Cricket:IPL Transfers

The first ever trading window of IPL is set to end on January 22nd but there has not been much activity among the teams. Players like Afridi and Akhtar were put on sale but there were no buyers for them given the current situation between India and Pakistan. Some of the teams like the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were happy with their current squad and they did not put any player on the market. The first and the only transfer till this second was the straight swap between Nehra (Mumbai Indians) and Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Daredevils). Now there are serious talks that Zaheer(Bangalore) and Robin Uthappa (Mumbai) are set for a similar swap without any cash dealings. Apart from this one there hasn't been any news (not even rumours) regarding the transfers and the teams have started to release fringe players to cut the costs!!!!! Next trading season migh see a bit of activity as teams are not sure of whom they require now. Now, I'm waiting for the player auction in February. If you are checking this post after January 20th, click here for the transfers before the window closed - IPL TRANSFERS.

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EPL:Week 22 goals & highlights

Here are the goals and highlights of the matches played in week 22 of the Barclays Premier League


Bolton Wanderers V Manchester United
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE

Chelsea V Stoke City
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE -

Sunderland V Aston Villa
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE -

Manchester City V Wigan Athletic
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE -

Hull City V Arsenal
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE -

West Ham United V Fulham
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE -

Tottenham Hotspur V Portsmouth
RAPIDSHARE || MEDIAFIRE -

Liverpool Vs Everton
Gerrard
Cahill

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EPL:Liverpool draw with Everton, Manutd remain top

Liverpool missed the chance to go back to the top of the table after they could manage only a 1-1 draw against bitter rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield. Liverpool started with Torres and Keane upfront, an attack minded line up with Alonso and Gerrard in the midfield. Everton played a 5 man midfield without the suspended Feliani. Gerrard opened the scoring in the 68th minute with a thunderbolt from 20 yards but Cahill broke their hearts as he rose to head home an Arteta free kick in the 87th minute and equalise. Liverpool, who have played a game more than Manchester United might live to regret the lost points as "The Champions" are firmly in control of the title race now and it wont be easy to catch them.

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Transfers:World record transfers from 1982 - Part 2

Alan Shearer – £15m

Blackburn to Newcastle, 30 July 1996 Age at move: 25

Games/goals for Newcastle (league) 303/148;

Trophies with Newcastle: None

Verdict : Massive hit.

Ronaldo – £19.5m

Barcelona to Internazionale, 1 August 1997 Age at move: 20

Games/goals for Inter (league) 68/49;

Trophies with Inter: Uefa Cup 1997-98

Verdict : Marred by injuries during his 5 year stay. Not a hit.

Denilson – £21.4m

Sao Paulo to Real Betis, 14 July 1998 Age at move: 20

Games/goals for Betis (league) 186/13;

Trophies with Betis: Spanish Cup 2004-05

Verdict : Flop

Christian Vieri – £31m

Lazio to Internazionale, 10 June 1999 Age at move: 25

Games/goals for Inter (league) 144/103;

Trophies with Inter: None

Verdict : Great strike rate but no trophies

Hernan Crespo – £35.5m

Parma to Lazio, 12 July 2000 Age at move: 25;

Games/goals for Lazio (league) 70/52;

Trophies with Lazio: None

Verdict : Flop

Luis Figo – £38m

Barcelona to Real Madrid, 24 July 2000 Age at move: 27

Games/goals for Real (league) 163/36

Trophies with Real: Champions League 2001-02,

Intercontinental Cup 2002,

Spanish Cup (twice), La Liga 2002-03.

Verdict : Hit

Zinedine Zidane – £46m

Juventus to Real Madrid, 9 July 2001 Age at move: 29

Games/goals for Real (league) 224/49;

Trophies with Real: Champions League 2001-02,

Intercontinental Cup 2002,

Spanish Cup (twice), La Liga 2002-03.

Verdict : Hit

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Transfers:World record transfers from 1982 - Part 1

The transfer records in the world are set to take a tumble with the reported £243 m offer for Kaka from Manchester City. So here is a look on how the baton of the costliest player on earth shifted from 1982 and how they fared.

