Pompey Play Kids

PORTSMOUTH manager Avram Grant is set to throw the Premier League into chaos by refusing to field his strongest side for the rest of the season.

The Portsmouth manager is furious his team have been condemned to play Championship football next term after being deducted nine points for going into administration.

Grant said, stuff the premier league, I will play my kids.

Fabulous Fulham

Fulham advanced to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after a superb performance saw them defy the odds to beat Juventus in one of the greatest nights in the club's history.

Sunderland Shearer

Alan Shearer offers Sport Relief a blank cheque rather than wear a Sunderland shirt!

John Terry Quizzed As Steward Hurt By Car

Police have questioned and breathalysed John Terry after the Chelsea captain knocked down a steward in his car.

Eyewitnesses said the steward, who police said suffered a broken leg, was caught under a wheel as he cleared a scrum of photographers and fans.

Cameras caught Terry leaving the scene - video below

My record is unbeatable

In the build up to this weeks Champions League clash between Chelsea and Inter, Jose Mourinho has been his unassuming modest self. The self proclaimed special one had a few messages for current blues boss Carlo Ancelotti, Ahead of the match, he claimed "Stamford Bridge is my fortress not yours. Everybody knows Mourinho doesn't lose at Stamford Bridge. My record is unbeatable. It is amazing - we were so strong for such a long time." You've got to love this guy.

Crouch Shares A Joke With A Little Ballboy

Football - The Beautiful Game

Or is it more akin to a school playground.

I remember my school days with fondness as the highlight of our academic day was the daily twenty a-side football match at lunch times. Full of dirty tackles, shoulder charging, verbals and the occasional boxing match, ah the good old days.

All good things have to come to an end, or do they? Well for the majority of us yes, although there is a minority group still living these halcyon days every day. This rarest of species are commonly known as Premier League Footballers.

After Hull City's recent hammering from Everton this week all was not well at their public park training ground as experienced pros Jimmy Bullard and Nick Barmby were involved in what can only be described as "a womens wrestling match" the bad feeling started when Barmby had a go at Bullard, calling him lazy.

"Bullard rolled up his sleeves and said 'Let's have it out then'.
"Barmby said 'Don't be so silly, grow up'.
"But Bullard pushed him and it all kicked off before the other players split them."

African Footballer of the Year

Congratulations to Didier Drogba who was named African Footballer of the Year on Thursday, beating Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Ghana's Michael Essien for the 2009 award.

Dreaded Vote Of Confidence

Real Madrid's Director General Jorge Valdano has publicly backed under fire boss Manuel Pellegrini following the Spanish clubs Champions League shock exit to Lyon. The dreaded vote of confidence, roughly translates as "as soon as we have a replacement coach lined up, your'e out the door".

Although sitting proudly on top of La Liga with only three defeats from twenty five games this season, the nine times European Champions have once again failed to progress past the last sixteen stage of Europe's elite competition.

Parallel this with the fact that Los Blancos are not the most patient club in the world when it comes to backing their managers, Pellegrini being the ninth different coach in seven years testifies to that.

The one saving grace that may save the Chilean his job is the fact that he is club president Florentino Perez's man, who feels his name would be tarnished if Pellegrini does not prove a success. By success I mean wrestling the Spanish title away from bitter rivals Barcelona, the only silverware that remains on offer after Real's humiliating 4-1 Copa del Rey exit at the hands of third division outfit Alcorcon.

I like Pellegrini, some of the football his team have played this season has been outstanding as was his Villarreal side he coached.

Let's hope for his sake the Bernabeu fans keep their white hankies in their pockets for a little while longer.

Falling

Police in central Europe have issued a warning to all football fans going to matches this weekend to be vigilant as reports have been flooding in of football players falling from the sky.

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England Spy Gate Revealed

Was last weeks security breach at the Englands team hotel the work of serial pranksters Tommy Dunn snr, Dunn jnr and Karl Power. The layabouts were spotted in and around the five-star Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire on the day in question.
Although the F.A are conducting their own investigation, they haven't been able to to uncover the identity of the spies.
A six hour long recording of the squad is now in the hands of a national newspaper.

Here's just a few of their escapades

The Dunns most recent wind up was only last week, when they posed as autograph hunters and asked John Terry to address it 'to Wayne' with a note saying 'sorry'.

Karl Power strolled on to the pitch at Munich's Olympic Stadium and took up position alongside Andy Cole for Manchester United's team photograph just before their Champions League match against Bayern.

The two muppets also sneaked onto the centre court at Wimbledon before a Tim Henman match in 2002.

The Spaniard, A Wanderer and The Death of a Club

Poor old Rafa Benitez is under so much pressure at Liverpool these days that his eyesight is starting to fail him, this disease is more commonly known as Arsene Wenger disorder.

Rafa defended Steven Gerrard following allegations the midfielder made a V-sign gesture towards the referee Andre Marriner during Liverpool's defeat to Wigan on Monday.

