Crazy mind: 2009

Friday, July 3, 2009

Wimbledon 2009: Roddick beats Murray reaches final

Roddick won the battle of Andys as he dispatched home hope Murray in four sets to reach his third Wimbledon finals. The American who had got better after each match admitted that he played his best tennis and even jokingly said, "Even I can play a bit of tennis at times". His serving was immaculate and his powerful returns were too heavy for Murray. He fought back in the 3rd set to take it to tie breaker but again Roddick's booming serves saw him through and the 4th set also went to the tie break where Roddick did not even give a sniff and closed out the match. On Sunday he will face Roger Federer, whom he lost to in his previous two appearances in the finals at Wimbledon.

Football : Michael Owen joins Manchester United

Manchester United have signed Michael Owen on a two year contract.
Manchester United are said to have agreed terms with out of contract striker Michael Owen. And the player has arrived at Carrington, United's training ground to have a medical. United doctors have given OK to Owen's troublesome knee and have given the green signal for Sir Alex to go ahead with the signing. It has been a remarkable day for the former Liverpool star who at a stage had no takers other than Hull and the approach of Manchester United has come out of the blue. It must been a pleasant surprise for the player himself and it seems he is ready to take a 50% pay cut in order to sign for the Premier League champions. And if the signing goes through, Manchester United fans can look forward to the partnership of Rooney and Owen. It had also been reported that the current United players themselves are excited about Owen's arrival. It is a calculated gamble that Sir Alex has taken and it might be well worth taking it given the fact that Owen is a proven goal scorer and knows the league inside out. And United can manage to keep him fit, United will not be short of firepower upfront. One thing is for sure, this news certainly will not be taken well in the red half of Merseyside.

Wimbledon 2009: Federer reaches final for record 7th time

Roger Federer has booked his spot in the Wimbledon final after a straight sets masterclass over Tommy Haas. The former world no.1 is in rousing form and took that into the match against German Tommy Haas, who in the past has given some tough matches for Roger. But the five-time champion reached his seventh straight final at the All England Club after overcoming the 24th seeded German 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-3 and now has the chance to land a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam. The swiss master was in a punishing mood as he fired 49 winners in the two hours and two minutes contest and now awaits the winner of Friday's other semi-final between British hope Andy Murray and American Andy Roddick. He now has a date with destiny that he can overtake Sampras at the very same venue where he beat Pete to get his first Grand Slam. Come on Roger........

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Carlos Tevez leaves Manchester United

Carlos Tevez, who was on loan at Manchester United has decided to leave Old Trafford. This announcement came from the official website of the Champions. After two hugely successful seasons, Carlos Tevez has decided to leave. It is a huge blow for the Red Devils who have already lost Cristiano Ronaldo to Realmadrid. This decision comes as a little surprise to everyone as Carlos had stated that remaining at United was his first priority. And having already confirmed that he wont be joining Liverpool, Tevez is likely to move to Chelsea or to the cross town rivals Manchester City. Now Sir Alex Ferguson has no other go but to dip into the transfer market and land a striker. Tevez became the second choice striker after the signing of Berbatov last season. And he did not start as many matches as he would have liked to but with Ronaldo's departure the chances of Tevez playing a lead role in the United side increased and the club also had offered him a 5 year contract. But Tevez chose to part ways. I'm not hugely disappointed but somewhat as Carlitos scored so many vital goals that won games for United but they club have only themselves to blame as they could have signed him a lot earlier. Thank you Carlos....

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Manutd: Cristiano Ronaldo sold to Realmadrid for £80 million

The Cristiano Ronaldo saga is finally over. Manchester United have accepted a world record £80 million (€93 million | $134 million). Right after the Champions league win last season, Ronaldo made it clear that his sights were set on a move to Realmadrid. And after months of news and speculations Ronaldo said he was staying at United. Sir Alex was the reason behind that and also the kind of approach made by the then Realmadrid president Roman Calderon also had a role to play. Calderon was not professional in his pursuit of Ronaldo and it irritated Manchester United who closed the door on the Spanish side. Ronaldo played this season without a smile on his face and it was clear that he was again going to press for a move to Real. And when asked before the Champions League final, he came up the reply "Please don't ask this stupid question. I'm very happy in Manchester and I want to stay". Everyone knew that this was not his intention. And after Florentino Perez became the president of Real, Ronaldo's move looked very much on the cards as Perez has the knack of landing star players. He also wanted to build a bridge between clubs and his method seldom fails. Within weeks after landing Kaka from AC Milan for a world record £62 million, Realmadrid came up with a bid of £80 million for Cristiano Ronaldo. It was an offer that Manchester United could not refuse. And the English champions accepted the bid and announced that all the matters would be finalised by the end of June. I cannot compare the loyalty of Kaka and Ronaldo as Kaka is miles ahead of him. All I want to say to Ronaldo is "Thank you for whatever you have done in a Red shirt". His exit could have been a bit better but with his flirting with Real last season angered a few United fans including me. All I want now is Manchester United reaching the Champions League finals again and beating Realmadrid(if they come that far!!!!) at their own backyard(This year's final is at Santiago Bernebeu). Good bye Ronaldo.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Tennis : Roger Federer wins French Open 2009

