your soccer needs.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening, recreation and health care. For more of her articles on sports and soccer gear please visit Buying Soccer Jerseys.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Major League Soccer - Then & Now


By Aurel Radulescu

With it’s primary goal to be the world’s most competitive and prestigious soccer league, along with one of America’s premier sports and entertainment properties, Major League Soccer is a large part of worldwide soccer news and is making great strides toward accomplishing it’s objective. With 6 teams making up the Eastern Conference and an equal number featured in the Western Conference, Major League Soccer is going strong with 12 clubs in only it’s 11th season.

However, soccer news recalls that the league has made great achievements since it’s inception in 1993. It’s inaugural season began in 1995 and soccer news stirred around the new formation of teams, event locations and new players. In 1996, soccer news reported the League’s first player draft and spring training. As attendance continued to grow, ESPN began televising soccer news and popularity soared across the nation. During this year, more soccer news reports and members of the media began covering MLS events. Supporters turned out in large fashion to catch a glimpse of their favorite teams and players.

In 1998, Major League Soccer underwent it’s first expansion season, which meant big changes for the League. With the addition of two teams, which brought the club count from it’s original 10 to the 12, soccer news introduced the latest League members as Chicago and Miami. Both teams proved powerful during their first year as they advanced to the playoffs. The following year, in 1999, Columbus Crew Stadium officially opened as the first major league stadium in the United States that was constructed specifically for soccer. It’s presence paid off as thousands of fans packed the house to watch featured competitions.

In 2002, Major League Soccer removed 2 of their 12 clubs from the roster and once again returned to 10 teams. Tampa Bay and Miami were no longer League teams, but were replaced in 2004 with other expansion teams. Real Salt Lake and Club Deportivo Chivas USA joined the League and brought the club number back up to it’s current 12 teams.

The clubs of Major League Soccer consist of both domestic and international competitors. With such a diverse roster, players are constantly being featured in soccer news magazines, soccer news televised programs and interviews.

Today, Major League Soccer continues to gain in popularity in the United States and around the world. Cheering fans, exciting competitions and major soccer newscoverage are among the many indications that Major League Soccer is here to stay.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Soccer Jerseys - A Fad among Soccer Lovers



Soccer players are not the only persons who wear soccer jerseys. These days more and more people are wearing jerseys of their favorite soccer team. Wearing authentic jerseys to promote their favorite teams and display their affiliations is not a new concept among sports lovers. However, off late wearing authentic jerseys of popular teams has acquired the status of passion. Even though you will find people of all ages wearing replica jerseys, young and college going crowd displays and added inclination towards soccer jersey.

Soccer Jersey- Reasons for Increasing Popularity

Soccer has always lagged behind as sports apparel-merchandising opportunity in America. Traditionally soccer uniforms were not as popular as football, basketball, hockey and baseball sports gear. However, the World Cup Soccer in 1994 has added a new dimension to the popularity of this sport. Thereafter sports apparel of soccer has gained extreme popularity and sports equipment manufacturers are overwhelmed by the continuous expansion in demand for authentic jerseys and replica jerseys.

Authentic jerseys of soccer are not only popular during the soccer season but people prefer to wear them even otherwise. This jersey is a short sleeve T-shirt type jersey and is very comfortable. Since the official gear of soccer teams has bright and vibrant colors, it is more of a fashion statement and display of style for the younger generation.

You can shop for a jersey of your favorite soccer team or player at the nearby sports apparel store, departmental store or online sports apparel stores. If you are on a lookout for authentic jerseys, you should contact the sports store or the team's store selling the official gear. It is better to buy sports apparel at least two months before the start of the soccer season. That time the stores have fresh stock of sports merchandise and you can pick a good jersey of your favorite soccer team.

Football Jerseys, Hockey Jerseys, Basketball Jerseys, Baseball Jerseys, Soccer Jerseys and Throwback jerseys. Visit http://www.a1-jerseys.com/, your online resource for sports jerseys.

Related Articles

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Soccer Betting Odds



Nowadays, the most two popular sports are boxing and soccer, but if we think of sport betting, the first that come to our mind must be soccer. Soccer is a very popular sport in most country, especially in United Kingdom. Most people have their favorite teams, they always watch and cheer their teams on TV, but match result and the exciting of the whole match play does not make them fun enough. Then they try to make it more by betting.

Soccer betting is one of the few forms of gambling that involves more knowledge and skill than luck. To be successful in soccer betting, you must be knowledgeable of soccer and should create your own soccer betting odds. The most important thing to consider when betting on soccer is consistency and attention to detail. For examples, what’s the position they are, how many times they lose or win to the rival clubs, what’s score they lose or win. When you plot soccer betting odds and pay attention to the soccer world, you will find yourself winning more than lose. The more you strategically bet on soccer, the more opportunity you win the cash.

However, if you are not a fan of soccer and do not know the teams very well, or you are an amateur for soccer betting, online soccer betting website has the soccer betting odds posted by maker odds. This could help you to bet on soccer as a professional. Whether you have been following soccer for a long time or just starting to look into this exciting sport, there are many sources of soccer betting odds you can access right on the Internet. You can find the betting system that is simple but efficient in our website.

The best aspect of soccer betting is that luck has a little to do with winning. By diligently tracking soccer betting odds, you can often turn a profitable second income during soccer season. Though the soccer betting can give you a profit quickly, you should realize that if things come quick, they also go quick. Do not be too greedy; be disciplined if you want to last long in this industry.

If you want the reliable system to achieve your soccer betting goal, visit http://www.soccerspecials.co.uk/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Alan

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Adidas Soccer Ball - The Most Famous of Soccer Balls

By Wayne MacLean


An Adidas soccer ball has dominated the pitch at the World Cup, and on most local soccer fields as well.

The soccer ball changed drastically over its lifetime. But the greatest change has been in the last 40 years. Let's go back to 1970 with...

The Adidas Telstar

-First soccer ball to use the bucky ball design. 12 black pentagons, and 20 white hexagons.
-This 32 panel design became the standard for soccer balls.
-The black and white panels were to see the ball easier on tv.
-Official match ball of the 1970 and 1974 World Cups.
-Telstar = Television Star
-Completely made of leather. Synthetics have not yet appeared.

Then along came the.....

Adidas Tango

Little did anyone know that it would become the official World Cup ball for the next 20 years. It's triad design provided the impression that the ball had 12 circles on its face that were identical. The triad design would then be adjusted for the country that played host to the World Cup.

-Official match ball of the 1978, World Cup.
-Most expensive ball in history.
-Most popular soccer ball design ever.

The Tango ball had a long and useful life-span. But eventually it had to change too. As most things do. The next step in the Adidas soccer ball revolution was the...

Adidas Fevernova

The colors, color usage, and the design were taken from Asian culture, as Korea - Japan prepared to host the 2002 World Cup.

-Criticized openly as being too light.
-Some say early round upsets were because of the ball.
-Was a 3 layer design that provided more accurate and predictable flight.
-First ball to have a foam layer.

The next change came when Adidas introduced the......

Adidas +Teamgeist

Adidas added the "+" for trademark reasons, as the word "teamgeist" means "team spirit" and was not allowed to be used for a trademark.

-First ball to have 14 panels instead of the standard 32.
-Those 14 panels were curved.
-The panels were bonded together, not stitched, making it almost perfectly waterproof.
-Uniformly round to improve accuracy of flight even more.
-Developed by the cooperation of Adidas and the Molten Corporation.

It doesn't matter which one you prefer, Adidas can provide a high quality ball for your soccer game.