"Sometimes you move your fingers. It was nothing. We are not considering it, it was nothing," said Benítez.

Ahem

Other news this week, concerns "The Wandering Man" of International football Guus Hiddink. Still contracted to the Russian National side until May,Dutch National broadcaster NOS says that Guus Hiddink has agreed to coach Ivory Coast in this year's World Cup from 15 May to 15 July before then taking over as the head coach of Turkey in August! Does this guy ever take a break.

On a sad day for English football, Chester City F.C was wound up by a British court on Wednesday.

The club, based in northwest England, owed a total of 26,125 pounds to the British tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs.

Chester failed to field a team for their last two fixtures in the Blue Square Premier, English football's fifth-tier, and last month were booted out of the league.

Notable former players include Liverpool legend Ian Rush, ex-Arsenal defender Lee Dixon and one-time England striker Cyrille Regis.

Spokesman David Evans said: "125 years of history have been extinguished today but that's just the body of the club - its soul lives on.

R.I.P Chester City Football Club  

What The Duck !!!

Japan's Urawa Reds have declared war on a covert army of ducks that have been leaving their droppings and feathers all over the team's training pitch.

The country's best-supported side have launched "Project Eagle," which involves the use of falcons, to keep the web-footed invaders at bay.

"We have had problems with ducks for a while," Urawa's public relations chief Daisuke Maruyama said on Tuesday. "They leave their mess on the pitch.

"We've taken a number of measures to clean things up, including falcons and putting out cones on the pitch. The things you have to do sometimes!"

CELTIC - Christmas Is Cancelled

World's fattest footballers.

Brazilian footballer Ronaldo has acquired a new record - topping the list of the world's fattest footballers.

According to The Sun, Ronaldo tops this list because of his achievements in an over-sized body.

The double World Cup winner and three-times World Player of the Year has been tipping the scales for years now. Knee injuries have also not been kind to the former AC Milan striker but neither has his love of food, says the tabloid.

The other nine are as follows:

1. William Foulke (Chelsea)

2. Micky Quinn (Coventry)

3. Jan Molby (Denmark and Liverpool)

4. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary and Real Madrid)

5. Neville Southall (Wales and Everton)

6. Neil Ruddock (Tottenham Hotspurs)

7. Andy Reid (Ireland and Sunderland)

8. Tomas Brolin (Sweden and Leeds)

9. John Hartson (Wales)

John Terry Apology?

John Terry is tricked by autograph hunters to apologise to Wayne.

Battle of Santiago

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The Battle of Santiago is the name given to a particularly unsavoury and infamous football match during the 1962 World Cup Finals. It was a game played between hosts Chile and Italy on June 2, 1962 in Santiago.
The match was famously introduced by David Coleman as "the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game.

Footballers Bizarre Injuries

Footballers Bizarre Injuries

Barnsley's Darren Barnard slipped in a puddle of his new puppy's pee on the kitchen floor. The resulting knee ligament damage kept him out of action for five months.

The Scotland defender Kirk Broadfoot was inspecting two eggs he had just poached in his microwave when one of them blew up and squirted scalding hot water into his face.
The 25-year-old was treated at hospital for scalding to his cheek

SVEIN GRONDALEN: The Norway defender had to withdraw from an international during the 1970s after colliding with a moose while out jogging.

DAVE BEASANT: The veteran goalkeeper managed to rule himself out for eight weeks in 1993 when he dropped a bottle of salad cream on his foot, severing the tendon in his big toe.

Ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney dislocated his jaw shouting at his defenders during a game against Birmingham in 1975.

Arsenal substitute Perry Groves once knocked himself out on the ceiling of a dug-out after jumping up to celebrate a goal.

Servette midfielder Paulo Diogo decided to mark his goal against Schauffhausen in a 2004 Swiss league game by jumping into the crowd. Unfortunately, his wedding ring got caught on the fence and ripped off the top half of his finger. To add insult to injury, he also received a booking for excessive celebration.

In 2003, Darius Vassell attempted DIY surgery on a blood blister under the nail of his big toe using a power drill. The former Villa striker intended to drill through the nail in order to drain the wound, but he ended up picking up an infection and had to have half the nail removed.

Worst Home Support

And the winner of the worst home support goes to....... France.

During the recent two nil defeat to Spain at the Stade de France this week, some of the players were singled out and persistently jeered. Thierry Henry who readily admits he is not playing at the top of his form right now, partly due to the lack of games he has had in the previous few months at Barcelona after losing his place in the European Champions starting line up, was singled out by "Les Bleus" for the most ferocious abuse.

Henry is a man who is the all time leading goalscorer with 51 goals, has won the World Cup for them in 1998 and won the European Championships in 2000. What more do these so called fans want from him?

Henry said after the game "It's the same story as usual and it's not the first time I've experienced that kind of situation at the Stade de France," Henry told reporters.

"I understand people who were eager for us to play well against Spain and, when you don't play well, you have to expect being jeered at. I don't know if I deserved that but there is nothing I can do."