Roger Federer finally managed to break his French Open jinx. The Swiss overcame Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 at Roland Garros to become the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam. This win surely makes him the Greatest Player of All time. And it was fitting that the last man to complete a career Grand Slam, Andre Agassi gave him the trophy. Federer was emotional and it was understandable as he had lost here in the finals in the last three years. Roger was the clear favourite going into the match and he had a 100% record (9-0) against Soderling. But Soderling had beaten Nadal on his way to the finals and an upset was also on the cards but Roger broke him in the very first game of the match and raced through the first set 6-1. The second was a bit even and Fedex sealed that in a tie breaker (7-1). In the deciding set Roger closed out at 6-4 after saving a break point. Federer is now level on 14 major titles with Pete Sampras and, at just 27-years-old, appears almost certain to make that record his own in the future. "It might be the greatest victory of my career," said Federer, who can go past Sampras at his favourite Wimbledon. Come on Roger !!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

French Open 2009: Nadal loses to Soderling

Robin Soderling has done what no-one else has ever managed here at Roland Garros. It's the end of an era. Defending and four time champion and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal was finally defeated at the Roland Garros after reigning supreme for four long years. The 23rd seeded Robin Soderling was the man who made history when he swept past the defending champ in four sets. The score read 6-2,6-7,6-4,7-6 . This is a second consecutive defeat for Nadal in clay court tournament this year. He was beaten by Federer in Madrid just before the French Open. With Nadal's defeat, Roger Federer has a serious chance of winning the grand slam that has eluded him thus far and close the gap on Nadal in the ATP Champions race.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Cricket : Mangoose Bat set to revolutionise world cricket

The revolution in the cricket world continues. First it was the invention of the T20 format and then the idea of test cricket during night, pink balls and now the latest to be added to the bandwagon in the Mangoose Bat. This bat has been made essentially for the Twenty 20 cricket. The founders of this bat claim that it generates 20% more power and 15% more bat speed than the conventional cricket bat. Former Australian batsman Stuart Law, appearing for Derbyshire became the first player to use a Mangoose bat in a cricket match when he used it in a county Twenty20 match against Durham. Law called on for the Mangoose bat after he had made 30 off 20 balls and he added a further 10 runs off the 5 balls he faced with Mangoose bat. As you can see in the above picture of the Mangoose bat, the handle is longer than a normal bat and the founders claim this has a larger "Sweet spot" as they say in cricket than the normal bat. The MCC found that it met all requirements under law six of regulations regarding the make-up of a bat but they are yet to arrive on a decision as they need to maintain the balance between bat and ball. A company spokesman said there was "every chance" the bat, with a starting price of 159 pounds, could make an appearance at the Twenty20 World Cup as negotiations were under way with other international players. Stuart Law has been contracted by its founders to test the bat.

Kobe Bryant sends L.A Lakers back to NBA finals

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the NBA finals for the second straight year and record 30th time overall. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will need to win two more games to join them. Otherwise, it will be Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic on the league's biggest stage. Bryant and the Lakers dispatched Carmelo Anthony and the pesky Denver Nuggets with a 119-92 victory in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Friday night in Denver. A 27-point victory over what had been the toughest and grittiest of opponents for five Western Conference Finals games was quite an emphatic way for L.A. to get back to the NBA Finals for the 30th time in franchise history. "We saved our best game for last here, or maybe we caught our opponent a little bit off stride," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who gets a shot at his record 10th title. Bryant had 35 points and 10 assists and got plenty of scoring help from Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom as the Lakers shot 57.3 percent from the field to avoid having to play a Game 7 back at the Staples Center. Now the men in yellow will be trying to go a step further than what they did last year and capture their 15th title. Way to go Kobe........

Click here to view the Trophy Presentation
Trophy Presentation - Watch

Enjoy...

F1 : Teams to participate in 2010

he threat made by a number of Formula One teams to quit the sport appears to have receded after all existing entrants made the deadline to submit entries for the 2010 world championship.

All nine members of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) submitted a block entry on Friday, albeit under conditions dictated as a compromise is sought with the FIA over the insistence of the latter's president, Max Mosley, on a £40 million budget cap from next year.

Williams broke ranks and entered the championship earlier in the week - a move which brought about their temporary suspension from FOTA.

A statement read: "FOTA confirms all its members' long-term commitment to be involved in the FIA Formula One World Championship and has unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the championship in the next three years, creating a mechanism that will preserve the technological competition and the sporting challenge and, at the same time, facilitate the entry in the F1 Championship for new teams.

"These measures are in line with what has already been decided in 2009 within FOTA, achieving important saving on engines and gearboxes."

"The FOTA teams have entered the 2010 championship on the basis that:

"1) The Concorde Agreement (the commercial protocol existing between teams, the FIA and the sport's commercial rights controller Bernie Ecclestone) is signed by all parties before 12th June 2009, after which all FOTA teams will commit to competing in Formula One until 2012.

"The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance.

"2) The basis of the 2010 regulations will be the current 2009 regulations, amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA."

The statement added: "All FOTA teams' entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One world championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole.

"All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance."

Now it appears that all the teams including Ferrari are set to participate in the 2010 edition and well beyond 2012. This news comes as a relief for the the F1 fans all around the world.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

IPL 2009 Finals: Bangalore to take on Deccan Chargers.