Diego Maradona – £3m

Boca Juniors to Barcelona, 1 June 1982. Age at move: 21

Games/goals for Barcelona (league) 58/38;

Trophies with Barcelona: Spanish Cup 1982-3,

Spanish Super Cup 1982-83,

Spanish League Cup 1982-83

Verdict : Promised a lot but failed to deliver.

Diego Maradona – £5m

Barcelona to Napoli, 1 July 1984. Age at move: 23

Games/goals for Napoli (league) 259/115;

Trophies with Napoli: Serie A 1986-87, 1989-90,

Uefa Cup 1988-89, Italian Cup 1986-87

Verdict : Super hit despite the cocaine incidents

Ruud Gullit – £6m

PSV Eindhoven to Milan, 1 June 1987 Age at move: 24

Games/goals for Milan (league) 117/35;

Trophies with Milan: Serie A 1987-88, 1991-92, 1992-93,

European Cup 1988-89, 1989-90,

Intercontinental Cup 1989-90, 1990-91

Verdict : Hit

Roberto Baggio – £8m

Fiorentina to Juventus, 20 May 1990 Age at move: 23

Games/goals for Juventus (league) 141/78;

Trophies with Juventus: Uefa Cup 1992-93,

Serie A 1994-95, Italian Cup 1994-95

Verdict : Super hit

Jean-Pierre Papin – £10m

Marseilles to Milan, 1 May 1992 Age at move: 28

Games/goals for Milan (league) 40/18;

Trophies with Milan: Serie A 1992-93, 1993-94,

Champions League 1993-94,

Italian Super Cup 1992-93

Verdict : Average

Gianluca Vialli – £12m

Sampdoria to Juventus, 25 May 1992 Age at move: 27

Games/goals for Juventus (league) 157/48;

Trophies with Juventus: Uefa Cup 1992-93, Serie A 1994-95,

Italian Cup 1994-95, Champions League 1995-96

Verdict : Hit (his partnership with Roberto Mancini was lethal)

Gianluigi Lentini – £13m

Torino to Milan, 1 July 1992 Age at move: 23

Games/goals for Milan (league) 60/13;

Trophies with: Milan Serie A 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96,

Champions League 1993-94, Italian Super Cup 1992-93, 1993-94

Verdict : Started well but the car accident marred his career.

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Football:Best saves by goal keepers

Goalkeepers are often not given the due respect they deserve. In spite of the attacking force of a team, its the goalie who can make or break a game. So here are a collection of some of the finest saves by stoppers around the world.

Click here for the videos

Valdes Vs R.Madrid - Link

Casillas vs Barcelona - Link

Reina vs Blackburn - Link

Joe Hart Vs Manchester Utd - Link

Chris Kirkland vs WBA - Link

Tim Howard vs Tottenham - Link

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Ronaldo's Year 2007-2008 : Goals & Interviews

It would be an understatement if one said 2007-2008 season belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo. The dazzler from Portugal simply ruled the football world with his skill and most of all goals. He destroyed defenses and ended the season with the tags "English Champion" and "European Champion" and now "World Champion". And apart from that he swept the awards in England and he also named FIFA World Player of the Year, FIFPro World Player of the Year, PFA and FWA Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or . Though its half the way into the current season, he is still receiving accolades for the work he put in last year. He scored an astonishing 42 goals last season and also 3 more while playing for Portugal. So relive those magical moments of "Rocket" Ronaldo. Also get the interviews of him as he speaks about his fondness for United and Sir Alex.

2007-8 Stats:
Premier League - 31 goals
Champions League - 8 goals
FA cup - 3 goals
Euro qualifying - 3 goals

Click here for the goals:
Part1 ,
Part2 ,
Part3 ,
Part4 .
All in one - Link

Interviews
After winning FIFPro World Player of the Year - Link
He talks about his amazing 2007-08 season - Link

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Pato - A superstar in the making

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, better known as Pato is the latest sensation to strike the footballing world. He has adopted his name to Alexandre Pato after the city he was born, Pato Branco. Pato made his debut for his club Internacional at the age of 17 and made a telling effect in the 4-1 win scoring one and setting up the other three.

