Lucky escape This is absolutely crazy. Thankfully for the players of Turkish side Samsunspor, as
train collisions go this is very much at the low speed end of the scale. It must have been pretty
terrifying nonetheless. CCTV cameras show the team's coach waiting at traffic lights on a
roundabout. When they set off, their [.
What do you say to this?
Holy @#$%.
Incredibly, everyone from Samsunspor Turkish Super Lig survived and the team bus is the only
thing which netted catastrophic damage. And as evident from the video, no signs/warnings appeared
that, ya know, a train was steaming in.
Someone's likely to see a change in employment status for this.
The buzz surrounding the Spanish Burgos province these days has been remarkable. They are of
course, home to Mirandes, the Spanish third-division team that have made it to the
semi-finals of the Copa del Ray! Mirandes will meet Athletic Bilbao tonight at
their modest 6,000-seater stadium, which was expanded yesterday to accommodate another 1,700
visiting fans.
"We're not Racist" - Twists of the Scouse-Manc debateAnyone tiring of the Suarez racism saga? Me too, but I'm breaking radio silence to offer a few
thoughts, just as Suarez serves the final week of his ban and in light of yesterday's fiercely
fought battle between Liverpool and Manchester United - the second epic Soucse-Manc cup battle at
Anfield this week.
When Cuba's national women's team showed up for Monday night's CONCACAF Olympic qualifying
match against Haiti in Vancouver, BC two players were conspicuously missing.
Unconfirmed reports say star forward Yesenia Gallardo Martinez, 20, and midfielder Yisel
Rodriguez Llanes, 22, have defected from the Caribbean nation while playing Olympic qualifying
matches in Canada.
Manchester United's 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates yesterday is proving to be one really
costly win. The Red Devils will be without 4 of their first team players as they won the first of
4 huge away games.
Rooney, Nani, Carrick and Jones are in danger of missing out on United's FA Cup away fixture to
Liverpool on Saturday after the quartet suffered injuries during the game.
Some footballers become pundits or postmen when they retire. And some join bands. Steve Wright
looks at a couple of ex-Forest players who hung up their boots and picked up a guitar. Forest
chairman Frank Clark was well known in his playing days for taking his guitar on the team bus to
entertain the team [.
A favorite quote of mine comes from a statement I heard years ago about adversity being a building
block in developing one's character. I used to even prescribe to the theory: 'A B C - Adversity
Builds Character'.
Helen Keller once said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.
125 years! Hell of a long time, so long ago that Spurs title win was in the future and even
Kelsey hadn't been born .
And what a tradition our wonderful club has, what history, and always (apart from Mr. Norris)
a club with honour and class. To those lucky enough to be going today the opportunity to share in
the celebrations is one not to be missed.
125 years! Hell of a long time, so long ago that Spurs title win was in the future and even
Kelsey hadn't been born .
And what a tradition our wonderful club has, what history, and always (apart from Mr. Norris)
a club with honour and class. To those lucky enough to be going today the opportunity to share in
the celebrations is one not to be missed.
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Olympique Lyonnais
Matchday 6, UEFA Champions League Group Stages 2011/12.
The equation is simple really. Make mincemeat out of Dinamo Zagreb in Zagreb, and bribe Madrid
to make fruit punch out of Ajax in Amsterdam. Seven strikers, one defender (Lovren, of course) and
three goalkeepers ought to be enough, one would think?
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Olympique Lyonnais
Matchday 6, UEFA Champions League Group Stages 2011/12.
The equation is simple really. Make mincemeat out of Dinamo Zagreb in Zagreb, and bribe Madrid
to make fruit punch out of Ajax in Amsterdam. Seven strikers, one defender (Lovren, of course) and
three goalkeepers ought to be enough, one would think?
As a United fan, I must say life has been pretty dull of late. I don't remember the last time we
scored more than one goal in a game (of course I remember the 8-2. Shameless Plug
alert) or winning a game when we did go ahead and score 2 or 3. Not winning is definitely
a bummer, especially when it closely follows home-ground hammerings at the hands of the rich, evil
super-villain (also note lack of plug here).
