August 17th, 2008
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Uh, how the fuck did, Cambodia (see above) make the Olympic soccer tournament, much less make it out of the group stage and into the quarters?
Oh right. They didn’t. In fact, Cambodia totally sucks at football, currently holding down spot number 183 (out of 207) in the FIFA rankings.
Clearly this is a mistake as Brazil was matched up against Cameroon, an entirely different country on an entirely different continent, in the quarterfinals of the Olympic soccer tournament.
My initial reaction was that somebody working at wherever Comcast buys this service from (TV Guide?) is really fucking stupid and when they saw the country abbreviation on an information sheet someplace reading ‘CAM’ they assumed it was for ‘Cambodia.’
But then I thought that, given how fucking stupid Americans are when it comes to geography in particular, whoever had the job writing this copy probably didn’t even know there was a country called Cambodia. Instead they saw ‘CAM’ and checked it against an alphabetical list of countries. When they came to ‘Cambodia’ they simply stopped and didn’t bother to look at the next item on the list.
That’s plausible except for the fact that the abbreviation for Cameroon is ‘CMR’ not ‘CAM.’
And you’d have to be phenomenally stupid to get from CMR to Cambodia, because, while Cambodia actually does have an Olympic delegation in Beijing, they don’t have an ‘R’ in the name of their country.
America, trying to live up to every stereotype about it.
Written by Darkvader on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Cambodia and Cameroon and Olympics and Precious Roy and Stupid Americans.
SFS is off to INDIA for 10 days …doing the Golden Triangle
route to finish in Benares & wash away its negative Karma.
Obviously SFS will not have any access to Internet & will be
totally focused in attempting to ride an Elephant at Jaipur,
tackle travel on buses & on trains…plus avoid the “Delhi
Belly” - if that is possible at all.
There is plenty of reading on the below posts if desired &
you can still follow all the news in the SFS Link Section on
the right-hand side bar.
Cheers to all, & see you back with all the usual posts on
the 28th of August.
Written by STRIKER on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on India and Vacation.
The Spanish Football season for 2008/2009 kicked off tonight with the
winner of the Spanish Cup - VALENCIA CF - taking on “La Liga”
Champion - REAL MADRID - in the 1ºst leg of the Spanish Super
Cup 2008. This trophy traditionally heralds in the new season & tonight
Valencia took the glory with a 3-2 victory over Real Madrid
Valencia looked good, real good tonight as they played sharp Football,
was mobile & looked confident in what they were doing. Real Madrid
was virtually overrun via the wings & lacked real control of the
midfield, in fact, they spent most of the night defending & Real
goalkeeper Casillas saving shots.
However, Real has VAN NISTELROOY who is a guarentee up front
& the two clear opportunities that he received - 13th min & 67th
min- he riffled them home.
Having said this, Valencia was in control & in the 2ºnd half got
the job finally done with goals from MATA ( 55th min), DAVID
VILLA (58th min) & VICENTE ( 80th min), independently if
Real Coach Schuster put on Ramos, Guti & Robben to fill the
gaps in the defence & midfield.
Good win to Valencia who deserved the victory, & now go to Madrid
for the 2ºleg - 24th of August - for the decider. I´m sure Real Madrid
will do better & strenghten its defence with its regular players &
improve, because tonight was a signal that they improve or they will
be in trouble this season.
Written by STRIKER on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Spanish Super Cup 2008 and Valencia CF and real madrid.
Luiz Felipe Scolari wants watching Chelsea to become just like watching Brazil - and there was a touch of South American swagger about the opening of the new Stamford Bridge era.
Chelsea have earned a reputation, starting under Jose Mourinho and continuing with Avram Grant, for being functional as opposed to flamboyant. Theirs was a success built on solidity.
Scolari’s Chelsea retained all the old hard-nosed resilience as they thrashed Portsmouth, but there were the additional flourishes owner Roman Abramovich wanted when he appointed the one-time World Cup winner as coach.
The performance, however, must be placed in the context of the efforts of Harry Redknapp’s side, who will make plenty of teams look like Brazil if they perform as timidly as they did at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are many experts’ tip to regain the Premier League this season. I spoke to BBC Sport’s Mark Lawrenson on Thursday and he echoed the views of plenty within the game that they will be the team to beat.