Wayne MacLean has over 30 years of experience in the game of soccer. As a soccer coach, soccer player, soccer referee, and all-around soccer fan, Wayne is now adding a new dimension to his love of soccer. He now writes many articles and creates soccer videos to help those that are involved in soccer, are new to soccer, or just want to know more about soccer. Check out my Adidas Soccer Ball page.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Soccer Gear Guide - Tips to Buy Soccer Gear

By Sumit Sehghal

Soccer is one of the trendy sports in the world and is liked by all age groups. Soccer gear include all that is required to start playing such as soccer balls, soccer cleats, soccer shoes, shin guards, socks and soccer jerseys. Soccer gear identifies appearance and experience of a player.

Soccer gear should be bought at right time to get some discounts. Players must shop for soccer gears two months before the season starts. You should verify team rules that are related to colors and leg coverings. You should buy in proper category of soccer gear because there are two main categories such as adult and youth.

Generally there is no gender dissimilarity in boys and girls soccer clothing but you should buy soccer gear separately for both men and women. Soccer gear for older players varies in size and cut. You should read labels carefully at the time buying soccer gear. Check out the material that is used in soccer gear. Several items are quite expensive so it is best to get from siblings or other players.

Players should purchase soccer gear from a sports specialty store. You should try on a size and style in a store before purchasing. You can also get some help from your coach to choose the best soccer gear.

Author owns the site about soccer gear. Website provides useful information on soccer gears. It offers different types of soccer gear, and some tips to buy soccer gear. Get useful information about cheap soccer gear from his site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sumit_Sehghal

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Are Brazil Soccer Fans Better than the Brazil Soccer Team?


By Kevin McNally

Brazil soccer fans are famous throughout the world for their carnival atmosphere at World Cup finals. The brazil soccer team are famous for their attractive football as they play with flair and imagination and it is no surprise that Brazil soccer fans also contribute to the party atmosphere when Brazil

Brazil soccer players respect the fans and this is no surprise when you watch big games with teams such as Santos that attract massive crowds. Many soccer managers will often claim that soccer fans can act as an extra man and this is certainly the case when Brazil play in front of over 100,000 brazil soccer fans at the famous Maracana Stadium.

The famous Maracana stadium was built in 1950 for the World cup finals and is famous throughout the world due to the massive attendance figures in the past (200,000 Brazil soccer fans attended the 1950 game against Uruguay).

Soccer fans are passionate but when things go wrong you can also expect criticism , the Brazil national soccer team were not welcomed home with open arms after they were eliminated at the 2006 soccer world cup! Ronaldinho the soccer player and other star names including Kaka and Ronaldo failed to retain the world cup despite the usual passionate support of the Brazil soccer fans.

The Brazil soccer team are also fortunate to have one of the most attractive female fans in the world! You will often see the fans dressed in stylish gear while doing the samba and supporting the team!

---------------------------------------------------

Kevin McNally offers soccer tips and tricks and soccer information including information Brazil soccer fans will love at


  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Buying Soccer Jerseys Online

Many active soccer players today have soccer schedules year round. When you play just as hard as any soccer enthusiast, your clothes and equipment are sure to wear and tear. Even the top brands in soccer jerseys (as any item of clothing, no matter how durable and dependable) will eventually need to be replaced.


When you need replacement soccer jerseys, whether for yourself or for the whole team, you need them to be dependable, sturdy, and you need the replacement or replacements right away.

Do not search through paper catalogues or go from store to store, buying soccer jerseys online is the easiest way to buy soccer jerseys. Perhaps you don’t even need your soccer jersey for playing soccer, perhaps you are just an avid fan and you want to flaunt your soccer jersey or show support for your favorite team as much as possible. You can buy soccer jerseys online that are in good condition at reasonable prices, and often, online you will find better prices and better selection than anywhere else soccer merchandise and equipment are sold.

You can find jerseys for your favorite World Cup team, or have a soccer jersey designed in your favorite colors, or perhaps in the colors of your favorite high school, college, or university soccer team.

The best solution for your budget if you are with a school or other community soccer team, is to buy soccer jerseys online, when you purchase soccer jerseys online you can get the exact measurements of every player so that his or her individual jersey fits perfectly.

There is always a wide selection of merchandise to choose from when buy soccer jerseys online. Along with buying soccer jerseys online, you can also purchase soccer gear, equipment and many other kinds of soccer merchandise. You are sure to be satisfied with your purchase if you buy soccer jerseys online, and while you are there look around for any other soccer merchandise you may need.

The best thing about buy soccer jerseys online is that you can don it right from the convenience of your computer, without going anywhere at all. There is a better selection of all brands, styles and kinds of soccer jerseys available when you buy soccer jerseys online.

As a consumer, the very best way to get you soccer jerseys for this season or any season to come will beautiful touch through online shopping. Buy soccer jerseys online today, you will love the endless options and the incredible convenience of online shopping for all your soccer needs.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening, recreation and health care. For more of her articles on sports and soccer gear please visit Buying Soccer Jerseys.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Soccer Uniform - Colors In Play


Nothing is more important for a soccer fan, than his team's colors and badge. In the soccer uniform, the club's badge is on the chest, placed close to the heart.

In the nineteenth century, soccer uniforms had long sleeved shirts and they used knickerbockers that covered the knees in place of the shorts used today, and long socks.

When television was black and white, the color of the soccer uniforms were very important, when one team played in light uniforms the other team had to play in dark. In this way, viewers could tell which team was which, and also the players were able to tell where their team mates were on the field. The basic soccer uniform is made up of shirts (jerseys), shorts, socks and shoes.

The goalkeeper has a slightly different uniform from the rest of the team; the jersey has to be a different color as he is the only one allowed to use his hands in the game. The difference in the goalkeeper's uniform is necessary so that viewers and players can easily recognize which player he is. The goalkeepers usually use special gloves for defending the ball.

The referee and his assistants also need different colour uniforms so that they aren't mistaken for any other player in the field. Players also use protections such as shin pads which can also be included as part of the uniform.

Before uniforms were made of heavy material, when wet with sweat or rain, they would stick to the player's body. Nowadays, soccer uniforms are made from light synthetic material that doesn't stick when wet and doesn't weigh as much as the old uniforms.

The design of the soccer uniforms was quite different in the old days compared to today’s design. The shirts had a collar similar to a polo shirt, with laces or buttons on them. In the more modern uniforms the collars are something like modern T-shirts. The shorts today are very different from the ones used in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, quite shorter and much lighter than before. The socks are quite the same today, but some socks have a few details like lines, the club badge or name.

Today, there are quite a few famous uniforms, like the Brazilian national team, which are famous all over the world, especially among the youngsters. The use of these uniforms as a marketing strategy has become quite common and pretty effective, with sponsors on club or national uniforms.

The amount of official replica soccer uniforms sold is quite big due to marketing campaigns, the passion of the fans towards their national team or the club they support. The uniform manufacturers also use the name of famous players to sell more. Names like Ronaldinho, Beckham, and Zidane are very much used so that more and more uniforms are sold.

The clubs invest highly in marketing their own brand name and their players' names as a way of popularizing the brand and the club or national team. Some clubs and national teams make special editions of their uniforms for important games or anniversaries.

The use of soccer uniforms in marketing has helped the main brands of sports clothes and these uniforms, especially the jerseys are used by young people to go out to parties, going to shopping centres and even on dates.

Get all the latest in Soccer know how from the one and only true source at http://www.soccerdetails.com/ Be sure to check our soccer uniform page.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Why ESPN hates the BCS

Are the 2003 Oklahoma Sooners the best team in college football? Maybe. Maybe not. So they scored 580 points during the regular season and allowed only 158. But that average of 48 to 13 is terribly skewed, so let's not call them national champs yet.


By David Martin Sports Central Columnist

I have two problems with the way college football is covered by national media types. First of all, most of them, e.g., ESPN, have a pro-playoff agenda. The second problem is that once they see a team they love, like the above-mentioned Oklahoma Sooners, they declare the de facto title crown winner.