Stick to the egg chasing.

New Fifa Rankings

Strike Force England

Super sub Peter Crouch has given England manager Fabio Capello something to think about with his two goals against a good Egyptian side. Crouch has now scored twenty International goals in thirty seven appearances, an excellent return considering that he has came off the bench twenty times.



With only four months to go until the start of the World Cup Finals in South Africa does Capello know his best forward partnership? In the past England have been blessed with an amazing array of striking talent but can we say the same today? Lets take a closer look at this years hopefuls.

Wayne Rooney
The youngest player to ever represent England, a world class talent who is the countries most important attacking player, a certain starter. Caps: 58. Goals: 25.

Peter Crouch
A proven goalscorer at International level, Crouch as well as being able to find the net, he offers something different with his presence. Although he may need to play more games for his club in the next few months to challenge for an England starting role. Caps: 37. Goals: 20.

Jermain Defoe
Playing well for club and country this season, the Spurs man is a genuine contender for a World Cup starting berth. Full of pace, direct with an eye for goal. Caps: 39. Goals: 11

Emile Heskey
High level of International experience, having made his international debut against Hungary in 1999. Hasn't featured as much as he would have liked for Villa this season nor is he the most prolific striker in contention but he is a favourite of Capello. Caps: 57. Goals: 7

Gabriel Agbonlahor
A regular upfront for Aston Villa with a decent goal tally and pace to burn, possibly to inexperienced for a starting slot. Caps: 3. Goals: 0

Possible other hopefuls who could force their way into the managers plans might be Darren Bent, Carlton Cole or would it be fantasy football if I gave a mention for a certain Michael Owen Caps: 89. Goals: 40.
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I Love This Game Wooooo Hoooooooo

100 Million Pound Player

With the recent big money signings in football Kaka, Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic etc, it is only a matter of time before the 100 million pounds barrier is broken. My favourite would be Lionel Messi, if of course he was to leave Barcelona.

Here are some of the ground breaking transfers in football history, starting with the most expensive player Christiano Ronaldo.

2009 - £80 million - Cristiano Ronaldo. Man Utd to Real Madrid
2009 - £51 million - Kaka. AC Milann to Real Madrid
1999 - £32 million - Cristian Vieri. Lazio to Inter
1998 - £21 million - Denilson. Sao Paulo to Real Betis
1992 - £10 million - Jean Pierre Papin. Marsielle to AC Milan
1984 - £5 million - Diego Maradona. Barcelona to Napoli
1975 - £1 million - Giuseppe Savoldi. Bologna to Napoli
1968 - £500,000 - Pietro Anastasi. Varese to Juventus
1961 - £150,000 - Luis Suarez. Barcelona to Inter
1928 - £10,000 - David Jack. Bolton to Arsenal
1905 - £1,000 - Alf Common. Sunderland to Middlesbrough
1893 - £100 - Willie Groves. West Brom to Aston Villa

FIFA, Feruz and the new law

Is it possible that in the not so distant future the Scottish national team could consist entirely of players born outside of the country?

The chief executive of the Scottish Football Association Gordon Smith had been lobbying FIFA to utilise the new eligibility rule, agreed by the home nations, allows a player who was born in one country but spends at least five years of his education in another country to opt to be eligible for the latter.

With new manager Craig Levein compiling a definitive dossier of every player who may be eligible and stating he will be contacting every agent in the United Kingdom in a bid to assess who could be a future star for the country.

On 13 October 2009, Islam Feruz became the first player to use the new FIFA rule that meant despite being born in Somalia he could play for the Scotland Football team as he had been schooled in Scotland for the required five years.
Feruz, 15, came to Glasgow seven years ago with his mother and two younger sisters, seeking asylum because of violence between rival warlords.



While only 13 in 2008 he made his debut for Celtic under 19s and just under a year later he made his first team debut in the Tommy Burns Tribute Match. International honours soon followed and on 20 October 2009 Feruz made his international debut for Scotland's national under-17 football team against Cyprus U17s.

Feruz has been described as the best player of his generation by his youth coaches at Celtic and Scotland and he says “I have been very proud to live in Scotland. It’s a great country which is now my home and I will be proud to wear the Scotland jersey,”

Footballer of the Year

What a blast from the past this game is.
This was a classic for the Spectrum ZX, ahead of its time, I was addicted to it when I was eight.


Footballer of the Year sees you taking total control of the career of an aspiring striker with a Division 4 team, with the Footballer of the Year award the ultimate goal. You start with a small amount of money, which is used to buy goal cards; each of these sets you up a chance in a match. Up to three can be played in each game, making Hat-Tricks a possibility.

The action sequences involve studying a move plan on the chalkboard, then getting into the right position to execute the final shot. Fail to score enough goals and you may lose your place in the team; do especially well and you may gain a transfer up the league.


http://c64s.com/game/1332/footballer_of_the_year/