And all the evidence of their dismissal of Portsmouth confirmed that they will be the biggest threat to champions Manchester United in all competitions this season.
The misery of that Champions League defeat to United seems to have been air-brushed away to some extent by Scolari’s arrival, and a huge banner brandished behind the goal told John Terry his iconic status has not been diminished by that infamous Moscow penalty miss.
Scolari is clearly intent on adding an extra dimension to Chelsea’s game, and this was demonstrated by the performances of their two summer signings, Portugal internationals Jose Bosingwa and Deco.
Bosingwa was a constant threat, while Deco was the star of the show - although he escaped punishment for a shocking challenge on Lassana Diarra in the opening minute.
Deco set most of the charges for Chelsea to fire, and he deserved his late goal, although it was waved in by a shocking attempt at a save from David James.
Luiz Felipe Scolari
He looked built for the role of injecting some fantasy into Chelsea’s style, but judgement must be reserved for sterner battles ahead.
Few teams will give Deco or Chelsea as much room as they were afforded by Portsmouth. Their passing and creation was outstanding, but they were aided and abetted by a total absence of tackling and urgency from Portsmouth.
Deco struggled at Barcelona last season, suffering from injuries that took the edge off his game, and it will take more than just one game to underscore exactly what influence he will have on Chelsea.
But as a start this was as impressive as it gets, both from Chelsea and their new midfield man.
Sol Campbell creaked in the Community Shield and did not look much better as Nicolas Anelka buzzed around Portsmouth’s back four.
Anelka looked much more of a threat in a central striking role rather than stuck out on the flanks as he was under Grant. It will be intriguing to see how Scolari juggles his resources once Didier Drogba regains fitness.
Scolari’s arrival appears, on first sight, to have given Chelsea their self-confidence back. They were always short of being their usual selves under Grant, achieving victories almost by force of will than with the inevitability of the Mourinho era.
The former Portugal coach commands instant respect but he will know the real battle is just beginning.
The true measure of Chelsea and how successful they will be comes against better opposition than Portsmouth. Scolari is both a pragmatist and realist - he will not be carried away by one win, no matter how good it looked.
Deco will get closer attention than he did at Stamford Bridge. Will the 30-year-old be able to maintain his level of performance in the high-tempo Premier League?
And there will be very few occasions when Chelsea will be allowed to effectively have the freedom of the park. Portsmouth seemed in awe of Chelsea, scared of the occasion and of the Scolari factor.
All these factors will be taken into consideration after a first game that will have brought huge satisfaction to Scolari and Chelsea.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s predictable pre-season mind games centred on his belief that Chelsea had passed their peak. Nonsense of course, and not one of Ferguson’s better jibes.
Chelsea looked in fine working order against Portsmouth, with their animated and experienced new leader conducting affairs from the sidelines.
And the feelgood factor will have increased after Newcastle claimed an unexpected, but fully deserved, point at Old Trafford.
It was excellent entertainment and all was right with Chelsea’s world - but full judgement must be reserved for the tougher examinations that will be set in the coming weeks.
Written by Darkvader on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Latest News and Season '08-09.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s reign as Chelsea boss started in style with an impressive win against Portsmouth.
Joe Cole slid home Michael Ballack’s pass after 12 minutes and Nicolas Anelka headed in Deco’s cross from close range in the 26th minute.
Frank Lampard added the third from the spot on the stroke of half-time after Sylvain Distin handled.
And Deco crowned a superb Chelsea debut with a swerving shot from 25 yards a minute from the end.
Scolari hopes to bring a more attractive brand of football to Stamford Bridge - and his new charges certainly delivered in their first Premier League game.
But the display should also be placed in the context of a truly wretched performance from Harry Redknapp’s side, who looked a shadow of the unit that had an impressive campaign last season.
Chelsea took only 12 minutes to score the first goal of the Scolari era, and it was perfectly fashioned as Ballack’s pass with the outside of his foot found Joe Cole, who slid a finish beyond James.
Scolari surprised by winning margin
Anelka almost added a second when he was denied by James after racing clear - but it was only a temporary reprieve for Portsmouth as the striker was on target after 26 minutes.