Oklahoma hasn't played a team with a running game. They haven't played a team that plays hard defense. In my mind, the Sooners still have something to prove. The national media types will tell us OU are akin to college football gods.

ESPN and others bash the BCS system for making no sense, for being too prone to computer aberrations, for not paying attention to this when they should pay attention to that. Two years ago, ESPN and columnists throughout the nation barraged the BCS and NCAA to get rid of the margin of victory component.

The BCS obliged, convinced its computers to drop margin of victory from their formulas, and now... ESPN and columnists around the nation are wailing to have margin of victory re-installed. They act as if they never begged for it. They want it reinstated despite the fact that anecdotal evidence suggests that 77-0 scores are much less prevalent than they were even two years ago.

One might suggest that the retirement of Tom Osbourne from Nebraska, Steve Spurrier from Florida, and the precipitous fall-off of performance by the Florida State Seminoles account for most of elimination of such lopsided scores. Still, after the supposed slight suffered by Southern Cal in last week's BCS rankings (when they were leapfrogged by Ohio State after OSU survived an overtime home win, while USC routed a pathetic team on the road), the sports pages were a-pumpin' for plumped up scores.

Whatever.

What ESPN wants, of course, is broadcast rights to a college football playoff. No matter how successful the BCS became over time, ESPN would bang the drum of its failures. They would say the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, in which the nation's only undefeateds played one of college football's greatest ever games, was a lucky fluke. Meanwhile, they'll ignore that not a single talking head among them believed for a second that the 2002 season would either end the way it did, nor will they tell you that had they chosen the matchup, as they might have preferred, Ohio State would have been left at the alter, even undefeated.

Whatever.

As far as college football playoff ideas go, the Worldwide Leader has left its collective mouth reasonably shut this season as to what one should look like. Realistically, nothing will happen for the four-letter network on this matter for some time. The BCS committee continues to meet regularly to decide what should come next, and the NCAA Division 1-A college presidents remain in stern opposition to a playoff.

What seems likely at this juncture, from leaks from BCS committee meetings, is that there may be a play-in game for some of the non-BCS conferences that will get them into a fifth high-payoff bowl game, added to the current four BCS bowls. And while it's not as probable, the possibility does exist for a matchup to take place after the bowls between ... well, that hasn't been worked out. Perhaps the BCS No. 3 if they win their bowl game, perhaps two bowls will pit BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 4 and BCS No. 2 vs. BCS No. 3, and the winners of those two bowls play in an "official" (that is, ESPN-sponsored, but ABC-broadcast) national championship game.

Whatever.

Still, would the Sooners withstand the Trojans of Southern Cal? Maybe, just maybe, the BCS will let us find out. Would the Buckeyes have been able to control the passing game the Sooners dominate the college football landscape with? After OSU's performance against Michigan this past Saturday, that seems pretty unlikely. LSU has a dominant defense among the best in the nation, yet, they're on the outside of those looking to take on the Sooners.

The point is this: there isn't just one other team in the land that may or may not provide that challenge that football fans and television networks want. ESPN and others will continue to bang the USC drum, and with good reason. But, how much of that drum-banging is because the Trojans look good, and how much is because the Trojans play in a lucrative TV market?

Would LSU garner more consideration from the TV folks if they played in a top-10 TV market? Probably so. Call me cynical. But ESPN would be happy if the national title game always involved Notre Dame, with their TV ratings being very high when the team's playing well.

Whatever.

For my part, I stopped caring exactly who won the national championship trophy at about the same time Sears became its sponsor and the Rose Bowl no longer hosted the Big 10 vs Pac-10 champions on an annual basis. I thought the discussion after the season was much more enjoyable after a split in the coaches' and writers' polls than all the ranting and raving that goes on about how awful the BCS is for college football.

If it were all that bad for the sport, don't you believe, ESPN, that it would have been eliminated by now? Instead, the margin of victory component will return to the network's boos and hisses next November, the gutted Big East will send a team to the BCS that it's never sent before (barring Pitt's attendance this year), and mighty Boise State will run off another no- or one-loss season to almost zero fanfare, and Florida State will somehow survive Miami's entrance into the ACC. And ESPN will complain.

Whatever.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.

By - Sports Central

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Shed Fat With These 6 Active Tips

Shed Fat With These 6 Active Tips

Discovering time to exercise is like trying to get more laughter in your life: It's usually easier said than done. To master the tricks, you need to be part escape artist and part strategist, but most of all an opportunist. The moments that you can grab for activities come suddenly and pass swiftly, and if you don t take advantage of them, every cell of your body pays a certain price. Here are some ideas to help plan your playtime.

Take the stairway. Whenever you have a choice, climb the stairs instead of getting on an escalator, a moving walkway or an elevator. You burn ten times more calories climbing the stairs than you do sitting still. If this means you need to allow yourself a few more minutes to get to your office or to make your way through an airport, so be it.

Forget close parking spots. Parking at the mall? Shopping at the supermarket? Instead of cruising the lot to find the closest space, go for those vast empty spots on the far side of the lot. It won't take you that much longer to get to the store (no, you won't miss the sale), and the long-distance walking boosts your metabolism and burns calories.

Lengthen the drop-off point. When you're taking a cab, allow some extra time and have the driver drop you off a few blocks from your destination. If you're taking a bus, get off a stop or two before you need to, then cover the distance with some fat-burning strides.

Make every minute count. When you're standing in line, for example, you can tighten and relax your gluteus muscles (that is, your rear end). When you're on the phone and someone has put you on hold, you have a good opportunity to do a few repetitions of abdominal breathing techniques.

Use commercial time wisely. TV commercials aren't for snack-fetching, they're for stretching. Get up, stretch, move around. If you're upstairs and there's a quick chore to be done downstairs, or vice versa, seize the commercial break as an opportunity to get it done. Or hang a jump rope near the TV and skip to the jingle. Even that small amount of activity will help you break out of the fat-making mold.

Schedule physical activities with friends. Make active dates with friends and do some physical activities together. If you're accustomed to meeting for lunch or drinks, figure out some other meeting arrangement and make sure it involves exercise. Maybe your lunch partner has been wanting to take up tennis again, and so have you. Maybe you can get some people interested in a pickup game of Frisbee, table tennis, basketball, soccer or volleyball. Even if your lunch hour is literally that, no more than an hour, you and a friend can plan on a short lunch together, followed by a long walk.

This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Soccer: I fell in love with the girls

Soccer: I fell in love with the girls
A chance promo spot led me to the best sports experience I've had this year, and it didn't feature a single athelete making a dime.

Last night, while I walked through the shadow of the valley of baseball stoppage fear, I had one of those totally magical and unexpected sports experiences.

After I watched Esteban Loaiza finish spinning his complete game win over Roger Clemens and those hated Yankees, I was getting ready to turn off the TV when Sportsnet ran a promo for the FIFA U-19 World Championships semifinal between Brazil and Canada.

"So," I thought, "I'll bite."

Boy, am I glad that I did.

Wow what a game! The passion and intensity displayed in this clash (and believe me that is exactly the right word for this one), was outstanding.

Canada had rolled into the semis on a 13-game undefeated streak. After a 3-2 squeaker to open the tournament, they had largely dominated their opposition. Canada was led by the tournament's top scorer, Christine Sinclair, who had scored 10 goals coming in.

On the other side was Brazil. They had won their group, and while they had not been as dominant, they rolled in as easily the toughest test the Canadians had faced. Led by the sublime Marta, the Brazilians marched into Commonwealth stadium in Edmonton filled with confidence.

Right off the bat I was excited. Apparently, the Brazilian girls had been telling anyone who would listen that the Canadian girls were a bunch of thugs. "We play with our feet," they had sniffed. The Canadian girls had fired back that the Brazilian team would perhaps be more at home playing in bathing suits, since they had been doing all that diving anyway.

