Sunday, March 11, 2012
Norwich rival Arsenal for DC United star Andy Najar
Saturday, March 10, 2012
West Brom boss Hodgson silent on England interest
West Bromwich Albion boss Roy Hodgson is tightlipped on the England job.
history of football history of soccer history of soccer timeline
Sports News: Ennis happy ahead of Olympics
Jessica Ennis insists she is in a great position ahead of this summer's Olympic Games, despite the "awful moment" when she realised she had lost a second world title in the space of seven months.
college football college football lines college football picks
Portsmouth back in rehab but sympathy for overindulgence wears thin | Jeremy Alexander
Pompey's descent from princes to paupers finds pity in short supply at budget-minded clubs like Barnsley
Portsmouth have long run out of credit. Now they are straining the wells of goodwill in the game. After Barnsley beat them 2-0 at Oakwell the home manager, Keith Hill, was asked whether he had any sympathy for Pompey. "Absolutely none," he said, "because they've recruited players I couldn't afford and are paying wages I could only dream about paying. They are spending money they haven't got, so why should I have sympathy? For Michael Appleton, yes, the players and supporters, yes. But for what the club are doing, no."
Appleton had no idea what lay ahead when he took his first managerial job in October. In November the owner for six months, the Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov, resigned as his company, Convers Sports Initiatives, went into administration. Portsmouth followed suit on Friday, for the second time in two years.
In 2010 the nine points docked effectively guaranteed their exit from the Premier League, where they had spent seven seasons and more money than they had. The 10 deducted last week sent them from 18th to 21st in the Championship. Nottingham Forest's Saturday win made that 22nd. Pompey have not been in the third tier since 1983. They have 15 games in which to preserve their status and a lot of work to do to restore a proud name.
They are not alone in taking advantage of the special relationship football has forged with finance. Pompey seem happy to drop into administration as others do into a rehab centre, then return there a few owners later. The "football creditors rule" means that, in cases of insolvency, debts to players and other clubs are prioritised; HMRC can wait, though they did win an appeal against the same administrators being re-engaged. Trevor Birch, former chief executive of Chelsea and Leeds, will front the administration for the firm PKF. "I'm used to dealing with clubs in crisis; 30% of the clubs in the Championship are paying wages in excess of 100% of turnover," he said. "The intention is to sell the club as a going concern. Hitherto someone has always come out of the woodwork to buy football clubs." Craig Davies hit Pompey's bar early on but no one came to the rescue.
Though they have the smallest squad in the division, at 19, many are on Premier League wages with Premier League experience, notably in defence, and they held on until the last 15 minutes. Until funds were released through administration they claimed not to have the wherewithal to travel or the minimum 14 players to fulfil the fixture. Having hunted for a copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Championship, they went by coach rather than air and left the bench two-fifths empty. Stools would have done. And this was a club that won the Cup in 2008 ? in hindsight maybe under false pretences.
Last week they could not afford to scan Liam Lawrence's injured calf. On Friday they re-loaned George Thorne, who had returned to West Brom. Three players started with injuries; one substitute was a goalkeeper. Dave Kitson's dismissal for a second yellow card before half-time did not help. Appleton could fairly have given them a "heads down" but, until they ran out of markers to let Jim O'Brien break the deadlock, they held out with a poise that did not flatter Barnsley. Matt Done's breakaway second came with all defenders up for a free-kick.
David Lampitt, who has run Pompey between administrations as chief executive, paid tribute to "everyone who had kept the club going despite not being paid since Christmas". He previously ran the Football Association's compliance unit. Pompey had 618 fans at Oakwell and most have had enough of him. "All we want is the right owner to secure long-term sustainability," said one, Tony Goodall.