This must have been the least expected finals match up of the IPL 2009. When people were talking about teams like Chennai and Delhi, team Bangalore lead by Anil Kumble silently made a comeback into the tournament with some great performances. And it was after Kumble took over the captaincy from Pietersen, the turnaround started. Deccan on the other hand started this season in whirlwind fashion winning the first four matches but suffered some setbacks and eventually made it to the last four. And in the semis, Gilly destroyed Delhi single handedly. There was nothing much one could do about his innings, something that was even accepted by Delhi captain Sehwag. Not many would have given Deccan or Bangalore a chance this year to get to the top four. But having pulled off amazing turnarounds and tasted difficult periods earlier in the tournament, both teams have undoubtedly deserved to get where they are today. And in the finals, if Gilly does a repeat of the semis, Bangalore would have no chance but if he is taken out early it can be anyones game.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWWW
Deccan Chargers: WLLWL

Manchester United Players of the year 2008-09 awards videos

Nemanja Vidic was named Player of the Year by United fans and his team-mates at the Reds' end-of-season awards night at Old Trafford on Sunday. Just 24 hours after Sir Alex and his men were crowned Barclays Premier League champions for a third successive year, the Reds were clearly still in partying mood. The squad turned out in style for a star-studded event in Old Trafford's Manchester Suite. Vidic collected the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year accolade, voted for by fans on ManUtd.com, and the Players' Player trophy to a well-deserved standing ovation.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who cleaned up with all three main awards at last year's event, claimed the Goal of the Season gong for his stunning strike against FC Porto in the Champions League quarter-final second leg.
Federico Macheda, who scpred two vitals goals against Aston Villa and Sunderland, was named Jimmy Murphy Academy Player of the Year.

Player of the Year Awards 2008/09

Nemanja Vidic - Players' Player of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year 2008/09

Cristiano Ronaldo - Goal of the Season (FC Porto 0-1 United, 15 April 2009)

James Chester - Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year 2008/09

Kiko Macheda - Jimmy Murphy Academy Player of the Year 2008/09

Click here to get the video
Video - Download

Enjoy.......

Sunday, May 17, 2009

EPL: Manchester United - Champions of 2008-09

It certainly was not an evening of magical football from the Champions but they did what they were sent out to do, seal the title before Liverpool played on Sunday. And they did just that after they held on for a scoreless draw against a inspired Arsenal side who were smarting from their thrashing given by United at the Emirates in the Champions League. Carlos Tevez who was subbed after the hour mark gave quite a long farewell before he left the pitch and it looked like a goodbye and thank you from the little Argentinian. And at the end of the 90 minutes, Manchester United were crowned the champions of England once again and it was the 11th title under Sir Alex and 18th in all, catching Liverpool's record. This is United's 4th title this season and a chance of adding Champions League to it remains as they take on Barcelona in the finals on May 27th. I hope we win Champions league and create history. Rock on Red Devils!!!!!.

Click here for presentation videos:
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE - Presentation, celebrations, interviews.

Rapidshare: Part1 / Part2 / Part3 / Part4 / Part5 / Part6 / Part7

MediaFire Folder

Mediafire folder
or
Part 1 http://www.mediafire.com/?mwmz22yzlwz
Part 2 http://www.mediafire.com/?iwzzk3c0wqn
Part 3 http://www.mediafire.com/?qh4qzqhxtwe
Part 4 http://www.mediafire.com/?j5wynmyyqmd
Part 5 http://www.mediafire.com/?gfmzjdex2od

Enjoyyy......

Friday, May 15, 2009

Tevez tit-for-tat touches a nerve

Sir Alex Ferguson bucked his customary trend of keeping transfer issues in-house on Wednesday when he was moved to insist Manchester United will do everything in their power to keep hold of Carlos Tevez.

The Old Trafford boss has when pressed played a straight bat on the future of the Argentina international but came out fighting in the face of more fans' cries to "sign him up" in the aftermatch of Tevez's equaliser at the JJB Stadium which set the Premier League leaders on their way to a stirring 2-1 comeback win against Wigan.

The sticking point is the £22m that would be needed to turn Tevez's existing two-year loan into a permanent agreement – a fee Old Trafford officials are reluctant to match.

The impasse comes amid claims and counter-claims from both sides of the fence and at a time when United need just one more point to secure a third successive and record-equalling 18th domestic title.

Tevez's representative, Kia Joorabchian, has fanned the flames by insisting his client has not received a formal offer and that he is he now willing to talk to a growing list of potential suitors, including fierecest rivals Liverpool, neighbours Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Ferguson fought tooth and nail to deny former defender Gabriel Heinze a transfer down the East Lancs Road in 2007, but even his powers of persuasion could be tested this time around because Tevez is not contracted to a club but by companies that own his economic rights.

Ferguson has described as "far-fetched" reports that United want the 25-year-old to break his contract with Joorabchian, although his assertion on Wednesday that the fans "love a trier" was hardly gushing praise.

"There was a meeting with (chief executive) David Gill on Wednesday, that is a clear fact," he added.

"They discussed the avenue under which Carlos could stay with Manchester United. End of story.

"I realise you (the media) speak to his agent but I do not wish to discuss the matter any further."

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

King Scholes still holds court

The revelation from Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, that he has never once in his 22-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford received an inquiry for Paul Scholes was, perhaps, predictable.

"Funnily enough we have never had one inquiry and you know why?" said Ferguson, as Scholes prepares to make his 600th appearance for the club against Portsmouth on Wednesday. "They all know he wouldn't want to leave here."

The quiet man of M16, Scholes has always let his football do the talking, while other, arguably more illustrious opponents, past and present, have been always willing to sing his praises.

"I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It's Paul Scholes," club ambassador Sir Bobby Charlton said earlier this season.

World Cup winner and France legend Zinedine Zidane preferred to point to Scholes as "undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation", Edgar Davids argued "everyone of us should emulate him" and Thierry Henry was accurate in his assessment that "he knows how to do everything".