As any good sports fan knows a great sporting event needs a couple of things, one of which is great players on either side. With Marta and Sinclair, we were covered on that account. Another though, and no less important, is a healthy amount of bad blood (I call this the "Nords-Habs theorem"), and it looked like these two groups of teenagers had a healthy dislike for each other from the get go.

This edge was clear right off the bat. Straight away the two teams slammed and battered each other. The Brazilians obviously knew that the Canadians were planning on a physical game and they decided to show their northern rivals that they were not going to be intimidated. So every header, every loose ball, invariably ended with a yellow or red shirt (and often more than one of each) sprawled on the ground.

The play itself came in fits and starts, but the quality was there right at the beginning as both teams exchanged good opportunities in the opening 10 minutes. Canada played a traditional British style of long-ball game, while the Brazilian girls used the mesmerizing ball control that is the hallmark of their country.

was interesting to see how the two styles exposed each other. The Canadians had the edge for much of the first half as their long probing volleys constantly caused trouble for the generally smaller Brazilians. This, ultimately, resulted in the corner kick that lead to the opening goal off a brilliant diving header by Clare Rustad.

However, as the game progressed, and the Brazilians ball control opened more and more holes in the Canadians defense the girls resorted to hoofing the ball aimlessly towards the Brazilian side.

On the other hand, while the Brazilians had all sorts of time on the ball, they rarely were able to threaten the Canadian net directly. When they did finally score it came at the end of an absolutely brilliant individual effort from Marta. She danced through three Canadians, before letting loose with a drive that McLeod could not quite handle.

After the goal the play became even more physical. I've seen some gritty battles in my time, but this was from another world. Girls slammed into each other with reckless abandon, two stretchers came on to carry off players -- one of whom would return, neither of which, thankfully, was seriously hurt. With every passing second the level of intensity and ill will raised another notch.

The partisan crowd began to boo Finish referee Anri Hanninen, who seemed unwilling to show the yellow card for anything less than a forearm shiver. Once for each team, a striker was knocked off the ball in the penalty area with no call, though personally, I think Hanninen got it right.

Regulation settled nothing, so the game was headed towards overtime and the pursuit of the golden goal. The Canadians seemed to have found some of their lost momentum, and early on a shoulder charge from Daiane sent Sinclair clattering to the ground. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. The crowd roared.

Then things got really weird, which as any true sports fan knows, means -- "interesting."

The Brazilians went nuts, they surrounded Hanninen, who, backpedaling and yelling, refused to produce a yellow card. Meanwhile, behind this, the greatest psych-out I have ever seen in team sports was taking place.

Sinclair waited patiently to take the penalty kick. Two Brazilian players walked up to the astonished Sinclair and bumped her repeatedly. Hanninen rushed over to shoo them away. Then one of the Brazilian entourage, a man that nobody could seem to identify, walked on to the pitch, yelling at Hanninen. As Hanninen turned, another Brazilian player had words with Sinclair and "brushed" past her by accident, on purpose.

Where the Canadians were at this time, I have no idea, but in the future, if my star player is about to take a potentially game winning kick, and the other team is using the sort of mental warfare the CIA normally reserves for shoe bombers, I'm standing between her and them.

Finally, things seemed to calm down enough for Sinclair to take the penalty. Just after Hanninen placed the ball on the spot though, Marta raced forward to get into Sinclair's face one last time. Hanninen again had to intervene.

Despite looking as cool as possible through this storm Sinclair, must have been unnerved. The tournament's leading scorer pushed the ball not nearly wide enough and Giselle dove to get her hand on it. To add insult to injury, after taking the shot, two Brazilians slammed into Sinclair knocking her to the ground and gave her a Portuguese version of "in yo' face."

The nasty tone continued as twice the Canadians sent Brazilian strikers tumbling in the box, but no penalties were called. This brought the pitch invader back a second time and he was chased off.

The Canadians then had a glorious chance right before full time, but a cross went just behind a wide open Kara Lang, and the game ended even.

So it came to penalty kicks.

Marta lined up first for Brazil, facing the Mohawked McLeod. McLeod made up for her earlier gaffe, guessing right and stopping the star's drive. McLeod then leapt up and tugging at her jersey raced towards the crowd.

Candace-Marie Chapman was up next, but Giselle equaled her opposite punching the ball away. She then bettered McLeod by performing a samba style dance as her teammates mobbed her.

Next, Kelly was up. She fooled McLeod but her chip hit the post and bounced out. A frustrated Kelly sank to her knees and pounded the turf repeatedly until her teammates dragged her away (I am not making this up).

Then Sinclair came forward, free of the "mass psyche," she calmly slotted home her penalty to make it 1-0 for Canada.

Brazil -- Ariana -- Goal.

Canada -- Vermeulen -- Goal.

Brazil -- Daiane -- Goal.

At 2-2, Kara Lang came up for Canada. Giselle had dug the ball out of the net following the Daiane goal. She walked out towards Lang, pointed at her and then rolled the ball to Lang -- well wide. At this point I burst out laughing. The level of gamesmanship that had been on display in the last 30 minutes was almost impossible to believe. If you had put all of this into a screenplay, every executive in town would pass on it for being too unrealistic.

However, it got even better.

As Lang stood and stared at the keeper, Giselle pounded her chest with her fist and nodded defiantly at the 15-year-old striker. Lang went left, Giselle guessed correctly, but the ball rolled past her outstretched fingers, off the post, and into the net. Canada had the lead, 3-2.

The crowd went nuts; Lang pointed at Giselle and pumped her fist, leapt in the air, and pumped her fist at the Brazilian keeper again.

By this point I was a wet dishrag.

Next Daniela, the Brazilian team captain, and centre fullback stepped forward. The girl looks like she was hewn out of solid granite. Daniela pounded her chest three times and then slammed the ball past McLeod to make it 3-3.

Finally, Sasha Andrews was on the spot for Canada. With the Brazilian girls, arms linked together, willing her to miss, Andrews, whose solid play from the back was key to the Canadians getting to the penalties, calmly slipped the ball past Giselle and into the back of the cage to give Canada a 4-3 lead.

Bedlam.

The Canadian players and fans went nuts. Andrews (a local girl -- how perfect is that?) sprinted across the field. Her teammates mobbed her as she defiantly turned towards the Brazilian bench. The Brazilians sat, devastated, tears rolling down their cheeks. It was then, that I suddenly remembered how young all these girls are, and what an incredible accomplishment they had made by getting to this stage.

As the Canadians jogged around the field holding a flag attached to a hockey stick, the Brazilians slowly moved towards half, almost aimlessly, to wait for the handshakes.

Despite all the intensity and emotion and perhaps, unsportsmanlike conduct, at the end all these proud young athletes would shake hands and share hugs. Reassuringly to my sense of fair play, both coaches were nothing but complimentary to their opponents after the game).

Feeling drained from the raw emotion, I turned off the TV and stumbled up towards bed where even though it was well past 1:00 a.m., I couldn't fall asleep for over an hour.

That night I dreamed, not of baseball, but of the rhythmic perfection of soccer.


By Conor McCreery

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

I've Got Better Under Mcclaren, Says Gerrard

I've Got Better Under Mcclaren, Says Gerrard I've Got Better Under Mcclaren, Says Gerrard Soccer: Steven Gerrard has said this could become the best England team he has played in.

For almost a year it had looked as if the current set of England players might make history by being the first to miss out on a major tournament since the bunch that failed to reach the 1994 World Cup. Such disgrace is still possible, but Saturday's 3-0 win over Israel has given Steven Gerrard the right to be hopeful. He argues that "if this team clicks" it will have "more quality" than he has known in seven years as an international.