Appleton, a model of wry philosophy, said he could not fine Kitson as he had not been paid. "I try to control what I can control," he said. "Hopefully the Football League show sense and let us get players in or other clubs could start complaining. All we want is a level playing field." That was Hill's point: level for Pompey may not be level for others. And that presumably would be the Football League that saw Antonov as fit and proper.
interesting soccer facts mexican soccer pictures origin of soccer
Racing Santander - Barcelona Preview: Catalan giants look to keep faint title hopes alive with victory at El Sardinero
Pep Guardiola's side could be 13 points adrift of Real Madrid by the time they resume their pursuit of the league leaders away to the struggling Cantabrian outfit on Sunday
Friday, March 9, 2012
Karim Benzema / Benzema returns from injury for Real Madrid (Reuters)
Read more Karim Benzema news
Sports News: England expected to retain starting XV
Interim head coach Stuart Lancaster will confirm the England team to play France in Sunday's RBS 6 Nations encounter in Paris on Friday morning, and he looks set to keep changes to a minimum.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
L?ancien espoir de l?OM Ahmed Yahiaoui refait surface
Jol wants Fulham to push for sixth
Fulham boss Martin Jol is urging his players to kick on and go after sixth spot on the Premier League table.
 |  |
| |
 |  |
| |
| |
Man Utd boss Ferguson admits admiration for Athletic Bilbao striker Llorente
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his admiration for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
POTD: Guess the Quote
Sam is on Twitter. There aren't any aliens in his ears, either.
What The Preseason Has Taught Us
Blackburn Rovers 1 Aston Villa 1: Like playing a pub team for 45 minutes and we still don't win
This was most definitely a game of two halves. In the first, Blackburn were so poor, they actually made us look good. Honestly, this isn't me trying to take something away from the players today, but Blackburn were poor and we must have had 70% possession.
And we had so much space and time and only scored once. This is exactly the reason why Alex McLeish has to be removed from his post. He doesn't know how to send out a team to attack and create chances and win games. I'll prove it below too!
michigan football recruiting michigan football roster michigan football schedule
Arsenal boss Wenger heaps praise on Oxlade-Chamberlain: He made things happen
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was delighted with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's performance in victory over AC Milan.
| |
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
In Case You Forgot About AFCON?
This is not your prawn sandwich brigade. It’s more like a carnival crossed with a drag show dashed with a touch of Japanese game show. Which makes the stands equally as watchable as the happenings on the pitch – if not more so.
And I’m fairly [...]
Manchester United Beats Tottenham 3-1: 5 Things Learned from Sunday's Match
Manchester United kept up the pace with Manchester City as they pulled within two points if the leaders after beating Tottenham 3-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
The first half was an even affair when Louis Saha thought he had put his side on top. However, replays showed that referee Martin Atkinson made the right call as the ball deflected off Adebayor’s hand.
As he has done so many times in his fabulous career, Wayne Rooney stepped up right before the break and headed home a free kick to give the Red Devil’s the lead going into the half.
It was more of the same in the second as again Spurs were caught off guard by a quick restart. A throw-in caught the hosts out as Nani was able to put a low hard cross to Ashley Young who volleyed in for the second goal and a 2-0 cushion.
Young would make it all United 10 minutes later as his curling shot beat Brad Friedel to the corner and made it all, but officially over.
Jermaine Defoe would grab one back on a Ryan Giggs misplaced pass, but it was only consolation.
Here are five things learned from the match.
college football polls college football rankings college football schedule
Football League: your thoughts | Scott Murray
Reading keep on truckin', Wednesday begin life post-Megson with a goalless draw, and Swindon melt down at Oxford
? Reading continue to be the form horse in the Championship. Brian McDermott's side sealed their sixth win on the bounce with a 2-1 victory at Millwall. Andy Keogh gave the home side a 16th-minute lead, but Hal Robson-Kanu equalised shortly after half time, and Adam Le Fondre scored the winner with 14 minutes remaining. There was a hint of controversy about the goal; Le Fondre, offside at the start of the move, rejoined play in its second phase. The win moves Reading to within a point of second-placed West Ham United, who visit Cardiff City on Sunday.
? Reading's comeback was eclipsed by that of Watford, who were 2-0 down at home to Burnley, Jay Rodriguez scoring for the Clarets just before half time, Nyron Nosworthy putting through his own net just after it. But Nosworthy made amends almost immediately, grabbing a goal at the right end, before Alexander Kacaniklic and Troy Deeney hit a quickfire double to turn the match around.
? Middlesbrough moved back into the play-off places with a solid 3-1 win at crisis-hit Portsmouth. Barry Robson's penalty on 56 minutes set Boro on their way, Matthew Bates and Marvin Emnes also scoring; Greg Halford's penalty for Pompey wasn't much of a consolation, while Rhys Williams' late dismissal made no odds whatsoever.