Jose Bosingwa’s cross was retrieved by Deco, who was having an outstanding first half, and Anelka headed home with James stranded out of position.
Anelka’s pace was proving too much for Portsmouth, and he shot narrowly wide after racing clear.
Chelsea lost Ballack to injury after 37 minutes, but his replacement Florent Malouda almost had an instant impact with a driven cross that flashed across the face of goal.
Portsmouth had a half-chance when Petr Cech was forced into a block from Niko Kranjcar, the Chelsea keeper recovering to block another effort from Peter Crouch.
Portsmouth were being totally outclassed, and the scoreline was given a more realistic appearance when Chelsea took a three-goal lead in the dying seconds of the opening period.
Distin handled Joe Cole’s cross and Lampard beat James with ease form the spot.
Chelsea continued to press after the break, with both Anelka and Joe Cole only inches away from adding to Portsmouth’s misery.
Little had been seen of Portsmouth’s new strike force of Crouch and Jermain Defoe, but it finally showed glimpses of promise with 13 minutes left.
Crouch headed a long ball into Defoe’s path, but he was stretching and steered his finish wide.
Chelsea deserved a fourth goal, and it was fitting that Deco got it with two minutes to go, firing in from 25 yards via the hands of James, who should have done better.
Owner Roman Abramovich was all smiles at the final whistle as he revelled in the first impressions created by his new manager.
Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari:
“I think the owner is happy, like the other fans.
“Portsmouth didn’t think we would play like we did and we were more aggressive than last season. I think they were surprised by our team.
“I only give the players the freedom to play and allow them to express their style.”
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp:
“You’re not going to break into the top four. No-one is this year.
“Spurs have got a squad and can’t even win at Middlesbrough, so you start forgetting about them.
“The top four are on another level. We’ve improved our standard in the last three or four years but, today, you step up into a different level.”
Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa (Ferreira 83), Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Ballack (Malouda 38), Lampard, Obi, Deco, Joe Cole (Wright-Phillips 78), Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Di Santo, Bridge, Alex.
Goals: Joe Cole 12, Anelka 26, Lampard 45 pen, Deco 89.
Portsmouth: James, Kaboul, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Johnson, Diarra (Mvuemba 68), Diop, Kranjcar (Thomas 73), Defoe, Crouch.
Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Lauren, Utaka, Cranie, Traore.
Booked: James.
Att: 41,468
Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).
man of the match: Chelsea’s Deco 7.62 (on 90 minutes).
Written by Darkvader on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Results and Season '08-09.
Every weekend (if I feel like it), I’ll provide a weekend wrap-up for all of the Ligue 1 happenings. I’m sure that the Venn diagram of people interested in these results would have an overlap of 2, but I’m going to do it anyway. Why? Because I have no life. Join me after the jump for all of the fun results.
Saturday, August 16
SM Caen 3-1 Valenciennes FC - This game was over before it started, with Caen scoring all 3 of their goals before the 30th minute. Valenciennes responded right before the half, and then everyone slept through the second 45 minutes with the exception of 2 yellow cards to Caen (1 to goal-scorer Eluchans - he’s a double threat!).
Lille (LOSC) 1-3 Le Mans - After an early goal from Halsted, Le Mans got a brace from Maiga sandwiched around Lille’s lone goal from Bastos (who also picked up a yellow card - these goal-scorers were snippy!). Of note for our EPL (suck it, Barclay’s!) - former Liverpool scrib Le Tallec also picked up a yellow card. Wonderful contribution to the match.
FC Nantes 1-1 AS Monaco FC - Monaco scored very early (Meriem, at 4 minutes), and Nantes got a later goal from Keseru, but this match was more notable for the 7 yellow cards given out (including within a 5 minute span).
Nice 2-1 AS Nancy Lorraine - One of the more entertaining matches of the weekend, the scoring was opened by Nice (Remy, in the 34th minute) but Nancy equalized on an injury-time PK in the first half (taken by Gavanon). Nice escaped with the win on a 90th minute strike from Traore.
AS Saint-Etienne 2-1 FC Sochaux-Montbeliard - Saint-Etienne scored both goals early on a Matuidi strike and a well-taken Feindouno PK. Sochaux kept it respectable with a 75th minute goal from Perquis.