Self-belief is needed if England are to beat Russia tomorrow and so edge into one of the Euro 2008 qualifying slots in Group E. It is 11 months since the side have felt buoyant. Glumness descended in the goalless draw with Macedonia at Old Trafford, a more deplorable result than the defeat to Croatia in Zagreb four days later.

Were Gerrard to foresee glory, medical attention would switch from his fractured toe to a suspected mental fragility. The country has had its fill of golden- generation rhetoric. "I know it's cheap talk," he admitted after dwelling on what could be achieved. "But it's obvious when I'm training with these players and playing with them. We've got to be better. We've underachieved of late. We need to deliver for this country.

"Obviously I want to play and be selfish, but a team plays well when there's pressure from behind the starting 11. It's getting to the stage where there's two or three people fighting for each position, so the people that are starting have got to perform to a certain level to stay in the team."

He has reasons to relish any challenge at present. He is captain of an upgraded Liverpool line-up that may compete for the Premier League title and the injured toe is ceasing to be a worry, even if the medical staff are telling him to expect the odd "ache and pain".

It is, of course, the resources at Anfield and elsewhere which give the Premier League its profile and, despite the fact that it is often the foreigners who bring lustre to football in this country, a victory over Steve McClaren's side is highly prized. "They're desperate to beat England," said Gerrard. "It's easy to say we're good and we're going to be good, but we have to prove it."

His claims for the merits of the squad mean he is forced to argue that getting to the quarter-finals in each of the past three major tournaments "isn't good enough". The narrow aspiration of overcoming Guus Hiddink's side tomorrow evening could seem a taxing ambition all by itself, but there were aspects to Saturday's victory that were heartening.

Injuries and a suspension had their normal input into the planning of an England manager but McClaren's line-up did not act as if it had been stitched together out of remnants. The display was tailored impeccably, with Gerrard and Gareth Barry looking like a long-established partnership in central midfield.

"The secret," said the Liverpool player, "is that we've known each other for a long time, from the Euros in 2000, and we're good friends off the pitch. So the communication was there from the off. The balance was right because he's left-footed and I'm a right-footer. It just seemed to work. We'd only worked on it for a couple of days before the game."

Barry will not now have to stand down tomorrow since Owen Hargreaves is injured. Emile Heskey's place may go to a returning Peter Crouch, but the struggle to make the line-up is one that has to be relished.

Although no one has ever ousted Gerrard, he feels that he has enjoyed a more favorable setting in the past six months. In a curious way, matters took a turn for the better on a horrible night against Andorra in Barcelona. With Frank Lampard injured, Gerrard was put in central midfield and he has not had to budge since.

"The manager's been great with me," he said. "He wants me to express myself in the way I do for Liverpool and I feel my performances have improved under Steve."

The traveling England support had been hostile even before kick-off in that away fixture with Andorra, which was goalless at the interval. It was, perhaps, the crucial moment in Group E.

"Believe it or not, I think the Andorra game was probably one of my hardest internationals," said Gerrard. "The crowd were right on us early doors and the team weren't playing well. We found it hard to break down a team who, with all due respect, we should be walking all over.

"There was a big rallying call from the manager but also from the leading players. It was difficult at half-time knowing it was 0-0 and it was a big three points that we needed. Teams need to go through situations like that to improve and move forward and we are definitely a lot stronger from that."

Gerrard, with two goals in the eventual 3-0 victory, was the largest part of the answer. Yesterday he had the luxury of reflecting on the merits of the two candidates for the place beside Michael Owen tomorrow, weighing Heskey's power against Crouch's "slightly better technique". Russia will give England more than that to think about, but it is healthy that England can once again be optimistic in public.

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian
Newspapers 2008Published: 9/12/2007

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Arsenal's Young Guns Shoot for Glory

Arsenal's Young Guns Shoot for Glory Soccer: Arsenal 2 - 1 Paris Saint-Germain: Arsene Wenger hinted that he will add to his squad after his young side's narrow pre-season victory.

This time last year a 60,000 crowd rolled up to the Emirates Stadium for the first time to see the brave new world Arsenal's new home was built for. The occasion was mixed with nostalgia - coinciding with Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial, it was sprinkled with stardust as heroes from a golden age under Arsene Wenger took to the pitch.

Everybody whooped as members of the vintage back four were introduced. There were lumps in the throat to see Patrick Vieira again joined in midfield by Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars. Ian Wright larked about up front with Thierry Henry. Even though the modern team had reached the Champions League final a couple of months before and had come minutes from winning it, many observers could not help thinking they would rather watch the oldies - however knackered their knees and leisurely their pace.

One year on, and the current squad appear to bear an even less comfortable comparison with the best of Wenger. This is the least experienced group since the Frenchman arrived in English football. The sale of Henry and Freddie Ljungberg over the close season has compounded the sense of dwindling power Arsenal felt a year ago when Bergkamp retired and Robert Pires, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole left.

The strength of the squad is just one of the major question marks lurking over Arsenal Football Club. With the threat of a hostile takeover and the contract extension on offer to Wenger also in the balance, fans have found it difficult to summon the usual levels of fresh-season optimism. As the front-page splash on the latest Gooner fanzine wondered: '2007/08 - A Year Of Living Dangerously?'

Living dangerously is not something Wenger has ever been afraid of in his managerial career. But this is perhaps his most dangerous ploy yet. His evangelical belief in the generation of young players he is nurturing is extremely brave in the current market. The doom-mongers have to acknowledge, though, that he has pulled enough rabbits out of hats to earn the right to do it his way for another season.

Living dangerously is not something Wenger has ever been afraid of in his managerial career. But this is perhaps his most dangerous ploy yet. His evangelical belief in the generation of young players he is nurturing is extremely brave in the current market. The doom-mongers have to acknowledge, though, that he has pulled enough rabbits out of hats to earn the right to do it his way for another season.

The team Wenger picked for this friendly against Paris Saint-Germain were suitably youthful. Short of attackers and without a recognized wide man to the extent that they fielded a pair of full-backs on each flank in the second half, Arsenal didn't just miss Henry and Ljungberg. They also missed Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Adebayor, carrying knocks, and new signing Eduardo da Silva, whose pre-season has stalled because of red tape regarding his work permit. And they missed a fantasy winger, should Wenger feel like addressing one of the glaring deficiencies in the squad before the transfer window shuts.

Wenger was less coy than usual afterwards on the subject of additional transfers. Another two signings are on his radar, and a barrage of questions about rehiring his old protege Nicolas Anelka enticed him into making an uncharacteristic slip. He was trying to persuade his interrogators that he signed Da Silva for his ability to be a foil for his current strikers, and included Anelka's name in the list.

Has he made a play for the Bolton man? 'I can't say that at all,' Wenger said, 'But I can bring in who I want.'

Does he want Anelka? 'I just answered that.'

Does Anelka want to come? 'Of course.'

As for Da Silva, whose work permit appeal will be heard on Thursday, Arsenal are confident of a positive outcome. But if the worst case scenario happens, he will return to Zagreb. 'We only sign contracts subject to a work permit so if that doesn't happen he will go back to Croatia.'

Another striker who is undeniably an Arsenal player at the moment took advantage of his opportunity in the imposing shape of Nicklas Bendtner, whose afternoon included an assist, a first senior goal for the club and a missed penalty.

Arsenal took a while to warm up. But in absolute contrast to the template of last season, they watched the opposition waste opportunity after opportunity and then nicked a goal out of nothing. It was like being in a parallel universe. The move was well worked, as Bendtner chested Gael Clichy's cross for Mathieu Flamini to volley crisply in off the post.

Arsenal improved in the second half, notably because Clichy's zest and Emmanuel Eboue's power in experimental wide-midfield roles began to reap dividends.