? Birmingham City lost their unbeaten home league record to Nottingham Forest last week, and looked like rebounding well against Derby County, Erik Huseklepp and Marlon King putting Chris Hughton's side 2-0 up. But Derby replied with two goals in five second-half minutes from Steven Davies and Theo Robinson.
? At the bottom, a late El-Hadji Diouf penalty earned a draw for Doncaster at home to Brighton, cancelling out Craig Mackail-Smith's first-half strike. Rovers are now level on points with Portsmouth. Coventry, who went down 2-0 at Leicester, David Nugent and Jermaine Beckford with the goals at the King Power Stadium, complete the bottom three.
League One
? All eyes on Sheffield Wednesday, who preposterously sacked Gary Megson during the week. His replacement Dave Jones started out with a goalless draw at struggling Rochdale.
? Wednesday hearts will have been raised by events at Bramall Lane, however: Sheffield United went in at the break 2-0 up against Oldham, Matthew Lowton and Ched Evans the scorers. But Lowton would end the day the villain, not the hero. He was sent off for a late challenge on James Wesolowski midway through the second half with the score 2-1, Richard Cresswell having already put through his own net. Oldham almost immediately equalised through Kieran Lee, and after Harry Maguire collected United's second red card of the day, former Wednesday star Shefki Kuqi converted a last-minute penalty.
? Two first-half goals from Scotland striker Jordan Rhodes helped Huddersfield on their way to a three-goal lead at Bury by the 29-minute mark, and took his personal season's total to 30 from 28 games, a remarkable stat. But Steven Schumacher pulled a goal back almost immediately, and an equally remarkable comeback was on. Lenell John-Lewis made it 2-3 on 70 minutes, before Ashley Eastham grabbed the equaliser for Bury deep into injury time.
League Two
? Expect some entertaining/idiosyncratic/tiresome (delete according to preference) press conference action starring Paolo Di Canio. His Swindon team went down 2-0 at Thames Valley arch-rivals Oxford United. Asa Hall and Oli Johnson were the heroes for Oxford, who consolidate their position in the play-offs. All galling enough for Swindon, without the added insult of playing against ten men for 79 minutes, Oxford striker James Constable getting his marching orders at the Kassam early doors.
? Swindon's four-point lead at the top of the table was cut by a point, thanks to Cheltenham's late comeback at home to Northampton. The Cobblers were two goals to the good through Brett Williams and Adebayo Akinfenwa, but a Daryl Duffy penalty on 70 minutes reduced the arrears, and they were wiped out deep into added time by the same player.
? Rock-bottom Northampton will be doubly - nay, trebly - sick, as the two teams directly above them both won. Dagenham & Redbridge beat Bradford at home by a single Matthew Saunders goal, while Hereford did for AFC Wimbledon 2-1, Lyle Taylor and Tom Barkhuizen their men on the scoresheet.
Celtic: Winning their way
23 points. Maybe only for a few hours having played a couple of games more. But 23 points?
At one stage this season, with similar quirks of TV scheduling handicapping them, they found themselves 15 points behind Rangers.
Quite a turnaround. If David Cameron had pulled off a swing like that he wouldn't have to keep inviting Nick Clegg round to Downing Street for sherry and uncomfortable chit-chat.
No, it's been a remarkable couple of months for Celtic.
"But wait," cry some. "If Rangers hadn't been docked ten points things wouldn't be so simple."
True. If Rangers hadn't been docked 10 points what is currently a 35 point turnaround would only be a 25 point turnaround.
Ignore for a minute the problems at Rangers and appreciate just how Neil Lennon has transformed a season that looked - at 3-0 down to Kilmarnock on 15 October - like it was spiralling towards disaster for Celtic and a sacking for their manager.
Celtic haven't lost to domestic opposition in the 23 league and cup games since their Rugby Park comeback. Only Hibs have stopped them scoring in the SPL, only Atletico Madrid have beaten them in all competitions.
This isn't just a team doing the sensible thing and making the most of their main opponent's weakness. This is a team breaking records, focussing on a treble and smashing their way past the opposition.
It's a remarkable run that doesn't deserve any addendum about rivals reaping the bitter harvest of their own folly.
As Scott Johnston pointed out on thefootyblog.net this week, Kilmarnock have played a role in this SPL. They've beaten Rangers home and away.