Scholes would no doubt cringe at such admiration, but that should not mask over his contribution since his debut in 1994.

The 34-year-old may no longer make his impeccably-timed runs into opposition penalty areas, but his ability to recycle the ball with such composure remains a joy to watch.

Little wonder then that England manager Fabio Capello made one last unsuccessful attempt this time last year to persuade Scholes to perform a U-turn on his decision to retire from international football.

Steve McClaren also made countless efforts to remind Scholes he was not a left-winger, as he was under Sven Goran Eriksson, and return him to the international stage, but with no reward.

Regardless, it's a safe football bet that England's loss was, and is still is, United's gain.

Friday, April 17, 2009

ICC World Cup 2011: Matches moved out of Pakistan

Pakistan has been stripped of hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup because of the "uncertain security situation" in the country, a statement released by the International Cricket Council said after its meeting in Dubai. Security in Pakistan was one of the issues that were thought would be discussed in the meeting and this decision comes as no surprise to many, given the recent developments in the country. This decision means Pakistan would lose its share of 16 matches in the ICC World Cup 2011, which will now be shared between co-hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This is a huge blow for the game in Pakistan and also for the cricket loving people of Pakistan, who were hoping to the mega event staged in their country. But the security issue remains a huge concern after the recent attack on Srilankan cricket team. All that we can hope is peace returns to the country and cricket again is played on Pakistani soil.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Scholes excited by Porto test

Paul Scholes is convinced Manchester United can do what no other English team has done and beat FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão on Wednesday to book their place in the Champions League semi-finals.

The Portuguese giants raised eyebrows when claiming a shock 2-2 draw against the holders at Old Trafford in the quarter-final first leg last week and remain bullish about their chances of a repeat of their team's famous victory against Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the first knockout round in 2003/04 under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho.

United fans have every right to feel some trepidation about the return leg because the current world club champions have not won in three previous visits to Porto and have lost their last four knockout ties in the Champions League when they have played the second leg away from home.
However, veteran midfielder Scholes, who set United on their way to a narrow 2-1 win against Sunderland on Saturday, has revealed his football prediction: United will win.

"All we've got to do at Porto is win a football match," said Scholes. "With the players we've got I'm sure we can do it."

Key defender Rio Ferdinand, who missed last week's home draw because of a groin injury suffered on England duty, did board the plane to Portugal and will partner Nemanja Vidic if he is passed fit.

Young full-back Rafael da Silva also made the journey, along with countryman Anderson, who spent two seasons with Porto between 2005 and 2007.

Manchester United squad:
Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak; Neville, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Rafael, Fabio, O'Shea, J. Evans; Ronaldo, Anderson, Scholes, Gibson, Carrick, Park, Nani, Giggs; Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov, Macheda.

PFA Players' Award : Nominees

Manchester United players dominate the nominees to be crowned PFA Players' Player of the Year, with five of the six contenders hailing from the current Premier League leaders. There are five Reds in the running - goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and attacking midfielders Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo. The only opposition player on the six-strong shortlist is Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. This comes as no surprise given the position of the clubs in the Barclays Premier League table. Ronaldo, who has had a quiet season by his standards, has still made it to the list and he is the leading scorer in the Premier League till now. The nomination of the back line of Manchester United is inevitable as they set the record for the most number of consecutive clean sheets. Gerrard has played a stellar role of Liverpool and their current position is largely due to the the performance of Steve G. Among young players, the domination of Manchester United continued with Rafael Da Silva and Jonny Evans nominated. Aston Villa duo of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor also find themselves on the list. Manchester City's Stephen Ireland also figures in the list along with Lennon. All in all, there haven't been any surprises in the nominations this year. My favourites to win the awards are Vidic and Evans.

Nominations:

PFA Players' Player of the Year contenders:

Rio Ferdinand - Manchester United

Steven Gerrard - Liverpool

Ryan Giggs - Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United

Edwin van der Sar - Manchester United

Nemanja Vidic - Manchester United

PFA Young Player of the Year contenders:

Gabriel Agbonlahor - Aston Villa

Jonny Evans - Manchester United

Stephen Ireland - Manchester City

Aaron Lennon - Tottenham Hotspur

Rafael Da Silva - Manchester United

Ashley Young - Aston Villa

Friday, April 3, 2009

World Cup Qualifiers: Brasil - Peru goals

Brasil put behind them the disappointing results of late and turned in a really good show against Peru and won 3-0. Sevilla star Luis Fabiano was the architect of this victory with a brace. Kaka was returning to the national squad after his recent injury and earned a penalty kick, which was converted by Fabiano. Overall it was a satisfactory night for the Samba boys and their coach Dunga.

Brasil 3 - 0 Peru
1-0 - Fabiano (Pen) - Watch - Download
2-0 - Fabiano - Watch - Download
3-0 - Melo- Watch - Download

Highlights - Watch - Download

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Mourinho makes for special case

Old Trafford officials will next summer begin the unenviable task of finding a replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson, if, as his son Darren has suggested, the game's longest-serving manager decides to bring the curtain down on his distinguished career.

They may not have to look that far if Jose Mourinho has his way.

The self-styled 'Special One' has in his own inimitable way put forward his case to fill Ferguson's almighty size 10s and launch the next phase of his successful, and sometimes turbulent, career.

There are arguments for and against and Manchester United players past and present have already waded into the debate.