Bendtner scored midway though the second half, climbing to meet Denilson's corner and stabbing the ball home at the second attempt. His ability to get into scoring positions, aerial strength and general hold-up play were encouraging for home supporters.

Less heartening was the sight of Peguy Luyindula splitting Arsenal's center-halfs to reduce the lead. Defensive uncertainty remains a worry.

The big question, whether these boys will fly or falter, could go either way. Yes, Arsenal could re-enact all the weaknesses that dogged them last season and even slip out of the sacred top four. But it is not inconceivable that Wenger is right in predicting that his current collection can take over from their high-achieving predecessors and realize the only 'acceptable' goal of challenging for the title and the Champions League. In order to do so, creating a winning spirit is the biggest objective for Arsenal's youngsters. We all know they have nice technique. We have all seen them weave pretty patterns with their passing. We have watched them dominate possession regularly. But they have not yet mastered the art of winning matches consistently.

One of the most obvious problems is that Wenger has quickly lost a lot of charismatic players. His last title-winning team, the unbeaten champions of 2004, were packed with men whose name on the team sheet, whose presence on the pitch, whose experience and natural inclination to take control of games - whatever the circumstances - could lift their team-mates and sink the hearts of the opposition. Vieira. Henry. Pires. Campbell. Cole. Lauren. Ljungberg. Bergkamp. No shrinking wallflowers there.

Asking the current crop to emulate that is an intimidating challenge. Who can teach them about the mental strength to win leagues and fight back when all looks lost?

Out of the three 'Invincibles' who are left, Gilberto is a naturally quiet and humble man, Toure is a gentle, religious soul, and Lehmann is, well, one of life's individuals. None of them has the personality to pass on what is required with the same conviction as the likes of Vieira, Henry, Cole et al learned from. They took the baton from hardened winners such as Tony Adams, Lee Dixon and Martin Keown.

Cesc Fabregas is comfortably the best charisma player in today's squad. Clichy brims with a high level of determination that seems to rub off on his team-mates. Robin van Persie has his moments of inspiration and is one Wenger expects to shoulder more responsibility. But whether enough others can up the ante remains to be seen.

Emirates Stadium 55,106

ARSENAL Almunia; Sagna (Hoyte ht), Toure (Gallas ht), Senderos, Clichy (Randall 71); Diaby, Fabregas (Traore ht), Denilson, Flamini (Eboue ht); Bendtner, Van Persie (Hleb ht) Subs not used Fabianski, Barazite, Lansbury, Gibbs, Murphy

PSG Landreau; Mulumbu (Ngoyi 74), Traore, Camara, Armand; Frau, Digard, Clement, Rothen; Pauleta Luyindula Subs not used Alonzo, Sakho, Mendy, Yepes, Gallardo, Diane, Ngog, Arnaud, Bourillon, Sankhare

Referee P Walton

How Arsenal looked the last time they won the Premiership - compared with their likely line-up for the first game of the coming season

2003-04; 2007-08

Lehmann GK Lehmann

Lauren RB Sagna

Toure CB Toure

Campbell CB Gallas

Cole LB Clichy

Pires RM Rosicky

Vieira CM Fabregas

Gilberto CM Diaby

Ljungberg LM Hleb

Henry CF Van Persie

Wiltord CF Adebayor

(Gilberto is still at the club, but will have an extended holiday and miss the start of the season due to his involvement in the Copa America)

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian
Newspapers 2008Published: 7/29/2007

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Four More Years for Wenger

Four More Years for Wenger Soccer: Arsene Wenger is set to sign a contract that will see him stay at Arsenal for another four years.

Arsène Wenger will today sign a new contract at Arsenal which would eventually extend his stay to 15 years. The deal will be worth £4m per season, with the buoyant mood apparently unaffected by confirmation from Cesc Fábregas that he spoke with Real Madrid officials in the summer.

Indeed, joint top and unbeaten in the Premier League, these are upbeat times for Arsenal, all the more so with confirmation that the Frenchman will be staying until 2011, and so is his best player.

Wenger had suggested that he would ask Arsenal to sue Real should any proof be unearthed that Fábregas had been the subject of an illegal approach. "I did not allow Fábregas to talk to anybody," said the Frenchman at the time. "He denies that he spoke to Real Madrid. So if you can get the statement that he's done that and that Real Madrid, more than ever, has done that we will sue Real Madrid."

The player's comments to Radio Marca would appear to offer that proof. However, while Arsenal's management may seek clarification from Fábregas, they are content that the player is happy having signed an eight-year extension and are unlikely to pursue the matter with Real or Fifa.

The 57-year-old Wenger, meanwhile, recruited in 1996, has won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups for the Gunners, and he also took them to Uefa Cup and European Cup finals.

Chelsea have denied that Michael Ballack has been left out of their Champions League squad because he has no future with them, even though Wayne Bridge, who has a similar injury and is not expected to be fit for at least eight weeks, has been included. The German, who arrived from Bayern Munich in 2006, has not played for Chelsea since April because of an ankle injury. "Chelsea Football Club would like to reiterate that Michael Ballack's omission from the Uefa Champions League group phase squad was taken only because of injury," the club claimed. "There is no other reason for the decision and suggestions to the contrary are unfair on Michael, who is attempting to get fit as soon as possible, and our medical team."

Bayern Munich's president Franz Beckenbauer has criticized Ballack's choice of club. "I think it was a mistake," he said. "There was a space available for his position with Manchester United and he would have fitted into their system perfectly. The same with Real Madrid. But at Chelsea his role was filled by Frank Lampard."

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian
Newspapers 2008Published: 9/7/2007

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Wenger Lauds Arsenal's Values and Traditions

Wenger Lauds Arsenal's Values and Traditions
Soccer: Arsene Wenger was quick to side with the Arsenal board as he signed a new contract at the club and outlined his hopes for a bright future.

Arsène Wenger firmly allied himself to Arsenal's board yesterday when he extended his contract as the manager at the Emirates Stadium into the next decade. Alongside his announcement that he had committed to the north London club until May 2011 there appeared to be a veiled message for the shareholders who are vying for control of Arsenal. "It is a special environment for me," Wenger said of the club he joined in September 1996.

"But as well you must be careful to respond to that kind of trust and confidence by achieving the results and, as well, by behaving like the club wants you to behave. It's a club of values, traditions and you feel that you have to respond to that kind of responsibility."

That might be considered a tacit warning for his friend, David Dein, who was ejected from his role as vice-chairman over "irreconcilable differences" with his fellow directors in his strategy for the club. Last week Dein sold his 14.58% stake in the club to the Uzbek-born oligarch Alisher Usmanov for £75m.

The chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, yesterday took the opportunity to underline that Arsenal are thriving without Dein, who previously had responsibility for player contracts.

"I think the relationship with Arsène and the board has always been absolutely excellent," said Hill-Wood. "Recently I suppose it's been borne out by the transfer-market dealings that Ken Friar has been handling for us.

"He's got a very good relationship with Arsène. I think Arsène and the board of course are very happy with the results of those dealings - both selling and buying players. In short, the relationship between the board and Arsène, I think, is absolutely first-class."

Wenger has declared himself unworried by the investors who are battling for power, which has also seen the US billionaire Stan Kroenke build a 12.19% stake in the club, focusing instead on the quality of his promising young team, which lies second in the Premier League.

"I wanted to get a taste of how hungry this team is first before I definitely [signed on]," Wenger said. "I must say that it's a great pleasure to work with this team because we share the same hunger and desire to do well. I'm confident we can. I want to win the championship, win the Champions League and be consistent. It's simple. I want to achieve the maximum with this team and it is young and very ambitious as well, and I feel I share that ambition with my team."

