October 31st, 2008
You are currently browsing the articles from TOP FootBall Player written on October 31st, 2008.
What better band to link to tonight than Misfits in all of their live/messed up glory? Okay, Samhain maybe, but I never got into them.
Speaking of horror shows, apparently it was quite the scene in the Arsenal locker room on Wednesday night [The Sun]
Which led Adebayor to wish aloud that he had left over the summer, because he’s not getting any silverware in North London [BBC]
A possible reason that Becks is going to Milan? His endorsement income is way down, and he may be looking to pick it back up [SI]
MLS Rumors lets us know that the people behind Miami’s MLS bid have a site up [MLS Rumors]
The website itself. Odd integration of Florida International onto the page, though, gives me pause. Is this legit? [Miami FCB]
And, finally:
The Big Lead, great guys that they are, seem to not have our site bookmarked. Compare and contrast.
Written by Darkvader on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Backpasses and ü75.
Hmmm there will be no more wayne rooney pics on this blog!
He is a little bit vile, if you see any pics on here let me know where and ill delete them!
Agree? Disagree.
Written by Darkvader on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Football-Player.
Tomorrow’s first leg of the African Champions League final is a classic case of David v. Goliath.
On one side, we have the expertise and experience of Egypt’s Al Ahly, who are chasing a record-breaking sixth Champions League title and playing in their fourth successive final.
On the other, we have Cameroon’s Coton Sport, who didn’t even exist when Ahly were just beginning to win titles.
Coton reached the league phase for the first time this year and have gone on, against all expectation, to advance to their first final.
The club was only founded in 1986, and ascended into the top flight of Cameroonian football in 1993. By that time Al Ahly had already won one continental championship and three straight African Cup Winners’ Cups.
Rarely has there been such a gulf in experience between two teams contesting the final of the continent’s showpiece club competition, but it is not an unrealistic mismatch. Indeed Al Ahly’s hopes of establishing new landmarks for the African game will be under severe threat from a Cameroonian side who have grown in confidence and ability as the competition has unfolded over the year.
Al Ahly stumbled at this block last year against a team they were heavily favored against.
Considered certainties to overtake fellow five-time winners Zamalek of Egypt after forcing a 0-0 first-leg draw at Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia last year, Ahly came horribly unstuck at home to lose the second leg 3-1.
Angry home supporters then vented their fury by hurling missiles and abuse at the Ahly players when they collected their runners-up medals.
But a year later Ahly are back in the showpiece of African club football against opponents no one outside the dusty north Cameroon cotton town of Garoua gave a chance of going so far.
Al Ahly host Sunday’s first leg in Cairo seeking a decisive advantage to take to Garoua, in the arid north of Cameroon, where the second leg is to be staged on November 16. But coach Manuel Jose says it is ironic that his team fare better away from home, freed from the burden of expectation imposed by their passionate fans in the Egyptian capital.
The Portuguese, who has been at the Al Ahly helm for their last three Champions League triumphs, said on the eve of the game: “Away from home, when we are not under pressure, we perform well. But at home there is a lot of pressure from the supporters.”
Al Ahly know it is vital to win the first leg and take an advantage to Garoua, where they have never played before and will find conditions to be tough.
“Ahly have the best footballers in Africa so we should go for a win whenever and wherever we play,” continued their coach. The Egyptians are still sweating over the availability of captain Ahmed Hassan and Angolan winger Gilberto, who sat out their last league game to avoid aggravating a groin problem.
Here’s where another disparity exists between the two sides.
Ahly supplied five Egyptians and two Angolans for the 2008 African Cup of Nations while no Coton Sport footballer made it to Ghana.
Ahly superstars like silky midfielders Mohamed Aboutraika and Mohamed Barakat and Angola-born goal predator Flavio Amado are instantly recognizable far from their Cairo base.
But no one outside Cameroon and his native Niger knew of Daouda Kamilou until his seven-goal haul in the Champions League this year lifted a veil of international obscurity.
Coton Sport Franco-Ivorian coach Alain Guedou is upbeat about his team’s chances.
“We have the keys to success. We will fight as much as we can to win the title, but I believe we are not far from achieving our objective,” he said.