Rio Ferdinand suggested the Portuguese coach has the "ego and personality" to throw a supporting arm around Old Trafford's superstars, whereas club ambassador Sir Bobby Charlton was less enthused by Mourinho's swagger.

Bryan Robson also suggested seasoned United supporters accustomed to attacking football at breakneck pace may not take to Mourinho's more pragmatic approach to winning games.

Few managers – not even Ferguson - polarize opinion quite like Mourinho. He guided Chelsea to two Premier League titles in a colourful three-year stay at Stamford Bridge before leaving under a cloud after a fall-out with owner Roman Abramovich.

This season he has taken Internazionale to the brink of the Serie A title but has won few new friends in the process. His propensity to hog the spotlight has seen him become embroiled in an unsavoury fall-out with Juventus counterpart Claudio Ranieri, while Ricardo Quaresma, Mancini and Iván Córdoba have all found themselves on the receiving end of Mourinho's razor-like tongue.

An early exit from the Champions League, ironically against United, also led to Mourinho running for cover from Italian journalists.

Mourinho is more than a bag of wind, however, and his track record dictates that he is as much about substance as he is style.

The man with the film star looks may have to wait a little while longer, in any event, for the chance to deliver the perfect script if Ferguson is this season denied his wish to equal Liverpool's record of 18 domestic titles.

Monday, March 30, 2009

End in sight for Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson famously once revealed he swerved a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have dinner with Frank Sinatra in 1989 because Manchester United had lost to Charlton.

The legendary crooner was the king of comebacks but Ferguson is unlikely to tread the boards again once he has walked away from the bright lights of Old Trafford at the end of next season, if his son Darren's prediction is accurate, given that he has already cancelled one retirement date at the end of the 2001-02 campaign.

Ferguson Jr believes only Liverpool's record of 18 domestic titles stands in the way of Sir Alex finally bringing the curtain down on his trophy-laden stay with the world club champions.

"I can see him doing this year and next and then that might be it for him," said Darren, manager of Peterborough.

A demoralising 2-0 reverse against Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend, on the back of the 4-1 humiliation by fiercest rivals Liverpool, saw Manchester United crash to their first back-to-back defeats in almost four years.

The wise money remains on Ferguson to steady the ship and guide United, who have a game in hand, to their third successive Premier League title and record-equalling 18th domestic success.
That would mean Ferguson had delivered on his promise when arriving at Old Trafford in 1986 "to knock Liverpool off their perch".

It will also mean club officials must begin the unenviable process of replacing the man who has won 32 major honours during his 22-and-a-half-year reign south of the border, including 10 Premier League titles and two European Cups.

A clear case of rather you than me.

Ferguson has always maintained he will continue as long as he has his health and for many United fans it will be difficult to imagine him setting off into the sun.

At least now they have 14 months to get used to the idea.

Nick Walsh writes features and betting previews for betting.betfair.com

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Friendlies: England - Slovakia goals

England eased to a 4-0 international friendly victory over Slovakia at Wembley as David Beckham earned a record-breaking 109th cap on Saturday evening.England with qucikly off the blocks and went ahead with Heskey's strike and three more goals from Rooney and Lampard sealed a good win for the hosts who play Ukraine in a World cup qualifier on Wednesday at the same venue.

England 4 -0 Slovakia
1-0 - Heskey - Watch - Download
2-0 - Rooney - Watch - Download
3-0 - Lampard - Watch - Download
4-0 - Rooney - Watch - Download

Enjoy........

Captain Cool:Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Achievements as Captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the poster boy of Indian Cricket has seen everything in his life. From being taken to his house in a police van after India's exit from 2007 World Cup to being adored by the whole country for leading the team to victory in the Inaugural World T20. From then on there was no looking back. He has transformed the Indian team into an World beating one and his understanding with coach Gary Kirsten is also one of the reasons for this success. But the most important aspect of the current Indian team is "they don't panic under tough situations and they enjoy each others success". When he was appointed captain for the world T20 many eye brows were raised and only later that all came to know Sachin Tendulkar himself had recommended Dhoni for the captaincy. Here are some the feathers in Dhoni's cap thus far.

Dhoni's Achievements:

Team India went on to win the inaugural T20 cricket World Cup 2007
First ever trilateral ODI series win in Australia versus Australia and Sri Lanka CB Series of 2007-08.
First ever bilateral ODI series win in Sri Lanka (IDEA CUP) in August 2008.
He captained Team India to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2008 at home versus Australia. India went on to win the coveted 4 match Test series (2-0).
Also Team India to win the RBS Cup 2008 at home versus England. India went on to win the coveted 2 match Test series (1-0) and the 7 match ODI series (5-0) with the rest of the remaining two ODIs being abandoned.
Under his captaincy, India beat Sri Lanka for the second time to clinch the IBDI Fortis Wealthsurance Cup ODI series 2009 (4-1) and the only Twenty20 International, the first Twenty20 International match held in Sri Lanka. This is the second straight series win for Team India in Sri Lanka.
On the Indian tour of New Zealand in 2009 under his captaincy Indians created history by clinching their first ever ODI series in New Zealand, the National Bank Series 2009 . Before this, Indians had just won a Test series in New Zealand 41 years ago. Team India have comfortably won the 5 match ODI series (3-1) with an ODI being abandoned due to rain.
M.S. Dhoni is the first Indian Captain to achieve nine consecutive ODI wins (between 14/11/2008 and 05/02/2009). Earlier the record of having eight consecutive ODI wins were owned by Sunil Gavaskar (5)- Kapil Dev (3), Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
Previous captains Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly have said that under Dhoni India will reach greater heights and even all time great Richard Hadlee said that "Under Dhoni, India will become the world no.1 team" and he also said that by this 2-0 win that the Australian dominance in the cricket world had finally come to an end.
As a farewell gift to former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly who was set to retire after the Nagpur test against Australia, Dhoni asked Sourav Ganguly to lead the team for one last time towards the end of the Australian innings in the last test at Nagpur.
Dhoni has already been compared to Australia's Steve Waugh for his captaincy skills. In the battle of nerves, the mental toughness accompanied with the cool temperament exhibited by Dhoni just resembles the times of Steve Waugh’s leadership.
During the ODI Series 2009 in Sri Lanka, Dhoni had equalled the record of Zimbabwe's Andy Flower who has also played 46 ODIs in both roles of Wicket Keeper/Captain.
Out of the 6 Test matches Dhoni has captained, the Indian Cricket Team has won 5 of them