Toulouse 2-1 Havre - Yet another game with an early goal, as Alassane struck for Le Havre in the 11th minute. They were unable to hold on to the lead, however, as Toulouse slotted home two goals in the second half (Congre, Gignac).
Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Fc Girondins de Bordeaux - The lone goal in the match came in the second half on a 53rd minute strike from Hoarau. Claude Makelele managed to entertain the crowd by picking up a yellow card in the first half.
Sunday, August 17th
Grenoble 1-0 Rennes - A 21st minute goal from Arkour was all that Grenoble needed to down Rennes, and the rest of the match was marred by boring, slow-paced football. Carlos Bocanegra got the start for Rennes, but did nothing notable.
FC Lorient 0-0 Olympique Lyonnais - In a poor result for Lyon, they were held to a scoreless draw by Lorient. Although Juninho, Toulalan and Benzema all started, there was a relative lack of offense for Lyon, particularly in the second half. However, Fabio Grosso and Sydney Govou both managed to pick up yellow cards.
Olympique de Marseille 4-0 Auxerre - L’OM bossed Auxerre all over the pitch after scoring an early goal (Niang in the 17th minute). The second half was marked by more dominance, as Marseille managed three more goals (Grichting OG for Auxerre, Grandin, Zenden) and made the Auxerre squad look like a reserve side.
So, after Matchday 2, the top of the table for Ligue 1 is: (1) Grenoble; (2) Marseille; (3) Lyon; and (4) Monaco.
Written by Darkvader on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Ligue 1 and Results and The NY Kid and le championnat.
A few quick thoughts on how our teams fared this weekend, and what stood out from the games that I watched. If you haven’t seen the matches yet, don’t go any further.
The Gunners among us were not too thrilled with a 1-0 win over West Brom, but we were excited that the goal was provided by Samir Nasri. 1 game, 4 minutes. Welcome to the EPL (suck it, Barclay’s!) my good lad. Was West Brom that good? No, the Gunners were that lazy (at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves).
The Red Scouse escaped against Sunderland with a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Torres in the waning minutes. The pretty-boy should have scored earlier, but his strike bounced off Robbie Keane, who was rushing in to take the shot. If that’s a sign of things to come, then Rafa should be very worried. It’s worth noting that Torres scored after Keane had been subbed off.
Tottenham went down 2-1 to Middlesbrough. Fitting that ‘Boro took all 3 points, as they scored all 3 goals in the affair. Defender David Wheater (who?) scored the first goal, and Mido scored the second only 4 minutes later. An own goal from Robert Huth provided the final margin. The Likely Lad shed tears of sadness.
Our very own Autoglass is the happiest man today, as Chelsea dismantled Pompey 4-0 to begin the Portuguese era at Stamford Bridge. Goals came from Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Fat Frank, and Deco. Congratulations, you wankers.
As for the minnows of the group, Bigus’ Canaries drew Blackpool 1-1. After Ben Burgess gave the lead to Blackpool on a PK, the Carrow Road faithful were rewarded with a 74th minute strike from Darel Russell.
Thoughts from the other games:
Everton 2-3 Blackburn - Roque Santa Cruz remains lethal up top for the Rovers, but the points were Everton’s to lose. And they did.
West Ham United 2-1 Wigan Athletic - Dean Ashton looked impressive, scoring a brace, but was injured during the match. Amir Zaki looked like he could make quite a bit of noise in the EPL this year, scoring 1 goal and having a good chance at 3 others that went wide.
Manchester United 1-1 Newcastle United - Obafemi Martins started off the season well, and looks in fine form to score 10-12 goals this season. Darren Fletcher equalized for ManUre, meaning that he is not allowed to score again the entire season.
Aston Villa 4-2 Manchester City - After John Carew opened the scoring for Villa, Elano equalized for Citeh. Then, within an 8-minute span, Gabby Agbonlahor drank Citeh’s milkshake, scoring an unbelievable hat-trick. Corluka finished off the scoring for match, giving Manchester City their second goal late in the match. Of note, Tal ben Haim looked absolutely pants as he was bossed around the pitch by anyone and everyone.