But there is no shortage of confidence in the Coton Sport side. Baba Ousmaila , who was Man of the Match as the team warmed up for the final by beating Aigle Dschang 4-2 in the Cameroon Cup Final at the weekend, says the players are ready to make history.
“The victory over Aigle was important, but it is now in the past for us,” Baba told the club’s official website.
“All the players can think of now is the Champions League final.
“We know Al Ahly are a very big club and a very good team, but now Coton Sport’s time has begun. This is the moment we will gain our first Champions League trophy, we all firmly believe that.”
After a rather slow start in the group phase of this year’s competition, they stepped up their challenge with their home ground, the 35,000-capacity Stade Omnisports Roumde-Adja, proving to be a fortress. It was there that Enyimba and Power Dynamos met their Waterloo.
Coton Sport have already made history as the first club from that country to reach this stage of the competition since 1980 when the famous Canon Yaoundé won the last of their three titles.
They made easy work of Power Dynamos in the semi-finals by winning 5-0 on aggregate. After snatching a lone goal victory in Harare, they showed they were truly at home by spanking the Glamour Boys of Zimbabwe 4-0 in the second leg.
Coton Sport have dominated the Cameroonian scene since 1997.
They owe their rise to the top of the African football pile within such a short time to solid funding and organization.
Founded in 1986, they reached the final of the now redesigned CAF Cup in 2001 and have posted eight appearances in the Champions League with their best outing coming in 2004 when they got to the third round of the elimination series.
They have won the Cameroonian league nine times and were consecutive winners the past five years. They have also lifted the FA Cup four times in the last five years, winning their latest just this past weekend.
Besides parading several Cameroonian players, they also have on their books players from Niger including first-choice goalkeeper Kassaly Daouda and 20-year-old striker Kamilou Daouda. Kamilou is the team’s leading scorer in the Champions League and both he and his compatriot are already top transfer targets with the goalkeeper reportedly on his way to Turkey.
Besides that, they have a very special supporter in Cairo for their game, none other than Indomitable Lions legend Roger Milla.
Milla won worldwide acclaim back at the 1990 World Cup in Italy when he led Cameroon to the quarterfinals, scoring four goals along the way, before returning in 1994 as a 42-year-old for a less successful tournament in the USA.
His appearances in the United States World Cup made him the oldest man to feature at a World Cup finals.
So what happens now? Let’s find out and see! Should be a good one no matter what.
Written by Darkvader on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on African Champions League and Al Ahly and Coton Sport.
FRANK LAMPARD has cranked up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool and said: Prove you can last the distance — because Chelsea will.
The Reds floored Lamps and Co last Sunday when they shattered the Blues’ formidable 86-game unbeaten home league run.
But the Chelsea star insisted that, while the Londoners have shown they have what it takes to win the title over a season, Liverpool have it all to prove.
Rafa Benitez’s side maintained the three-point gap they opened up between themselves and Chelsea by beating Portsmouth 1-0 on Wednesday as Phil Scolari’s men trounced Hull 3-0.
But Lampard said: “What they’ll have to do is keep that up through the whole season.
“That’s what we’ve done when we won leagues and what Manchester United have done in the last two seasons.
“Whether Liverpool can do it remains to be seen. But they’re definitely one of the strong contenders.”
Lamps insists Chelsea have got the Stamford Bridge loss out of their system and dismissed talk of a meltdown.
He added: “It doesn’t rank up there with any defeat.
“Because we’re professional and we’re proud of the home record we had, to lose it against a team that is vying for the title with you is obviously disappointing.
“But you can’t compare it to losing a Champions League semi-final or a final because that is a dead-end, finished, out of it — there’s no way back.
“We’re mature enough and certainly experienced enough from our last four or five years contending for the title to know that if you lose a game after nine matches, it’s certainly far from over.
“And we believe in ourselves so I think you have a very disappointing patch after the game and then as you sit back and reflect on it you realise that a lot can be done.”
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Liverpool have displayed added grit this season — six of their eight league victories have seen them hit winners in the last 15 minutes.