This is just the begining. More to come from Mahi. The message from the Indian team to the rest of the cricket world is very clear - "Watch out we are coming at you"

IPL Season 2:Final Schedule

After lots of delays and speculation about the second edition of the Indian Premier League, the tournament is set to kick off on April 18th. The final date decided is a week later than the first decided dates. Here is the schedule for all the matches. The timings given here are in IST(Indian Standard Time).

Complete Schedule:
April 18: Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (4 pm) in Cape Town
Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (8 pm) in Cape Town
April 19: Delhi Daredevils (DD) v Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) (4 pm) in Cape Town; Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) v Deccan Chargers (DC) (8 pm) in Cape Town
April 20: RCB V CSK (8 pm) in Port Elizabeth
April 21: KKR v KXIP (4 pm) in Durban; RR v MI (8 pm) in Durban
April 22: RCB v DC (8 pm) in Cape Town
April 23: CSK v DD (4 pm) Durban; KKR v RR (8 pm) in Port Elizabeth
April 24: KXIP v RCB (8 pm) in Durban
April 25: DC v MI (4 pm) in Durban; KKR v CSK (8 pm) in Cape Town
April 26: RCB v DD (4 pm) Port Elizabeth; RR v KXIP (8 pm) in Cape Town
April 27: CSK v DC (4 pm) in Durban; KKR v MI (8 pm) in Port Elizabeth
April 28: DD v RR (8 pm) in Centurion
April 29: KKR v RCB (4 pm) in Durban; MI v KXIP (8 pm) in Durban
April 30: KKR v RCB (4 pm) in Durban; RR v CSK (8 pm) in Centurion
May 1: MI v KKR (4 pm) in East London; RCB v KXIP (8 pm) in Durban
May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) in Port Elizabeth; CSK v DD (8 pm) in Johannesburg
May 3: KXIP v KKR (4 pm) in Port Elizabeth; MI v RCB (8 pm) in Johannesburg
May 4: DC v CSK (8 pm) in East London
May 5: KXIP v RR (4 pm) in Durban; DD v KKR (8 pm) in Durban
May 6: MI v DC (8 pm) in Centurion
May 7: RCB v RR (4 pm) in Centurion; KXIP v CSK (8 pm) in Centurion
May 8: DD v MI (8 pm) in East London
May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) in Kimberley; CSK v RR (8 pm) in Kimberley
May 10: RCB v MI (4 pm) in Port Elizabeth; KKR v DD (8 pm) in Johannesburg
May 11: DC v RR (8 pm) in Kimberley
May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) in Centurion; KXIP v MI (8 pm) in Centurion
May 13: DC v DD (8 pm) in Durban
May 14: CSK v RCB (4 pm) in Durban; MI v RR (8 pm) in Durban
May 15: KXIP v DD (8 pm) in Bloemfontein
May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) in Port Elizabeth; DC v KKR (8 pm) in Johannesburg
May 17: KXIP v DC (4 pm) in Johannesburg; RR v DD (8 pm) in Bloemfontein
May 18: CSK v KKR (8 pm) in Centurion
May 19: DD v RCB (8 pm) in Johannesburg
May 20: RR v KKR (4 pm) in Durban; CSK v KXIP (8 pm) in Durban
May 21: MI v DD (4 pm) in Centurion; DC v RCB (8 pm) in Centurion
May 22: Semi Final 1 in Centurion
May 23: Semi Final 2 in Johannesburg
May 24: Final in Johannesburg

Sunday, March 22, 2009

La Liga:Real Madrid - Almeria goals

Real Madrid took on Almeria at the Santiago Bernebeu hoping to cut Barcelona's lead at the top of the table and keep up the pressure on them.

Real Madrid 3 - 0 Almeria
1-0 - Marcelo - Watch
2-0 - Huntelaar - Watch
3-0 - Huntelaar - Watch

Enjoy.............

EPL:Liverpool - Aston Villa goals

Liverpool took on Aston Villa at Anfield looking to close the gap on leaders Manchester United to 1 point. Aston Villa also had their target, to keep fighting for the Champions League spot.

Liverpool 5 - 0 Aston Villa
1-0 - Kuyt - Watch
2-0 - Riera - Watch
3-0 - Gerrard - Watch
4-0 - Gerrard - Watch
5-0 - Gerrard - Watch

Enjoy............