They looked to have Celtic beaten. But Celtic found something, they came back, they got a draw. That was the platform they needed, proof - maybe for themselves as much as anyone else - that here was a team equipped to cope, a team to survive and a team to thrive.
What of the manager? There were those - and, yes, I might have been among them - who thought that Lennon would struggle to guide Celtic to the points total that so nearly won them the title last season.
Yet with nine games to go Celtic are just 18 points off that total. They look likely to surpass it.
Last year Lennon was forced to serve an apprenticeship with Walter Smith masterminding things at Ibrox. He was also, horribly, at the centre of the storm as the mindless and the bigoted were gripped by hysteria.
He came through. He didn't win the title but he must have proved to himself that it was within his reach and that he had the strength of character to grasp the opportunities that come with the pressures of such a strangely exposed job.
This season he has survived that period of patchy form. He's survived the problems in defence that provided those of us who don't support Celtic with such merriment.
He's coaxed improvement from players - Scott Brown returning to form, Charlie Mulgrew becoming an international, the constant demands and challenges that are helping the easily distracted Anthony Stokes keep his focus and many other examples - and he's cured a failing of the past. This Celtic team can win even when they're not at their best.
What is their best? These things are relative. By their own admission Celtic aren't in the business of competing with the very best these days. But they're better, by a distance, than any of their regular opponents.
And it's a team stuffed full of potential. The realisation on the pitch of Celtic's revised ambitions as a footballing business.
I've seen them recover from a half time deficit to win 4-1 at Easter Road. And I've seen them blow Hibs away in a 5-0 thumping in the league.
Hibs were not at their own, I'll use the word advisedly, best in that 5-0 defeat. But Celtic played with a confidence and a clinical efficiency that was much improved on their perfunctory 2-0 win at Easter Road on the opening day of the season.
A team learning and improving. And a manager learning and improving with them.
The result of that is going to be a title. Perhaps even a treble.
He might not be speak about trophies not yet won but this league title is one that Neil Lennon will relish.
And one that he and his team deserve on their own merits.
Like this? Like the Scottish Football Blog on Facebook.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Ledley King / Tottenham skipper King admits they need to snap poor form
Read more Ledley King news
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United: Preview, Live Stream, Start Time & More
Tottenham may have lost their chance at winning the Premier League last weekend when they lost 5-2 to Arsenal, but the London club has little time to dwell on that defeat, as they host Manchester United on Sunday.
Spurs blew a 2-0 lead at the Emirates on Sunday and cost themselves a chance to remain in the title race. If they want any chance at hosting the league trophy at all this season, then they must defeat United at White Hart Lane this week.
United is chasing yet another league title and saved themselves from dropping points last weekend when Ryan Giggs scored a late winner to defeat Norwich. The Red Devils are currently two points behind crosstown rivals Manchester City for the league lead.
Let's look at everything you need to know about this awesome English matchup of massive importance to both clubs.
Where: White Hart Lane, London, England
Watch: Fox Soccer, Sky Sports HD1
Live Stream: Sky Sports
When: Sunday, March 4 at 11:10 ET
Most Important Player to Watch: Gareth Bale, Tottenham
UPDATE: Sunday, March 4 at 11:02 a.m. ET
According to Soccernet, Gareth Bale will not play for Tottenham against Manchester United.
Gareth Bale misses out for Tottenham today. Big blow.
— Dale Johnson (@dalejohnsonESPN) March 4, 2012
Tottenham winger Gareth Bale must play better against Manchester United than he did against Arsenal because the Welshman is a fantastic talent that ignite the Spurs attack when he's playing with energy and passion.
Bale needs to use his pace to wreak havoc on the wings and fire some quality crosses into the box so Spurs forwards such as Emmanuel Adebayor can send them to the back of the net.
If Bale struggles on Sunday, Spurs will have a difficult time defeating United.
Key Matchup: Battle on the wings
Whoever dominates the wings in this match will have the best chance for victory. United need Ashley Young to create scoring chances from the wing, and Tottenham need Bale to do the same for them.
Defending the flanks will also be massively important, and it's something Spurs failed at versus Arsenal. They allowed Theo Walcott to have too many quality scoring chances in the second half last weekend, and if they are that poor defensively against United, Spurs will lose.