And Lampard declared: “I don’t say it worries me but they definitely look stronger than they’ve been in previous years. You can see that in the way they’re performing.
“They spent lots of money in the last couple of years and bought quality players and they keep getting results even when they’re losing or drawing late in games, like they did on Wednesday.”
Chelsea have FIVE stars nominated for World Player of the Year — Lamps, Deco, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack and John Terry.
But Lampard, whose sensational chip set up the win at Hull, admits Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo should pick up the award.
He said: “I’ll be honest. It looks like it’s going to be Ronaldo.
“Anyone who scores 42 goals in a season, performs the way he did and wins the league and Champions League is going to be hard to beat. It will be very well deserved if it goes to him.”
Frank Lampard wants a vintage Ferrari
Credit may be terribly crunchy for most of us at the moment, but Frank Lampard clearly hasn’t had to start doing his weekly shop at Aldi yet.
Instead of preparing for his trip to Hull, the Chelsea star spent some time earlier this week checking out some vintage Ferraris at a London auction. The nippy little red number costs £3.6m, or as Lampsie may consider it, a mere 28 weeks worth of wages.
Top marks to him for avoiding the footballer cliche of buying a Land Rover Sport (although he probably already has three), but what’s with the casual look? Either he came straight from training, or a certain sportswear manufacturer insisted he was snapped in their gear
Terry reveals 2020 vision
Chelsea captain John Terry says he wants to play for Chelsea until he is 40 before eventually taking over as manager of the club.
The England centre back, 27, made his debut for Chelsea ten years ago having come through the youth ranks at the club, and has gone on to make 366 appearances for the club.
He is still some distance away from Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris’ record of 795 and Peter ‘The Cat’ Bonetti’s 729 and trails team-mate Frank Lampard’s 381, but he remains confident he will play for the club long enough to match those Chelsea legends.
“Hopefully I can play another ten years and beat all sorts of records,” he told the club’s official website.
“Me and Jon Harley used to sit in the dressing room aged 17 and say, ‘Imagine getting to 100, 200 games’. Now I am up at 300-odd and I set myself targets.
“I want to reach 500, 600, 700 and really get up there. To do that, I need to keep fit and spend my whole career here, which is something I desperately want to do.
“I think Lamps has got a lot of time left in him. The Cat and Chopper are a long way ahead and they keep reminding us of it every time we see them!
“But Chopper was playing until he was 40 and that is something I want to do. I want to keep playing until I can’t play possibly play no more, and then maybe look into management at Chelsea Football Club.”
Terry admits, however, that he still worries about losing his place in the side from time to time and felt he had to prove himself all over again to Luiz Felipe Scolari.
“I don’t ever want to be dropped,” he said. “I am desperate to play every game and that keeps me on my toes enough.
“Even now, a new manager comes in and you have to prove yourself to him and we are such a big club we could sign any player in the world, which keeps everyone on their toes.”
Luiz Felipe Scolari feels pinch of recession at Chelsea
The Chelsea manager has been told that he must sell before he buys players as his club adjust to economic circumstances
Luiz Felipe Scolari has been told that he will have to sell players if he wants to add to his squad during the January transfer window. The Chelsea manager had expected to be given some of the £28 million that was set aside to sign Robinho in the summer before the club were gazumped by Manchester City on transfer deadline day, but, with Chelsea looking to cut costs across all areas of their business, the money will no longer be forthcoming.
Scolari had shrugged off comments from Peter Kenyon that Chelsea would not be “active” in January, but since the chief executive’s remarks at last week’s NFL Global Sports Summit the message has been relayed to him internally. The Brazilian may be permitted to make an emergency signing or to take a player on loan if the injuries that have hit his squad badly this season increase significantly, but in the normal course of events he will have to sell before he can buy.
The form of Luís Fabiano, the Seville striker, had been monitored by Scolari with a view to making a move for the Brazilian in January if Didier Drogba’s injury problems continue.
This new sense of prudence is a response to the global economic crisis and a renewed determination to operate independently from the largesse of Roman Abramovich, the club’s billionaire owner. It is unclear how much the Russian has lost as a result of the worldwide stock-market crash, with his spokesman dismissing estimates of a £12billion fall in his fortune as “arbitrary” and “paper losses”, but there is a general acceptance at the club that his losses have been significant.