IPL Season 2 not to be played in India

The second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will not be held in India. At the BCCI working committee meeting today in Mumbai, a decision was taken to stage the tournament outside the country "because of the extraordinary situation existing this year." This is what a press release from the IPL board had to say "Under the given circumstances, the BCCI is not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL. It is a matter of great regret that, in the prevailing atmosphere, where the government is expressing concern for providing security to the IPL matches, the BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the Indian Premier League in another country"
Now England and South Africa have emerged as the front runners to host IPL. South Africa board chairman has said that they are ready to host the event if approached. And IPL has confirmed that the schedule remains the same. This comes as a huge blow to the fans in India who were eagerly waiting for the month of April. Though the tournament is set to go on, I doubt if it will we as successful as the last years edition. But the IPL board might have had little choice as elections are approaching this year. But those who might be affected are the stakeholders. I doubt if sponsors will be pumping in the cash to the same extent as they did last year. Modi has confirmed that dates and timings of the matches will remain the same. The Indian audiences can watch the matches at 4 pm and 8 pm IST as they did in the inaugural season.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Cricket:Sreesanth out of IPL Season 2

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth will miss this year's IPL due to a stress fracture in his back. He was one of Punjab's key bowlers last season with his 19 scalps making him the tournament's second highest wicket-taker. And his infamous slap gate controversy with Harbhajan Singh cannot be forgotten easily. So with Sreesanth out of this season's IPL we can assured that another Bhaji-Sreesanth row won't erupt. His injury comes as a serious setback for the Kings 11 team whose premier fast bowler Brett Lee is not in best of forms and also down with injury. Coach Tom Moody too said it was a huge blow to his team. It's been a year since Sreesanth last played for India and a string og injuries have kept him out of the national side. Whatever may be IPL Season 2 will be without the energy and enthusiasm of Sreesanth!!!

Federer to become a Dad

Roger Federer is going to become a father soon. Federer and his long time girl friend Miroslava Vavrinec are expecting their first child this summer. This was announced by Federer on his website. Federer and Mirka first met during the 2000 Sydney Olympics and they have been together since then. Mirka is a former WTA tour player and has even played a few mixed doubles matches with Federer himself. And later she quit tennis and become Federer's manager and accompanies him to all the tournaments. This news comes at a time when Fedex is heading back into the courts since Australian open. Hope this just fuels him a bit more. All the best soon to be papa Fedex-Mirka.

F1: Driver with maximum wins gets World Championship

FIA has just released a new ruling that will reward the driver with the most race wins in a season with the world title. This law comes just weeks before the new season kicks off in Australia. And boy what a rule it is...From now on its going to be out and out racing. No place for team orders or even team work from here on. The governing body's World Motor Sport Council has agreed to the proposal put forward by Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management.The allocation of points will remain the same as last year's 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 sequence.The rest of the standings, from second to last place, will also be decided by the current points system with the constructors' championship unaffected. If two or more drivers finish the season with the same number of wins, the title will be awarded to the driver with the most points. It's a fantastic rule which had been on the cards for quite some time now. Had this been in place last year, Felippe Massa would have won the World Championship. So this year is going to even more interesting, can't wait for the action to begin on 28th.....

Monday, March 16, 2009

IPL:Squads for Season 2

The squads are as follows:

Royal Challengers, Bangalore:

Overseas players: Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn, Dillon Du Preez, Cameron White, Nathan Bracken, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen, Jesse Ryder and Roelof van der Merwe.

Indian players: Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Robin Uthappa, Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli, Wasim Jaffer, Manish Pandey, Srivats Goswami, R Suteesh, Pankaj Singh, Vinay Kumar, Bhuvanesh Kumar, Karan Sharma, Saurav Bandekar, Tinu Yohannan, Bharat Chipli, B Akhil, Devraj Patil, J Arun Kumar, KP Appanna, Sunil Joshi, Gaurav Dhiman, Jitendra Patil, Udit Patel, A Mithun, S Aravind, Kedar Jadhav, C M Gautam, Raju Bhatkal, Rajesh Bishnoi, Ishank Jaggi and Rohit Sabharwal.

Chennai Super Kings:

Overseas players: Muthiah Muralitharan, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Jacob Oram, Stephen Fleming, Thilan Thushara, Andrew Flintoff and George Bailey.

Indian players: M S Dhoni, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, L Balaji, M Vijay, Joginder Sharma, Manpreet Singh Goni, Sudeep Tyagi, Viraj Kadbe, Shadab Jakati, R Ashwin, Abhinav Mukund, Anirudha Srikkanth, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Palani Amarnath, K B Arun Karthik, N Einstein and Suresh Kumar.

Delhi Daredevils:

Overseas players: A B de Villiers, Daniel Vettori, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, David Warner, Andrew McDonald, Dirk Nannes, Glenn McGrath, Farveez Maharoof and T Dilshan.

Indian players: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Kartik, Manoj Tiwary, Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas, Avishkar Salvi, Ashish Nehra, V Yo Mahesh, Pradeep Sangwan, Umesh Yadav, Yogesh Nagar, Tejashwi Yadav and Amit Mishra.

Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad:

Overseas players: Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Scott Styris, Andrew Symonds, Ryan Harris, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Smith, Chamara Silva, Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa.

Indian players: VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Venugopal Rao, D Ravi Teja, T Suman, Arjun Yadav, D Kalyankrishna, P Vijay Kumar, Manvinder Bisla, Jaskarandeep Singh, Harmeet Singh, Sarvesh Kumar, Halahar Das, Syed Mohammed and Shoaib Ahmed.