What They're Saying
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson thought his side was lucky to escape Norwich with all three points this past weekend, saying via Soccernet:
"I have to say we were lucky today, in the sense Norwich had more promise about them. I thought we were lethargic, too casual on the ball. Then when we lost the goal, we played brilliantly," Ferguson said on MUTV. "That tells you something about the temperament - they do not get nervous and started to up their game, so that augers well for us."
Prediction: Manchester United win 3-2
Manchester United is so good at finding ways to win in the Premier League, and against top clubs this season, they have played quite well.
In league play this season, the only top-five club to have defeated United thus far is Manchester City. United is unbeaten against Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Without Scott Parker, who will not face United because of a red card suspension, the Spurs midfield will not be able to create enough quality scoring chances to defeat the Red Devils.
Manchester United will win this match in a close battle that will be won late in the second half.
Read more Manchester United news on BleacherReport.com
Sunderland defender O'Shea: Positives to come from derby draw
Sunderland defender John O'Shea says there were positives to come from their draw at Newcastle United.
| |
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Football League: your thoughts
Reading stake their claim for automatic promotion, Simon Grayson makes a winning start, Swindon's run continues
Championship
With the toughest run-in of the leading Championship sides, West Ham are by no means promotion shoo-ins despite their stellar squad. The Hammers' lost top spot today after being held to a goalless draw at home by Crystal Palace, while title rivals Southampton beat Watford 3-0 at Vicarage thanks to a hattrick from Rickie Lambert.
By winning a new contract at Reading this week, Brian McDermott proved that he has the political nous to go with his managerial skills - take out the play-off hangover that was the first six games of the season and the Royals would be top. Noel Hunt scrambled Reading in front, Ian Harte scored a second, and the Royal's miserly defence - marshalled by the excellent Kaspars Gorkss - held firm to eke out only their third win at Boro since 1927. McDermott's men moved up to third as Birmingham suffered a surprise 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. Struggling Millwall recorded an equally impressive victory by beating in-form Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor, while Blackpool - the team with the easiest run-in - moved up to fourth by winning 3-1 at Bristol City.
League one
Simon Grayson made a winning start as Huddersfield boss, as the Terriers beat a tidy Exeter City side 2-0 at the Galpharm thanks to a thumping header from Jamie McCombe and Jordan Rhodes' 30th goal of the season. The three points move Town above Sheffield Wednesday into third and put pressure on second-place Sheffield United ahead of Sunday's Steel City derby. League leaders Charlton's 2-0 win against Stevenage makes it seem ever more likely that the three Yorkshire clubs will be competing for the one remaining automatic promotion slot.
Looking further down the table, Carlisle's play-off hopes were boosted by a 3-2 win over improving Yeovil. Bournemouth slipped further back after losing 1-0 at home to play-off rivals MK Dons. Since celebrating the signing of his new contract by signing striker Matt Tubbs for a reputed �800,000, goals and points have dried up for Cherries boss Lee Bradbury.
League One result of the day saw Wycombe move off the bottom of the table by thrashing Hartlepool 5-0, Stuart Beavon and Charlton loanee Paul Hayes netted a brace apiece.
League Two
For all the jibes about the 'Di Canio Circus', leaders Swindon Town went into their match against Accrington looking to record their ninth win in a row. It turned out to be a routine victory with veteran striker Paul Benson scoring the goals against a Stanley side that are suffering a torrid time under new manager Paul Cook. Elsewhere Swindon's title rivals had a mixed day: Cheltenham beat Burton Albion 2-0 while Southend lost 1-0 at Morecambe. Crawley travel to Shrewsbury on Monday.
At the foot of the table, 72nd played 69th as Dagenham & Redbridge travelled to Plymouth Argyle. Had the Pilgrims won they would have moved six points clear of the drop, as it was, the teams served up a turgid 0-0 draw. Instead, goals and entertainment was on offer at Aldershot, whose 4-1 win over Barnet was their fifth in a row, and at Crewe, who played out a ding-dong 3-3 draw with Wimbledon.
For all today's results click here and find out the latest standings here.
history of soccer history of soccer timeline interesting soccer facts
Taarabt to stay with QPR in Premier League
Taarabt to stay with QPR in Premier League
LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) - Playmaker Adel Taarabt will play in the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers next season despite media reports linking him with a move to Paris St Germain, the club's owners said on Saturday.