He continued: "I love the job I have at Arsenal - I love to win and I feel I can win with Arsenal. They are the main reasons [I signed]. My heart is tied to this football club, so signing a new deal was always my intention. Arsenal is the club of my life. I feel I share the ambition with everybody to make Arsenal the best club in the world and that everybody works to be successful in that."

Wenger said his latest crop of players can eclipse the achievements of those over the past 11 seasons. "Yes, they have the ability," he declared. "The first signs this season are that the team has really matured. There is a completely different attitude towards the competition. They are more responsible, more disciplined and that can bring success."

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian
Newspapers 2008Published: 9/8/2007

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Robson Lands a Triple Whammy

Robson Lands a Triple Whammy
Charlton 0-3 Sheffield United

Bryan Robson was loth to admit that last Saturday's defeat by Plymouth was the worst display during his short reign at Sheffield United but last night he rushed straight to press room after this emphatic victory, only to find that only one journalist had been able to match

The manager's eagerness was understandable, for this success away to one of the Championship's promotion favorites was a triumph of Robson's tactics. Charlton's previously perfect November - four wins from four games and no goals conceded - has been born of Alan Pardew's decision to switch to a 4-5-1 formation, but Robson explained how he had devised a more than effective antidote

"I changed the system to match Charlton's five across the middle and the players reacted very well considering they hadn't had much time to prepare," said Robson, once the rest of the press pack had caught up with him. "James Beattie was particularly outstanding. When you play like that you need your center-forward to really work the line and he did just that, showing a real team

It was Beattie who opened the scoring, claiming his 12th goal of the season from a penalty after Jerome Thomas had brought down David Carney. Charlton had been dominant until then but, having fallen behind, they suddenly lost their swagger and allowed United to take the upper hand.

Pardew reverted to 4-4-2 for the second half and although his team applied serious pressure, forcing two wonderful saves from Paddy Kenny, they remained vulnerable to the counterattack.

A breakaway led to a Keith Gillespie corner that triggered chaos in the Charlton defence and allowed Gary Cahill to prod United further ahead from close-range. Another late counter led to Beattie shunning a chance to increase his own tally and instead he slipped a fine ball through to Chris Armstrong to make it 3-0

"Sheffield United have some great individuals but they have not really played as a team unit this season - until now," rued

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian Newspapers 2008

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
2Comments

Rooney Goes on the Rampage to Frighten the Life Out of Arsenal

Rooney Goes on the Rampage to Frighten the Life Out of Arsenal

Soccer: FA Cup: Manchester Utd 4-0 Arsenal. Wayne Rooney inspired Manchester United to a crushing victory over disappointing Arsenal at Old Trafford

Napoleon can hardly have retreated from Moscow with less dignity than Arsenal returned to London from Manchester. This drubbing exposed not only the team's inadequacy on the day in the face of a rampant United side who sensed miserable resistance almost from the kick-off, but also Arsène Wenger's tepid commitment to the FA Cup, whatever his ready-made complaints of depleted resources before and after.

His excuses were limp and unconvincing and did him and his team no great service when his normal candour would have been more appropriate.

This might have been United's easiest win of the season - in any competition - and Wayne Rooney was the man who inspired everyone from Nani, Anderson and Darren Fletcher marauding about up front, to a midfield whose command of territory and possession was almost total

It was an embarrassingly one-sided victory. What the margin and the manner of the win also showed was that, for all Arsenal's quality, United are stronger throughout their squad going into the business end of the season. The five-point deficit in the League all of a sudden looks more like a hill than a mountain. As Sir Alex Ferguson pointed out, with some glee, it has to be said: 'Arsenal will know when they come here [on the weekend of 12-13 April], they are in for a game.'

Wenger, meanwhile, could offer no more than platitudes. 'Positive points are difficult to find today,' he said in that gnomic way of his that falls between irony and mischief. 'The only one I can see is there are not more injuries than before the game. We need to pick ourselves up quickly because we have a massive game on Wednesday night.' There you have it, of course. Arsenal play AC Milan at the Emirates in a Champions League fixture that so obviously means more to the club than the oldest Cup competition in football. Is that right or wrong?

Tell it to Rooney. The wild young man has matured into a player of manic commitment to the cause - in stark contrast to some of the truly awful football offered up by Arsenal's admittedly injury-hit squad. Wenger sought solace in the state of the pitch, which he described as 'a disgrace'. Nor was he convinced about the sending-off of Emmanuel Eboué after he had all but cut Patrice Evra in half in an aerial assault in the 49th minute that would have done the Red Baron proud.

But all that disguises the reality. United wanted this (Ferguson's 100th Cup tie) - even with Cristiano Ronaldo rugged up in the stands and Paul Scholes, Louis Saha, John O'Shea and Carlos Tevez on the bench. In Wenger's defence, his benched stars, Gaël Clichy, Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Adabeyor, were injured - although the latter two will face Milan.

It was a bigger humiliation even than Arsenal's 5-1 defeat to Tottenham in the Carling Cup last month. And United's comeback after drawing with Spurs and losing to Manchester City last weekend nailed suspicions of the infamous 'blip' so feared by Ferguson at this stage of the season. They are in the rudest of health, full of running and class.

'It was a marvellous performance,' Ferguson said. 'We passed really well and not many teams will beat Arsenal 4-0.'

Rooney started it and, had he been allowed to finish (United, too, have European commitments coming up, away to Lyon, who lost 1-0 at Le Mans yesterday), he would have ended the rout, too.

Apart from an early chance for Nicklas Bendtner, who had one-twoed neatly with Cesc Fábregas, there was not a moment when Arsenal were properly in the game.

Once United struck, it was horribly one-sided. Rooney, palely loitering, leapt at just the right time in the 16th minute to accept Anderson's simple nod forward, unchallenged, and popped it past the bemused Jens Lehmann.


Moments later, Fletcher went aerial, too, to post the simplest of goals from the simplest of crosses from Nani and Arsenal looked shattered. They would have been utterly devastated only a minute later had Rooney's header from Park Ji-Sung's lifted cross on the right not skimmed inches over.

Wenger was still remonstrating with a touchline official about some perceived wrong from several minutes earlier when United hit them with a third knockout blow, Nani leaving Lehmann for dead with a left-foot shot that snuck under him and into the far right corner.

By now Park and Nani were up alongside Rooney most of the time, so confident were United. They were playing with a freedom and energy that simply blew Arsenal away. When the Gunners returned a minute late after the half-time break, derision and mickey-taking filled the stadium. 'They've given up!' went the cry. They just about had.

Rio Ferdinand was booked as the commitment levels remained extraordinarily high and there was a hunger about United that allowed for no mercy. You had only to look at the expressions on their faces to see how Ferguson was loving it - and how Wenger was mentally curling up into a little ball. Park, perhaps not believing his luck, fluffed a chance near the hour, as his flailing boot failed to connect with Nani's glorious long cross.

Fletcher's commitment earned him a yellow card, but he rubbed in United's dominance with a straightforward header from Nani's cross with 16 minutes to go - and, at the other end, Adebayor was booked for diving.

When the end came, it was blessed relief for Arsenal and interruption to the fun for Manchester United. It was one of those wins that the victors can find tough to enjoy - because there was simply nothing coming back the other way.

Man of the match - Wayne Rooney
In a game so one-sided, invariably the
winners have players everywhere who
excel. But the most obvious candidate
takes the honour: Rooney. He scored, he
might have scored again and again, and he
ran like the demented youth he is often
perceived to be.

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian Newspapers 2008

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

I've Got Better Under Mcclaren, Says Gerrard

I've Got Better Under Mcclaren, Says Gerrard

Soccer: Steven Gerrard has said this could become the best England team he has played in.

For almost a year it had looked as if the current set of England players might make history by being the first to miss out on a major tournament since the bunch that failed to reach the 1994 World Cup. Such disgrace is still possible, but Saturday's 3-0 win over Israel has given Steven Gerrard the right to be hopeful. He argues that "if this team clicks" it will have "more quality" than he has known in seven years as an international.