Mumbai Indians:

Overseas players: Lasith Malinga, Jean Paul Duminy, Graham Napier, Ryan McLaren, Dilhara Fernando, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dwayne Bravo, Mohd Ashraful, Kyle Mills and Luke Ronchi.

Indian players: Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jude Singh, Jaydev Shah, Rahil Shaikh, Yogesh Takawale, Pinal Shah, Ajinkya Rahane, Chetanya Nanda, Rohan Raje and Saurabh Tiwary.

Rajasthan Royals:

Overseas players: Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Shane Watson, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Morne Morkel, Robert Quiney, Tyron Henderson, Shaun Tait, Shane Harwood and Lee Carseldine.

Indian players: Mohd Kaif, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Sidharth Trivedi, Swapnil Asnodkar, Niraj Patel, Mahesh Rawat, Anup Revandkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Salunkhe, Naman Ojha, Sidharth Chitnis, Paras Dogra, Amit Singh, Ahad Malek, Raphi Vincent Gomez, Kamran Khan, Ashraf Makda, Paul Valthaty, Srideep Mangela, Mohd Arif, Gajendra Singh, Atul Sharma, Pratmesh Salunkhe and Pushkarraj Chavan.

King's XI Punjab:

Overseas players: Brett Lee, James Hopes, Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Simon Katich, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Burt Cockley, Ravi Bopara and Jerome Taylor.

Indian players: Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, Ramesh Powar, V R V Singh, Piyush Chawla, Karan Goel, Uday Kaul, Wilkin Mota, Ajitesh Argal, Tanmay Srivastava, Sunny Sohal, Ryan Ninan and Yash Gandhi.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

EPL:Chelsea - Manchester City goals

Michael Essien continued his scoring run as he netted the winner at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City and helped Chelsea close the gap on Manchester United to 4 points. It was not an easy win for the Blues as they had to dig deep for the victory and kept Guus Hiddink's unbeaten record intact.

Chelsea 1 - 0 Manchester City
1-0 - Essien - Watch

Enjoy.....

FIFA World Cup 2002:Highlights

Re live the magical moments of the world cup of 2002. Get the complete highlights of matches.

Click here to get them
Part1 , Part2 , Part3 , Part4 , Part5 ,
Part6 , Part7 , Part8 , Part9 , Part10 ,
Part11 , Part12 , Part13 , Part14 , Part15

Enjoy....

UEFA Champions League 2009: Round of 16 highlights

The first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League produced some great goals. The first knockout round saw many big teams crash out and too without even scoring a single goal. Get all the highlights of the first knockout round.

First Leg
All matches - Link

Second Leg
March 10
Liverpool - Real Madrid - Link
Bayern - Sporting - Link
Panathanaikos - Villareal - Link
Juventus - Chelsea - Link

March 11
All matches - Part1 - Part2
(Manutd - Inter,
Roma -Arsenal,
Barca - Lyon,
Porto -Athletico)

Enjoy.....

Saturday, March 14, 2009

F1:2009 Season Race Calendar

The 2009 Formula 1 season is set to kick off in a couple of weeks time and it promises to be more exciting than last season. With new rules and regulations into place its going to hard to predict the winners this time around. Honda team, renamed as Brawn GP will be hoping to show some real improvement under Ross Brawn. Force India have formed a partnership with McLaren, something which will be looked upon with Interest. The top teams like Ferrari and McLaren remain favourites but you can't take anything for granted in F1. Lets wait and watch.

2009 Season Race Calendar:

01	2009 FORMULA 1 ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne)	27 - 29 Mar
02	2009 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur)	03 - 05 Apr
03	2009 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai)	17 - 19 Apr
04	2009 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir)	24 - 26 Apr
05	FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA TELEFONICA 2009 (Catalunya)	08 - 10 May
06	FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2009 (Monte Carlo)	21 - 24 May
07	2009 FORMULA 1 ING TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul)	05 - 07 Jun
08	2009 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone)	19 - 21 Jun
09	FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2009 (Nürburgring)	10 - 12 Jul
10	FORMULA 1 ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2009 (Budapest)	24 - 26 Jul
11	2009 FORMULA 1 TELEFONICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia)	21 - 23 Aug
12	2009 FORMULA 1 ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps)	28 - 30 Aug
13	FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2009 (Monza)	11 - 13 Sep
14	2009 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore)	25 - 27 Sep
15	2009 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka)	02 - 04 Oct
16	FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2009 (Sao Paulo)	16 - 18 Oct
17	2009 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina Circuit)	30 Oct - 01 Nov

Real Madrid : Richest Club in the World

The global economic standing of English clubs has been hit by the Sterling's slide against the Euro. According to the new figures, Real Madrid remain the richest club in world football as ranked by annual revenues, closely followed by Manchester United. Having won the Premier League and Champions League in 2008, United would have overhauled the Spaniards at the top of the Money League had it not been for the depreciation of the pound. And were it not for the effects of the fluctuation in the exchange rate, there would be nine English clubs in the top 20 rather than the seven that feature now. It has been suggested that the devaluation of the pound could even affect the ability of the top English clubs to attract the biggest names to the Premier League. Real Madrid's 4% revenue growth in 2007-08 is more modest than in recent years, the club has now doubled its revenues since 2002 and enjoys a lead of €41m [£36.8m] over Manchester United. Real Madrid increased revenue by €15m to take their total to €366m. Manchester United's performances on the pitch in 2007-08 resulted in a £45m (21%) increase to £257m. Third-placed Barcelona grew its revenue by €19m (6%) to €309m.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)