Chelsea’s stated target is to break even by 2010. That is a tall order given that their most recent published results, for the year ending June 2007, showed losses of £74.8 million, and as the rise in the club’s wage bill shows no signs of slowing, curbing transfer spending may be the best way of progressing towards their aim. The club have succeeded in cutting net transfer spending from a peak of £126 million three years ago to £11 million last year and are determined to continue with this policy, particularly taking into account fears that the economic slow-down could cause advertising and marketing revenues to drop. Chelsea’s turnover has increased dramatically to £190.5 million over the past few years on the back of lucrative sponsorship deals with Samsung and adidas, but further growth in the future cannot be guaranteed.
Abramovich has also expressed concern at the lack of value to be found in the January transfer window, based on the limited success of previous mid-season signings. Chelsea spent £24 million on Nicolas Anelka and Branislav Ivanovic last January, player expenditure that will show up in their next set of accounts to be published in February, but those players made only limited contributions last season. Anelka scored two goals and missed the penalty that cost Chelsea the Champions League final, while the Serbia defender did not make a single appearance and this campaign has made only one start in the Barclays Premier League.
Unlike José Mourinho, one of Scolari’s predecessors, whose furious rows with Abramovich when told he could not sign Tal Ben-Haim two years ago played a crucial role in his eventual departure, the Brazilian has reacted to news of the changed climate with equanimity because he believes that his existing players are good enough to compete for honours and likes to operate with a tightly knit squad.
Scolari hopes that Michael Essien will have recovered from knee ligament damage to be available in January, the midfield player having returned to training earlier than expected, while he would have no shortage of offers for several of his fringe squad members should he opt to raise funds. Wayne Bridge, the left back, attracts offers from Premier League clubs during every transfer window, Roma have a longstanding interest in Florent Malouda, the France winger, and Ivanovic is surplus to requirements.
Written by Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng True Blue Chelsea Fan on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
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Gunners lacking leadership on the pitch
So the finger pointing can begin. After throwing away a two-goal lead against Tottenham on Wednesday night it has been revealed that the Arsenal players turned the air blue with their post-match bust-up in the dressing room.
Publicly, all Arsene Wenger would say was “we have to look at ourselves and improve”, but behind the scenes it would appear that he had a few choice words to say to his senior players, most notably Willam Gallas, Mikael Silvestre and Emmanuel Adebayor.
Yet Wenger must take a portion of the blame himself. For all of Arsenal’s pace, elegance and exuberance, they lack a leader to take control of a game when it turns sour and Wenger’s refusal to sign experienced players has not helped.
The last few minutes were a prime example of immaturity against Tottenham and it is hard to imagine the side capitulating so easily, had Patrick Vieira or Tony Adams been on the pitch.
Adams has now been tasked with pulling Portsmouth up by the bootstraps in his new role as manager, but one of Arsenal’s greatest ever captains must have had one eye on the Emirates as the Arsenal defence crumbled. As a fan he will not have liked what he saw but, like every other Premier League manager, he will now be seeking to capitalise on Arsenal’s soft centre.
Only four clubs boast a better defensive record than Arsenal this season, but it is notable that both Chelsea and Manchester United have conceded half as many goals. The Gunners’ defence is simply not strong enough to mount a serious title charge and the blame can, mainly, be placed with the captain.
Where Chelsea have John Terry, United have one of Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville or Ryan Giggs and by comparison, Gallas just doesn’t match up.
The Frenchman lacks the authority, determination and respect to hold such a prestigious position at the club. A good defender, Gallas has proven with numerous misdemeanours (including the tantrum at St Andrews’ last year and open criticism of Theo Walcott), that he is not the man to lead Arsenal forward.
But Wenger has made mistakes in appointing captains before. Using the role as a means to keep his best players happy in the past, he gave Thierry Henry the position before his summer move to Barcelona despite having said that he prefers his skippers to play at the back.