"We rebuffed all approaches and indeed, we are keen to build for the future...and not sell one of our prized assets," said Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore in a statement on the club's website (www.qpr.co.uk).
"Our decision not to sell him only serves to reiterate the ambition and commitment we have both shown to QPR since we arrived here."
Moroccan international Taarabt attracted the interest of French Ligue 1 club PSG, who made an estimated offer of around nine million pounds ($14,680,455.420), after his key role in helping QPR win promotion last season.
Outspoken QPR manager Neil Warnock, who has described the 22-year-old as "talented, exciting and frustrating," will stay on at the club after a discussion on the future with the owners.
"We are aware of some issues that have been raised in the press by the coach, but we have discussed these with him internally and he has agreed to be more reserved in terms of what he discusses in the future," added the statement.
The owners said they aimed to add Welsh international defender Danny Gabbidon to the squad after a trial as well as one or two others.
Orlando Welcomes Garber With Clever Billboards
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Premier League says tour matches benefit Asian game
Premier League says tour matches benefit Asian game
HONG KONG, July 28 (Reuters) - English soccer clubs on pre-season Asian tours benefit the sport in the region rather than taking the shine off the local scene, the Premier League's chief spokesman said on Thursday.
"We're here and we're adding interest to the game, adding interest to football generally," Dan Johnson told Reuters in Hong Kong where a trio of top flight English clubs are competing with a local side for the Asia Trophy.
"This morning we were down at a big community festival with a load of coaches coaching young kids, coaching local coaches," he added.
"I think if you can leave a legacy there as well as generating interest in the game, that'll help develop the game here and we take that very seriously and all our clubs across the region take very seriously when they come to Asia."
Chelsea, Aston Villa and Blackburn are competing in the Asia Trophy with Hong Kong club Kitchee at the Hong Kong Stadium. Villa beat Blackburn 1-0 in their opening match while Chelsea on Wednesday thumped the locals 4-0.
The four team event held every two years is in its fifth edition, and is hugely popular in the region. More than two thirds of the 80,000 tickets were snapped up within five days.
Johnson said that despite the premier league growing globally, Asia remained a key market for the clubs.
"Traditionally Asia has always been one of the biggest markets for English football, there's a kind of expat thing going on with Hong Kong and Singapore, it's grown from there," said Johnson.
"Yes, the Premier League has grown across the globe, and teams are going to America and we're big in Africa but I think the passion and the knowledge and the understanding of fans in Hong Kong and the Asia region is still at that level up."
Johnson's thoughts were echoed by former Aston Villa player Ian Taylor.
"This is where the most growth is and obviously you can see with the likes of Chelsea, Blackburn, Liverpool and Manchester United all coming over, obviously they see it as a big, big part of their brand management," he said.
"So we're really enjoying it and branching out and letting people know that we're here. And all this really, really helps."
Taylor said he had been surprised by the enthusiastic reaction in Hong Kong. "There's a lot of expatriates, but also Chinese, they're so fanatical about the game as well. That surprised me.
"To see them turn out in numbers was a great, great thing."
Germany 1, France 2 - Casual Friendly - Germany Poor
I had the impression that Germany were more poor than France were good, but a victory away to Germany is always welcome.
Here's how we lined up:
Giroud
Ribery Nasri Valbuena
M'Vila Cabaye
Abidal Mexes Rami Debuchy
Lloris (C)
Lloris is the full-time captain now, which is no surprise, and he did well to keep Germany out at least a couple times.
The match was oddly casual, France's defenders deferred to Lloris on
history of soccer timeline interesting soccer facts mexican soccer pictures
Kuyt admits Liverpool happy place after Cup triumph
FA Cup likes this - live game to be shown on Facebook
FA Cup likes this - live game to be shown on Facebook
LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - An FA Cup qualifying round tie that would normally attract a crowd of about 90 people could boast a potential global audience of 700 million after an agreement was reached to broadcast Friday's match on the social networking site Facebook.
The extra-preliminary round fixture between Ascot United and Wembley will become the first match ever to be broadcast live on the site after a deal was struck between the Football Association and the competition's new main sponsors Budweiser.
Budweiser's marketing director Iain Newell said the company, who earlier this year signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the FA worth 24 million pounds ($39.4 million), were intent on taking soccer's oldest competition back to global pre-eminence, and at the same time, take it back to the fans.