Written by Darkvader on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on EPL and Results and The NY Kid.
SFS is fortunate to have its loyal readers & real Sports “freaks”(in
the most loving sense) surf in & share their knowledge. One case is
Bill, a fanatic of all kinds of statistics of which he creates colourful
& informative Maps to give the numbers some “life”& meaning to
us all.
SFS announces that Bill will place on his web site:
http://billsportsmaps.com
the new Map for the Spanish Football season tomorrow as seen
below in a sneak preview. SFS does this with permission from
Bill ( I hope) as he sent me yesterday a communication via email
announcing it & it´s public availability.
Surf into Bill´s site tomorrow & see this fabulous map, along with
Premier League Map & other Football League Maps…plus other
Sports Maps from around the globe.
Thanks Bill, excellent work & great example in sharing to expand
the Worldwide Football community.
Written by STRIKER on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Expert and Fan and Maps and Sports and Statistics.
At the age of 22 Spaniard RAFAEL NADAL has already notched up
30 individual titles ( including 4 French Open & 1 Wimbeldon), a Davies
Cup title & now an Olympic Gold Medal after defeating Chilean
Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
To add to this years golden run, tomorrow Rafael Nadal will be officially
acclaimed as the World´s Nº1 ranked player in Tennis, taking the spot off
long time “owner” Roger Federer.
Amazing for such a youngman & for a Spaniard. Rafael Nadal is
the personafication & the epitomy of what this country aspires to
be in the modern World: a winner, humble yet proud, persistant,
International prestige, hard working, cosmopolitan, a tough &
calculating mentally & a great Champion. These qualities are not
common to the mayority of Spaniards who are everything opposed,
but things are changing & Rafael Nadal is leading the generational
change.
Along with him are others: the young Spanish Football Squads
( U-15, U-17,U-20 & the National side: Torres, Casillas, Cesc, Iniesta
…), Pau Gasol (Basketball), Fernando Alonso (Formula 1), Pedrosa,
Lorenzo,Bautista, Debón…(Moto GP), Sergio Garcia (Golf)…etc & etc.
The Spanish mentality is changing, its opening & its globalizing, all thanks
to Nadal & his barrier breaking mentality & humanity. Thank you Rafael,
thanks for making this country feel optimistic & proud, we hope not to
wave the flag & praise you when you only win, but also be there for you
when you lose. As we all know its common for Spaniards to disappear
from the “spotlight” & scene when things go bad & the good times
disappear.
See VIDEO of final point & medal presentation. WARNING: Enjoy
while you can before You Tube removes due to someone solicitating
rights violation…stupid, but it happens.
Written by STRIKER on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Gold Medal and Olympic Games and Rafael Nadal and Spain and Tennis.
Moto GP got back today after its break with Spanish riders doing
well in all 3 catagories. The Czech Republic circuit gave margin for
some great racing that brought along excitement & some surprises.
In the Moto GP catagory, Italian Valentino Rossi won after Australian
World Champion Casey Stoner surprising fall while leading the race
ahead of Rossi. Then battle for the 2º place gave the other surprise as
Spaniard TONI ELIAS ( as seen below) finally got on the podium
after lots of bad luck & suffering in previous years ahead of 3rd
place Capirossi.
Valentino Rossi now opens a 50 point gap in the World Championship
table over Casey & looks set to regain the title if things don´t go wrong.
Provisional World Championship Table:
1. Rossi 237pts; 2. Stoner 187pts; 3. Pedrosa 172pts
In the 25o cc catagory, two Spanish riders got on the podium
after some spectacular racing. ALEX DEBÓN (see below) won
ahead of the other Spaniard ALVARO BAUTISTA with current
World Champ points leader Marco Simoncelli in third place.
Provisional World Championship table:
1.Simoncelli 180pts; 2. Kalio 164pts; 3. A.Debón 139pts
In the 125cc catagory Spaniard JOAN OLIVÉ finsihed 3rd behind
Mike di Meglio & the winner Stefan Bradl.
Provisional World Championship table:
1. Meglio 186pts; 2. Corsi 142pts; 3. Bradl 126pts
NEXT RACE - San Marino GP
Written by STRIKER on August 17th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Moto Gp.
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