Overlooking Gilberto Silva for Gallas last season may have hastened the Brazilian’s exit from the club but, more importantly, it proved that Wenger places personal reasons above the team dynamic. Gallas and Henry, while massively important players, were never captain material and, years after the event, Patrick Vieira’s departure from the club is still being felt.
Gallas has a hamstring injury ahead of a tough trip to Stoke’s Britannia Stadium this weekend and, while cynics may question the validity of the injury in the midst of such criticism, it could work in Arsenal’s favour. Ultimately it may force a real leader from within the current squad to reveal themselves.
Beckham to join AC Milan on loan in January
David Beckham will have only two months to make an impact at AC Milan after clinching a loan move to the Serie A giants on Thursday. The 33-year-old England midfielder will join Milan on January 7 and could make his debut four days later away to Roma.
David Beckham’s presence failed to inspire Galaxy to great things during the MLS this season.
But he must return to the Los Angeles Galaxy by early March, to prepare for the Major League Soccer season, which is expected to start on March 19. All parties concerned are content with the terms of the deal, which was struck in Milan a week earlier than anticipated.
Milan director Umberto Gandini told Sky Sports News: ”The deal will be as long as David wishes. I think his commitment to MLS and Los Angeles Galaxy will take him back after a couple of months. I think he will have to go back to Galaxy by the time the MLS starts, and training before that.”
Gandini also confirmed that the Italian club do not expect any opportunity to arise which would allow them to sign the 33-year-old permanently, saying: ”David is committed to the Los Angeles Galaxy and the MLS. He thanks them for the opportunity to let him train and work with us, we’re very happy for that.
”Only David knows his future, but for sure he has a commitment to go back to the MLS and I think he will fulfil that.”
Beckham is seeking to maintain his match fitness to ensure he stays in the England squad as he closes in on a record number of caps for an outfield player. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder has 107 caps, one behind the late Bobby Moore who led England to their 1966 World Cup triumph.
The former England captain hopes to retain his place in coach Fabio Capello’s squad and is believed to be targeting international retirement after the 2010 World Cup.
Capello has indicated he will only select players who are active with their clubs, and with LA Galaxy now in their off-season, Beckham risked being left out for upcoming games, including the proposed friendly against European champions Spain in February.
Beckham will join a star-crammed squad at Milan, with the likes of Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko and Ronaldinho soon to be team-mates.
”The players understand we are the premium brand,” said Gandini. ”We are a fantastic club, one of the best clubs in the world. The fact they want to play with us is a great achievement.
”David Beckham will come to our club where he will have a lot of people and a lot of players that have his ability and status so I think it will be very beneficial for him and the English game.”
Beckham is by no means certain to feature regularly for Milan, with nothing in his contract stipulating he will play in a specific number of games. Gandini confirmed: ”He will train with the other Milan players and the selection will be up to the coaches.”
Capello expects David Beckham will prove to be a ”great acquisition” for Milan, the England coach’s former club. Capello has worked with Beckham at Real Madrid and England and has been impressed by his work-rate.
Speaking before the deal was completed, Capello told Milan’s World Business Forum: ”If Milan sign him they will make a great acquisition. He is a very focused lad. He is a professional. When I left him out of the team in Madrid because he had signed the contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy, he continued to come to the pitch to train and I put him back in the team.”
”He is a very serious lad, very sensible, a professional. People think he is a playboy off the field, it’s not true at all,” added Capello
Talks over Beckham’s future were originally scheduled for next week, but the player’s representatives and Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani met on Thursday afternoon to thrash out the transfer.
The former England captain was a Milan target in January 2007, but opted instead to move to Los Angeles from Real Madrid.
In a joint statement Milan and LA Galaxy confirmed Beckham would return to the States for training before the MLS begins, which suggests he will spend just two months back in Europe.
Writing on his website’s blog Beckham this week admitted he was looking forward to joining Milan.
He explained: ”One of the reasons I want to train and play in Milan for a few months is the fact that the MLS season doesn’t run as long as the European season and having played most of my career in Europe, my body has been trained and geared not to have that amount of time off.
”Obviously, I will be honoured to be given the chance to train and play with the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka, but it also gives me the chance to keep my fitness up and carry that on for when I come back to the Galaxy for the new MLS season.”