6 Togolese players were killed in an unfortunate accident on Saturday after the bus they were
travelling in plunged into a ravine and exploded into flames. This is the latest tragedy to affect
the footballing fraternity in the Western African nation after their after yet another attack on
their team bus by armed gun men in Cabinda in January 2010 left team members and officials
dead.
Tottenham's Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor has come out of retirement and declared that he
is available for the Sparrow Hawks 2014 world qualifier match against Guinea-Bissau next week.
Adebayor who had retired from the national side following a gun attack on the Togolese team bus
as it made its way into Angola for the African Cup of Nations last January, has received
assurances from the TFF (Togo Football Federation) that player safety will be the of uttermost
importance.
It looks as though Emmanuel Adebayor's decision to come out of international retirement is about
to be confirmed with reports that the player is happy to discuss a comeback with Togolese
officials.
Ade hasn't played for his country since the fatal attack on the country's team bus in 2008 but
he could re-appear as early as next week, in Togo's game with Guinea Bissau.
TUDO BEM?!! Welcome to Day 2 of the Selecao Bootcamp,
brought to you by the "Caras Novas" or newbies of the Brazilian team -
Alex Sandro, Bruno Cesar, Dudu, Kleber and Willian! Many of them are from the winning U-20
Brazilian national side and were picked based on those performances.
By Tony Attwood
It is one hell of a relief to return to football in the middle of what seems to have turned into
a full scale cyber war.
If you want to know a bit of background see the earlier article
Anyway, as much as I have been able to focus on football, here's what's going on.
Watch LeBron James do his Father Christmas act at Liverpool, Sky presenter get crapped
on and cheeky QPR fan
Presenting quality football videos from the interweb, daily at 3pm. Here's today's collection:
1) Have you ever wondered where footballers get those giant headphones they use to avoid speaking
to the press or fans on their way on and off the team bus?
Photo: Nicolae Stoian
Early Winter
With nothing left to play for in the 2011 MLS season, Toronto represented a fairly
unpredictable opponent. Aron Winter could have used Saturday's match at PPL Park to continue the
development of his new system and go for broke, attempting to play spoiler and steal a road
victory.
Tottenham and Arsenal are united in their determination to identify fans from both clubs who
were guilty of offensive chanting during Sunday's North London derby at White Hart Lane.
Spurs' 2-1 victory over their bitter local rivals was overshadowed by abusive jeers from both
sets of supporters.
By ADAM SERRANO
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica — The Los Angeles Galaxy were made painfully aware that earning road
points in the CONCACAF Champions League is no easy task, falling 1-0 to Alajuelense at the Estadio
Alejandra Morera Soto.
Pablo Gabas' free kick goal in the 28th minute of play handed the Galaxy their second straight
defeat in group stage play.
Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
By ADAM SERRANO
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica – David Beckham is expected to partake in the Los Angeles Galaxy's
CONCACAF Champions League match against Alajuelense on Wednesday, and his attendance has already
caused a stir in the local media.
When Joe Cole was available on a free transfer from Chelsea last summer, I was one of many
United fans who thought he'd be worth a punt. Turns out the club weren't interested but I was not
alone in thinking he might be worth the wages with him coming without a transfer fee.
Cole, who claimed to be a lifelong Chelsea fan, rubbed salt in the wounds of blues upon signing
for Liverpool.
- Maxi Rodriguez
In the midst of Champions League matches and the Spanish Super Copa, many fans missed a
quiet moment between two friends. Thanks to our European sources, we have a transcript.
INT. EMIRATES STADIUM TUNNEL NIGHT
Andrei Asharvin exits the Arsenal team bus, to be met by his lifelong friend,
Gunnersaurus.
Image Source. Cheers tinaanna17.
Here's a pure football pairing we wholeheartedly support: Seattle Sounders midfielder, Servando
Carassco, and USWNT player, Alex Morgan, are dating. For the past 3.5 years, actually!
In an interview with the Seattle Times, Miss Morgan's MLS rookie boyfriend recently told
how proud he was of her performance at this past Women's World Cup.
Here are some scattered business thoughts on the MLS All Star Hub and other items from Major
League Soccer's descent on New York. The Hub itself is set in a swanky SoHo building decorated
with a clubby feel. Most of the league sponsors are represented through various themed booths
in the Hub that offer an array of interactive events.