In 2000, when Alexandre was 10 years old, x-rays from a broken bone revealed that he had a tumor in his arm. The doctors realized that the tumor would become cancerous in two months if not removed. Alexandre's family could not afford the surgery to remove the tumor, but the doctor, Paulo Roberto Mussi, was a family friend, and operated for free. This event was particularly significant because it occurred in a very crucial year when Alexandre was working towards a professional career with Internacional.

Pato made the football world take a note of him when he scored in the FIFA club world cup semifinals against Al-Ahly Cairo and helping them to a 2-1 win. Internacional won that edition beating Barcelona 1-0 in the finals. With this goal, Pato took Pelé's record as youngest scorer in the history of official FIFA competitions (17 years and 102 days, against Pelé's 17 years and 239 in the 1958 FIFA World Cup against Wales).

Pato from then on was scouted by many European giants like AC Milan, Benfica,Juventus, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Arsenal. And it was the current European Champions who got his signature for a fee of around €22 million. It was a dream come true for the youngster. Due to Italian football regulations regarding non-EU minors, Pato was unable to play official matches for Milan until January 3, 2008. Yet he was allowed to play in friendlies and scored in his non- competitive debut against Dynamo kiev in a 2-2 draw. And in January 4, 2008 his transfer became official.

Pato scored his first Milan goal in his Serie A debut against Napoli in a 5–2 victory at the San Siro. He has been a revelation since then and has scored 7 goals till now. He made his Brazil debut on March 26, 2008 and scored minutes after coming on as a second half substitute. And people have started comparing him with Pelé but Pato has said he is happy with the comparisons and that he just wants to concentrate to help his team earn 4th place for a spot in next season's champions league. At 18 he has a cool head and being at a club like AC Milan with players like Kaka, Pirlo around him he can only get better.

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EPL:Manchester United - Chelsea goals

Champions Manchester United produced a master class at Old Trafford against a stuggling Chelsea side and moved within 5 points of Liverpool with two games in hand. Surprise inclusion of Giggs in midfield proved to be the master stroke as he masterminded the win, commanding the midfield. Vidic, Rooney and Berbatov did the scoring for United who look ominous with their current form.

Click here for the goals
1-0 Vidic : Watch - Download
2-0 Rooney : Watch - Download
3-0 Berbatov : Watch - Download

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Beckham mania:Cruz,newbies in Australia named Beck's son

The Beckham mania has hit Australian parents. It is estimated that nearly 48 babies have been named Cruz, David and Victoria Beckham's third son. And it is the most popular celebrity name as of now. And Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter's name, Shiloh is in second place with 22 babies names after. And its also been calculated that 46 babies were named after Brooklyn, first son of the Beckhams. With Beckham's popularity always on the rise one cannot say till how long this will go???

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Manchester United: Champions League Special 1968,2008

Manchester United, the current English,European and World Champions are a club with rich footballing history and their first European triumph came in 1968 and they won their third Champions league in 2008. So re-live the journey towards winning those titles.

Click here for the videos

Road to finals - 1968

Road to moscow - 2008

Enjoy.......

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EPL : Liverpool draw at Stoke

Liverpool held to a second goalless draw of the season by an organized and hardworking Stoke City to prevent Rafa's men from opening up a six point lead at the top of the table. Liverpool endured a frustrating night in a match that did not see much goal mouth action with both defences remaining solid. Stoke also had their moments in the match but their finishing lacked quality and they even had a goal by Ryan Shawcross disallowed for offside. For Liverpool, its a chance missed as Manchester United have 3 games in hand and if they win all the three, the Champions will replace Liverpool at the top of the table. Benitez once again erred by playing a five man midfield with Dirk Kuyt as the lone striker, a decision he may live to regret come end of the season. If a team wants to win a league, it has be positive against smaller teams away from home but the defensive mindset of Rafa might prove costly as they can't afford to drop points against smaller teams, both home and away. One has to wait and see how costly these points dropped are....