Self-belief is needed if England are to beat Russia tomorrow and so edge into one of the Euro 2008 qualifying slots in Group E. It is 11 months since the side have felt buoyant. Glumness descended in the goalless draw with Macedonia at Old Trafford, a more deplorable result than the defeat to Croatia in Zagreb four days later.

Were Gerrard to foresee glory, medical attention would switch from his fractured toe to a suspected mental fragility. The country has had its fill of golden- generation rhetoric. "I know it's cheap talk," he admitted after dwelling on what could be achieved. "But it's obvious when I'm training with these players and playing with them. We've got to be better. We've underachieved of late. We need to deliver for this country.

"Obviously I want to play and be selfish, but a team plays well when there's pressure from behind the starting 11. It's getting to the stage where there's two or three people fighting for each position, so the people that are starting have got to perform to a certain level to stay in the team."

He has reasons to relish any challenge at present. He is captain of an upgraded Liverpool line-up that may compete for the Premier League title and the injured toe is ceasing to be a worry, even if the medical staff are telling him to expect the odd "ache and pain".

It is, of course, the resources at Anfield and elsewhere which give the Premier League its profile and, despite the fact that it is often the foreigners who bring lustre to football in this country, a victory over Steve McClaren's side is highly prized. "They're desperate to beat England," said Gerrard. "It's easy to say we're good and we're going to be good, but we have to prove it."

His claims for the merits of the squad mean he is forced to argue that getting to the quarter-finals in each of the past three major tournaments "isn't good enough". The narrow aspiration of overcoming Guus Hiddink's side tomorrow evening could seem a taxing ambition all by itself, but there were aspects to Saturday's victory that were heartening.

Injuries and a suspension had their normal input into the planning of an England manager but McClaren's line-up did not act as if it had been stitched together out of remnants. The display was tailored impeccably, with Gerrard and Gareth Barry looking like a long-established partnership in central midfield.
"The secret," said the Liverpool player, "is that we've known each other for a long time, from the Euros in 2000, and we're good friends off the pitch. So the communication was there from the off. The balance was right because he's left-footed and I'm a right-footer. It just seemed to work. We'd only worked on it for a couple of days before the game."

Barry will not now have to stand down tomorrow since Owen Hargreaves is injured. Emile Heskey's place may go to a returning Peter Crouch, but the struggle to make the line-up is one that has to be relished.

Although no one has ever ousted Gerrard, he feels that he has enjoyed a more favorable setting in the past six months. In a curious way, matters took a turn for the better on a horrible night against Andorra in Barcelona. With Frank Lampard injured, Gerrard was put in central midfield and he has not had to budge since.

"The manager's been great with me," he said. "He wants me to express myself in the way I do for Liverpool and I feel my performances have improved under Steve."

The traveling England support had been hostile even before kick-off in that away fixture with Andorra, which was goalless at the interval. It was, perhaps, the crucial moment in Group E.

"Believe it or not, I think the Andorra game was probably one of my hardest internationals," said Gerrard. "The crowd were right on us early doors and the team weren't playing well. We found it hard to break down a team who, with all due respect, we should be walking all over.

"There was a big rallying call from the manager but also from the leading players. It was difficult at half-time knowing it was 0-0 and it was a big three points that we needed. Teams need to go through situations like that to improve and move forward and we are definitely a lot stronger from that."

Gerrard, with two goals in the eventual 3-0 victory, was the largest part of the answer. Yesterday he had the luxury of reflecting on the merits of the two candidates for the place beside Michael Owen tomorrow, weighing Heskey's power against Crouch's "slightly better technique". Russia will give England more than that to think about, but it is healthy that England can once again be optimistic in public.

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian Newspapers 2008

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments

Ljungberg Cites Henry Sale As Key to Leaving Arsenal

Ljungberg Cites Henry Sale As Key to Leaving Arsenal

Soccer: Freddie Ljungberg says it was Thierry Henry leaving Arsenal, and not his own lack of va-va-voom, that persuaded him to leave the Emirates.

Freddie Ljungberg's decision to quit Arsenal for West Ham was prompted by the loss of Thierry Henry to Barcelona and his disappointment at the club's failure to sign "top players".

Ljungberg moved across the capital yesterday on a three-year contract that could ultimately cost the Hammers £3m. But the 30-year-old Sweden captain claimed it was Henry's decision to leave the north London club that had a direct bearing on his own future.

"When Thierry left it felt like the end," said Ljungberg, who was the Gunners' longest-serving current player. "I had a lot of clubs in for me in the summer but always stayed loyal. But I felt it was the right time to go. When I signed my last contract two years ago we talked about the future, building a new stadium and bringing in top players, but it didn't really happen.

"I felt like all the unbeaten players [from Arsenal's "Invincibles" of 2003-04] had left. Of course the decision tugged at my heart strings because I had been at Arsenal almost 10 years. It was a big thing for me. I felt Arsenal had let a lot of players go. When Thierry left I felt it was time for me to do something different and challenging."

But Ljungberg also claimed the uncertainty left hanging over the club by the departure of the vice-chairman, David Dein, also made it an anxious time for all the players at Arsenal. "Of course it is a big thing in Arsenal and in the last couple of months with David Dein leaving, it's not been easy as a player," he said. "Maybe Arsène Wenger will have to do a lot more work because David Dein has left."

Ljungberg said the Hammers' chairman, Eggert Magnusson, had been instrumental in luring him to Upton Park. "I'm coming here because I want to build a great team. And why I want to join is because of Magnusson. He wants to bring them forward to be top of the country.

"He's willing to go to the transfer market to buy top players and mix them with youth players. West Ham have a great academy. He wants to help take the club up and take them to the top in England. It's a big challenge for me."

Magnusson said: "He is a great player and not only that but captain of Sweden. He is a player we are very excited to have in West Ham's colors." He added that he was ready to spend more to strengthen the squad further. "If great players are available, we are always looking to make our team better," he said. "We have an open wallet if there are great players around."

West Ham's manager, Alan Curbishley, was delighted with his latest acquisition who follows Craig Bellamy from Liverpool, Scott Parker from Newcastle and the now-injured Julien Faubert from Bordeaux.

"It's the right time for Freddie to come here, " said Curbishley. "He's been at Arsenal for almost 10 years - it's a long while. He needs a challenge and I think we are the right club for him. He brings a few things, Champions League experience, captain of Sweden, he's versatile. There's a hunger there. He wants to come and push West Ham on and be partly responsible for that. He understands the passion of the club and the passion of the fans and I'm sure he'll be a big hit here."

The midfielder played 325 times for Arsenal, scoring 72 goals, but lost his grip on a starting spot last season. Nevertheless, said Ljungberg, Wenger had tried to persuade him to stay. Arsenal's manager said: "Freddie's contribution to Arsenal was absolutely outstanding. His performances over the past nine seasons have been a major part of the club's successes during this time, especially in our 2002 'double' year when he scored and created so many goals from midfield."

Meanwhile, Fifa lawyers were last night considering whether it is their responsibility to rule on Carlos Tevez's proposed transfer from West Ham to Manchester United after a presentation by Premier League and Football Association officials yesterday.

The league's general secretary, Mike Foster, and the FA's director of corporate affairs, Simon Johnson, are understood to have recommended that the issue be settled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport but accepted that first Fifa must decide whether it has jurisdiction.

It is not a simple matter to resolve for Fifa, which unlike the Premier League and the FA has no rules preventing third-party influence over player contracts. However, it is hoped by all parties that a decision may be reached today over where to refer the case.

By Guardian Unlimited © Copyright Guardian Newspapers 2008

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
0Comments