Like Magellan apparently...It's the word that's sweeping the nation: "gel". As Toronto FC tries to explain away loss after
loss, the collection of new players added recently has provided excusematicians (it's real - I
looked it up) the new verb du jour. "Injuries", "lack of talent", "a new system", "Harden".
STARTERSLets all take a moment to remember those in Norway who were killed today by the terrorist attacks
in Oslo, and have a good thought for those injured and shaken. Lykke til Norge.
STORY OF THE DAYKeir Radnedge of the Leader tells us about an investigation by Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy that
found that the 3 families who own Milan, Inter and Juventus respectively have spent over 600
Million English pounds in the past 5 years to try and keep their clubs competitive.
Team bus gets a surprise visit in Seattle.
[Dirty Tackle]
- Finding their wings. (AFR)
- The world's most expensive stadium. (World Football Insider)
- Azerbaijan on the rise. (Never Mind the Bolsheviks)
- Quiz time. (Avoiding The Drop)
- The world hates Uruguay.
As perverts neutrals, we were to see Peru go out of the Copa America. Bless you, Paolo Guerrero.
Image: Reuters/Daylife
Judging from the recent behaviour of the staffer responsible for results posts, we're assuming
that Monday's weekend roundup will be her last until the new season.
The bus eventually moved, revealing the church, but we didn't get a shot of that.The U.S. team went out to dinner tonight at a local Italian restaurant and had a good meal while
watching the dramatic and exciting England-France semifinal. But before the team hit the
restaurant, the team bus stopped in the main square in Dresden and the team took a photo in front
of the famous and appropriately named Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).
On Saturday, I was all ready to go. The Rose Bowl, site of the Gold Cup final, would host
90,000-plus fans and I'd be there to give as much of a full account as possible. With A.C. blogging
away even before we got to the stadium, I was also set on providing my own inside info, complete
with pictures and descriptions.
On Saturday, I was all ready to go. The Rose Bowl, site of the Gold Cup final, would host
90,000-plus fans and I'd be there to give as much of a full account as possible. With A.C. blogging
away even before we got to the stadium, I was also set on providing my own inside info, complete
with pictures and descriptions.
While the U.S. players who ventured to Germany today experienced nary a drop of rain, apparently it
was pouring all day back at the team hotel in Austria, and as the team bus pulled onto the final
road to the hotel, a magnificent rainbow appeared that several players said was one of the nicest
rainbows they've ever seen, which certainly fits in as some of the scenery is among the nicest
they've ever seen.
Swansea City will become the first Welsh team to play in the English Premier League in the
2011-2012 season, following their victory in the Championship play-off final on Monday. As I write,
thousands are out on the streets of Swansea celebrating as the team bus drives through the southern
Welsh city.
Much has been made of the fact that this year's Champions League Final will be held at Wembley,
with Manchester United supposedly having 'home advantage' and therefore an upper hand in their
unenviable task of stopping the imperious Barcelona on Saturday.
However Alex Ferguson isn't sure that such an advantage exists in the modern game in
England.
Just Football: SPL 2010-11 Team of the Season is a post from: Just Football
by William Heaney
With the Scottish Premier League 2010-11 season now over, it's time to have a
look back at the players who have made their mark during the campaign. When selecting a team of the
year it's hard to avoid Celtic and Rangers, but thankfully there are those from outside the big two
who have done enough to earn their place.
I have woken up this morning still in a state of shock really. Not because I am shocked that Carlo
Ancelotti has been sacked, but in the way the club has done it.
I sat here last week watching pictures and reports of Avram Grant's sacking at West Ham and my
immediate thought no matter who it is or was on this occasion was that they could have at least let
the man travel back with the squad to the club and then do it there and do it properly.
On Wednesday, a Kenyan Premier League Top Eight match between Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars at the
Nyayo National Stadium in Kenya was abandoned after 60 minutes when Gor Mahia fans, known as
K'Ogalo Green Army, became incensed with two calls made by the referee and began throwing stones.
Police fired tear gas in an effort to quell the crowd, but in the end at least an estimated 1
million in Kenyan Shillings of damage occurred to the stadium and the Ulinzi team bus.