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Qatar Open:Murray beats Roddick, wins title

It was a battle between two Andys, Murray and Roddick in the Qatar Open final and in the end it was the Scot who got the better of Roddick with a comfortable 6-4 6-2 victory. By doing so Murray has successfully defended his Qatar Open title and this is his second title in two weeks as he won the exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. Murray has been in great form since his loss to Federer in the finals of US open last year and has taken his form into this season. He will be high on confidence as he has defeated Nadal and Federer twice over the last few weeks and heads off to Australia, seeking his first career Grand Slam as a genuine title contender. Way to go Murray.........

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Freezing Climate:EPL matches postponed

The freezing climate in the United Kingdom has affected the English Premier League. Matches at Fratton park(picture given above) between Portsmouth and Manchester City and the match between Fulham and Blackburn at Craven Cottage have been postponed due to the freezing weather which has made the pitches a bed of snow. The third round of the FA Cup was badly affected last weekend with temperatures dropping below -10'C and its the same case this weekend. The thing is in relatively small clubs like Pompey the facilities are not that good while bigger clubs have the facility(beneath the pitch) of de-freezing the snow that falls on the pitch. The temperatures have been very low in the UK over the past few weekends. Today today 4/9 mathes in Championship, 8/11 in League one and 9/12 in League two have been called off due the frozen pitches.

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Chennai Open: Somdev Varman beats Karlovic,enters Semifinals

Indian wild card Somdev Varman sent the world number 25, Ivo Karlovic packing out of the Chennai Open 2009 and booked a place in the semifinals to become the first Indian after Leander Paes to reach this stage. He overcame the Croatian with a 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 victory. It was the second big name who had fallen prey to the young Indian, who had earlier dumped former World No.1 Carlos Moya out of the tournament. It was a tight match with both the sets stretched but a decisive break in the tenth game of the second set was enough to seal the match for Somdev, who was cheered on by a vociferous home crowd. It is really heartening to see a player who had shown lot of promise, deliver at the big stage. Somdev, who is studying in US on a student's visa knows how to handle it all. When asked about his nationality he said "I have an Indian passport and I must not talk more and screw it up", such was the poise with which he handled the media. But as of now I hope he overcomes Rainer Schuettler in the semifinals and go on to win the title. An Indian has finally arrived on the world scene in singles....Watch out for him......

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Car accident : Ronaldo escapes unhurt

Cristiano Ronaldo met with an accident on Friday morning when he crashed his Ferrari 599 GTB into a road side barrier. The good news is that Ronaldo escaped unhurt and carried on to the training ground where he went through the training without any problem. Ronaldo was driving his Ferrari ahead of the Bentley of Edwin Van Der Sar and both were on their way to United's Carrington training ground. The accident was so bad that those who saw it were surprised when Ronaldo was standing on the roadside looking bewildered. But its said after the crash Ronaldo had messaged some of his friends that it was just a small scratch in the car!!. The tunnel inside which he crashed, is near to to his house. The car which costs around £200,000 totally damaged, but after all that cost is just a few thousands less than his week's pay!!! Ronaldo has a fleet of cars worth around £2 million and they include Bentley,Rolls Royce,Porsche and BMW. But the biggest news of all is "Ronaldo is fit to play in the Sunday's blockbuster against Chelsea".

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Football: Satyam fiasco affects FIFA

The Satyam fiasco has not had its impact on the markets and its employees alone but it also is bound to affect the footballing world. FIFA is one of the high profile clients of Satyam computers, who are the official service provider for FIFA for the 2010 and 2014 worldcups. And in a statement released by the FIFA, the officials had said they are closely following the events as they are unfolding. And with the uncertainity surrounding the company it remains to be seen if FIFA would continue with the deal. We have to wait and watch!!!!!!!!!

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Top 10 goals in 2008

The year 2008 saw some really stunning goals all over the globe. So here is the collection of the best 10 goals in 2008.

Click here for the goals
Lampard Vs. Guangzhu
Messi Vs. Hibernian
Gudjohnsen Vs. Hibernian
J. Cole Vs. Chengdu
L.Messi Vs. Dundee United
Eno Vs. Zamalek
Seedorf Vs. Juventus
Ledesma vs. AL Hilal
M.Essien vs. Lokomotiv Moscow
D.Gibson vs. Peterburg

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