He rubbished suggestions he had bought a house in Milan and denied planning to purchase a jet, and also confirmed LA Galaxy remain his priority.
”Next season is an important one for the Galaxy,” Beckham remarked. ”We haven’t been in the play-offs for three years now and for a team like LA Galaxy we all know that isn’t good enough.
”(Head coach) Bruce Arena will also have had the chance over the past few months to get used to the squad and, with his experience and previous success, he’ll want to make sure that we’re up there competing next year.”
Galaxy boss Arena has given his blessing to Beckham’s transfer. Arena had described the deal as ”an odd proposition” last week and questioned whether the MLS and Galaxy would benefit.
However he has become convinced Beckham is making the right move.
”Clearly I think this is an ideal situation for David,” Arena told Sky Sports News. ”It can benefit David, it can benefit England, it can benefit the LA Galaxy and hopefully it benefits AC Milan as well.”
Arena expects the 2009 MLS season to start on March 19, and he stressed Beckham will be involved.
”David will be back and have a couple of weeks of training with our team and will be ready to really kick off in a good fashion in 2009,” Arena said.
The former United States head coach recognises Beckham’s desire to stay involved and active with England.
”I can’t speak for David but what motivates any top-level footballer is the fact that playing for your national team is the greatest honour,” Arena said. ”And having the potential to play in another World Cup is every player’s dream. I think these are the things that motivate him.”
Little chance of permanent Becks deal - Milan
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani says that the chances of David Beckham remaining at the San Siro beyond the end of his loan from LA Galaxy are non-existent saying that any moves to make the deal more permanent are “not practical”.
The Rossoneri have reached an agreement which will see the England midfielder join the Milan club on the short-term from Galaxy. He will join on January 7 before returning to America in time for the start of the MLS season, which is expected to kick off on March 19 although the final schedule has not been finalised.
“David’s arrival is a dream that becomes a reality,” admitted a delighted Galliani. “We haven’t written the contract but the agreement has been reached,” said Galliani.
“Beckham will be at Milan on loan from January 7 until the start of the Major League Soccer, hence, for two months-and-a-half to three months.”
Galliani added that Milan’s hopes of keeping the 33-year-old at the San Siro on a permanent basis are non-existent.
“That possibility is not practical because he has a contract with the Galaxy,” he said. “The club want him to remain in Los Angeles and he is happy there.
“Moreover, he has many advertising contracts.”
Beckham could make his Serie A debut away to Rome on January 11 and could be playing alongside Ronaldinho, who joined the Rossoneri on a permanent transfer from Barcelona this summer and is looking forward to playing alongside Beckham, a player he faced while in the Primera Liga with Barca.
“I am happy that Beckham is arriving,” said the Brazilian star. “I hope he will help us. He has so much quality.”
Capello delighted with Beckham’s Milan loan
England boss Fabio Capello fully approves of David Beckham’s move to AC Milan, whom the England midfielder will join on loan on January 7.
David Beckham feels that a move to AC Milan would help prolong his England career.
As the deal is Beckham is only available for nine Serie A matches, the first of which will be away to Roma on January 11 but he will be training at high intensity and will be determined to win a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s team, with Capello certain the Milan boss will be impressed by the England midfielder’s attitude.
Speaking just before Beckham’s move was confirmed, Capello said: “If Milan sign him they will make a great acquisition. He is a very focused lad. He is a professional.”
Beckham’s motivation for moving to Italy is he is determined to extend his England career, with Capello having warned he would miss the proposed friendly against Spain in February if he was inactive.
Capello recalled his own experiences of the former Manchester United’s star’s strength in adversity: “When I left him out of the team in Madrid because he had signed the contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy, he continued to come to the pitch to train and I put him back in the team.”
Beckham, 33, must return to LA Galaxy by early March, to prepare for the MLS season, which is expected to start on March 19.
And, for the moment, all parties concerned are content with the terms of the deal.
Milan director Umberto Gandini told Sky Sports News: “Only David knows his future, but for sure he has a commitment to go back to the MLS and I think he will fulfil that.”