"The FA Cup started 140 years ago this year and what better way to do demonstrate our commitment than by broadcasting the very first kick to a global audience via Facebook," Newell told Reuters.
"This is the first time any match has been broadcast live on the social network which is great news for fans and clubs alike."
The clubs, who play in suburban leagues at the lower end of the English soccer pyramid, will both be paid nominal broadcast fees for the match at the ground situated within the boundaries of the Ascot Racecourse and has a capacity of around 1,500.
Ascot chairman Mike Harrison told Reuters: "Naturally this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to the club.
"People talk of the FA Cup losing its gloss and that's true if Manchester City or Bolton Wanderers put out their reserve team to play a match.
"But the whole town is absolutely buzzing. We run 67 teams in all age groups and have 800 players on our books and are one of the biggest grass roots clubs in the country.
"We had 88 people for a league match last night, but might get 500 or even 800 for Friday's game. The fact millions more might well be watching on Facebook is astonishing. The whole place has gone bananas.
"The FA Cup has lost none of its magic as far as we are concerned. Not only that but the wife of our manager Jeff Lamb is expecting their first child on Friday. It promises to be quite a day."
An FA spokesman said other matches in the qualifying competition could also be shown on Facebook, but added: "There are no plans to do so yet, but it could happen up until the first round stage when the broadcasting contract between the FA, ITV and ESPN comes into operation."
($1 = 0.609 pounds)
Friday, March 2, 2012
Sergio / Roberto Mancini warns Real Madrid that Manchester City would not swap Sergio Aguero for Gonzalo Higuain
Read more Sergio news
Scotland's Greatest Players
They're on the lookout for the 100 greatest Scottish league players of all time.
That is the best players - of all nationalities - to have graced league football in Scotland over the decades.
I love a good list so I'm intrigued to see what the results are. Often these polls favour the Old Firm and the modern era but surely we've had characters enough over the years to come up with a richly varied list.
I've already made my choices but I'm not sharing them yet, we can all do without accusations of trying to influence the vote.
Mind you, if the abundant talents and unsurpassed league achievements of Gordon Smith are not recognised then hell mend you all.
You can vote for your Scottish league XI until February 29th
michigan football schedule michigan state football nfl football history
Sports News: Redknapp expects Bale to be fit
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has played down concerns over Gareth Bale's hamstring injury and is confident that the Welshman will be fit to play against Manchester United on Sunday.
college football polls college football rankings college football schedule
Manchester United Interested in Sevilla Defender Martin Caceres?
Rumours have emerged today that Manchester United and Tottenham could be set for a summer bidding war over Sevilla centre-back Martin Caceres.
The Uruguayan international has racked up 38 appearances for his country since his debut in 2007, and was a key player in his country's Copa America 2011 triumph. The 24-year-old is currently in his second loan spell at Italian side Juventus.
United have been a hive of defensive woes this season. Talisman Nemanja Vidic suffered a long term injury early in the season, and his teammates have struggled to keep strong in his absence. Particular criticism has been aimed at Jonny Evans, who fans believe should not be a first-team player, and Rio Ferdinand who has been deemed by some as past his peak.
Other minor injuries to players have unsettled United's back line, and communication has been a big issue among the defence.
Youngsters Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are not ready to take the reins of the club on their own yet, as they proved against Ajax in midweek, so an older and more established player could be a great addition to the back line.
Caceres is not the only centre-back to have been linked with the Red Devils in recent months. Mehdi Benatia of Udinese, Neven Subotic of Borussia Dortmund and Adil Rami of Valencia have also been linked to the Theatre of Dreams.
Despite being a natural centre-back, Caceres can play anywhere across the defence, and his strengths include his passing and dribbling. He's also been known to get the odd goal—on his re-debut for Juventus earlier this month, he scored both goals in their Coppa Italia win over AC Milan. Check out the goals from that match here—be sure to keep an eye out for his fantastic off-the-ball run for his first and his cheeky shot from outside of the box for his second.
Caceres' price is said to be around £11 million, which wouldn't be too much of a stumbling block for either United or Spurs.
Would you like to see Man United sign Martin Caceres in the summer window? Do you think United need another defender? Get your views heard in the comments.
Read more Manchester United news on BleacherReport.com
euro soccer results euro soccer schedule euro soccer standings