Written by Jackson Ng Ghim Pheng True Blue Chelsea Fan on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
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All legitimate football matches resemble one another, each corrupt football match is corrupt in its own way.
In association with our primary broker, today we bring you an exclusive post for Dietrological Professional clients only.
Out of all the games that have been fixed so far in the English Premiership this season, we have decided to select just one for a closer analysis of the scam, the corruptions, the illegalities and the relative incentives of the participants.
We decided to select this particular match due to the slightly unusual level of the machinations.
For this particular scam, which was successful as a match result and as a trading medium for all participants, included #######################
representing both ############################# and #####################################, #################, ############################################################################
Prior to the match, this scam was known widely around the English industry, as the outcome was effectively being traded as currency for future favours.
In our post, we reveal the primary impacts on this rigged match - the betting patterns, the holistic structure, links to similar events but not the names of the individuals concerned.
Unfortunately, the blocked out parts of the posts and all posts labelled # are available in full to subscribers only.
Our roster is now full for both Football Is Fixed and Dietrological.
But, please enjoy the free snippets that we are posting on this site.
© Football Is Fixed/Dietrological
Written by Football Is Fixed on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
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Former Norwich forward David Nielsen has admitted to ‘match fixing’ in his native Denmark. The Danish F.A is investigating.
Nielsen, who is now 32, told Danish TV show LPS that he ‘threw’ a game while playing for AaB against former club Copenhagen in 2004. Neilsen blamed gambling debts for his actions.
“This was during a period when I had just been involved in a playing scandal and had gambled a lot of money away, so when I got the chance to get some money back again, I took it,”-David Nielsen.
AaB lost in the Cup Final to FC Copenhagen in 04. The Danish F.A are investigating Nielsens claims.
Nielsen played for Norwich between 2001 and 2003. Initially he joined the Canaries on loan, scoring 5 goals in 5 games. The move from Wimbledon was made permanent in 2002. Neilsen scored 14 goals in 58 appearances for Norwich.
He is currently on loan at Stromsgodset in Norway.
-Bigus
Written by Darkvader on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Bigus Dickus and David Nielsen and match fixing.
It’s good! Iwelumo finds his finish as the Swans back line practice the Y.M.C.A
Well it has been a strange week in the league that matters, no not the Tippeligaen… although the race between Viking Stavanger and Rosenborg for the Norwegian equivalent of Liverpool’s coveted fourth spot is a good ‘un! And what about Ham-Kam? Shocker!!
Of course the league that matters is the Coca Cola Championship! Join me after the jump for some very scary results indeed. Must be Halloween. Talking of which I am dressing up as Maradona. I’m going to head over to the party at the St George, English ex-pat bar and rob a bunch of Englishmen, then obtain a healthy coke habit, drink myself into rehab and beg for a job managing Argentina, then hopefully I will jump from a tall building while CNN films LIVE from a chopper. That last part is role-play. A little fantasy never hurt anybody.
Welcome, welcome one and all, yeah it’s Friday and it’s Halloween but stick with me for a bit, it’s been a bumper week in the Championship, with all teams playing two games in 4 days.
Lets start with league leaders Wolves. Yeah that’s right, they are back on top. It appears that the stuffing they received at Carrow Road did them a favor and they got their shit together, starting last Saturday with a tasty 3-2 win at Watford. Iwelumo got them going after just one minute to prove he has put that nightmare sitter at Hampden park way behind him. Wolves followed that win with 3 points at home to the Swans on Tuesday, with Ebanks-Blake bagging a brace. Talking of the Swans, the loss to Wolves won’t hurt too badly, seeing as the plucky Welshmen were still celebrating three points from last Saturday when they rolled over Southampton three zip.
So if the coin chucking warblers of Wolverhampton are celebrating at the top again, who is second? It’s a real yo-yo race up there. Wolves, Bongo, Wolves, Bongo… Bongo gave up the top spot this week after losing on Wednesday to Q.P.R. - life without Dowie ain’t so bad, ‘eh? In fact it’s a little prettier! The hoops also took a point from Reading last Saturday and two good results will have Gareth Ainsworth campaigning for the managers gig full time.
Di Carmone celebrates his winner for Q.P.R
Reading have dropped off the top two after a miserable week. Failure to beat Q.P.R was followed with defeat at BURNLEY. Jesus. Bloody Burnley! Oh wait, they are now 5th. Crap… God I hate Bloody Burnley (After Wolves and Ipswich of course). Norwich head to Turf Moor this weekend and if you thought Reading were pulling a Jekyll and Hyde act you aint seen nothing. We (and by we I mean the mighty Canaries, the one and only Norwich City) chased our performance of the season against Wolves with a last-minute winner at home to Donny Rovers before letting Derby take advantage of us on Tuesday. Not even a struggle (maybe a brief ‘no’), we were cheap. All yours Mr Jewell, we know you like a bit on the side! We found ourselves two-nil down before deciding to claim some self respect. At one point in the second half we were a post away from levelling the game, but alas, we let another in and copped a beating. Lord knows who will show up at bloody Burnley but If I was a betting man I would plump for the foaming rabid madmen who will run around with no sense of purpose. Is that Jekyll or Hyde? I never can remember.
Bloody Burnley are on a good run currently. Since their draw with Bongo a couple of weeks ago, they have beaten Coventry and Reading AND nicked a point at the Valley where Charlton are looking a little ropey. Burnley are claiming that Robbie Blake’s lucky underwear is the reason. They also think they will beat Norwich 33-0. Idiots. This kind of attititude needs immediate punsihment. Come on City!!!! Back to Charlton briefly, 2 draws in a week means they have taken just 2 points from the 12 on offer recently.
Cardiff are this week’s big winners. 3 points at Forest was followed up with a home win against Blackpool. They all count! Two goals in the last seven minutes in that one has seen them hit the heady heights of third place. Don’t get carried away yet Cardiff fans, there’s a long way to go and a lot of grounds to visit to cause trouble!
Basement dwellers Forest had a rare victory this week. They won 2-1 at Palace on Tuesday night to climb off the bottom. They are still 6 points from safety but a win is a win and maybe the confidence they will have gained will help them push on. Then again, they have to go to Derby before hosting Bongo, oh dear.
Let’s stay with Forest briefly. There has been some mystery surrounding Andy Cole. Has he left? Did he come back? No one is saying but Andy, sorry Andrew, is a little peeved at being left out of the team. And so he should be. In the last 11 games he has scored NO goals. Does manager Colin Calderwood know what he is doing? The man played for England for Christ’s sake!
You watch, I have just cursed myself. He will be at Norwich by Monday. Shit!
Southampton have slipped into the bottom three after taking just one point from this weeks games. They followed up the defeat to Swansea with a point at home to Coventry. Their replacement outside the relegation zone is Barnsley, they bagged 4 points this week. A win over fellow strugglers Doncaster and a point at home to high-fliers Bristol City. As for Donacaster, they have lost 9 of their last 10 and have not won since the 30th of August. Poor buggers.
Well that’s this week’s roundup, tomorrow will see another bumper round of fixtures. Norwich are at bloody Burnley, Cardiff host leaders Wolves, Q.P.R get to stuff Ip..Ip…the scum at Portaloo Road and Bristol City play reading for third place.
-Bigus
Written by Darkvader on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on coca cola championship and milky ways are quite nice between meals. and round-up.
You wonder how Luis Felipe Scolari ever won a World Cup with a statement like this:
“My vote for World Player of the Year is for Frank. Only he could score that goal…It’s one of the best goals I’ve seen. There’s only one player with this quality to score that goal…To have that intelligence to see the goalkeeper and to finish like that, I think it’s one of the best I’ve seen in my football career…He’s an intelligent player. I don’t see any player the same as Frank — it’s a fantastic for a coach to have a player like him.”
Lampard is a very good player - but The Best Player in the World?
Come on Luis, are we missing something here?
Still, this mention meets our criteria: Scolari is a manager and he did use the term “The Best Player in the World”.
Therefore, one vote for Lampard - as if it’s going to make a difference in this contest.
> Info Source
Written by Darkvader on October 31st, 2008 with no comments.
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What better band to link to tonight than Misfits in all of their live/messed up glory? Okay, Samhain maybe, but I never got into them.
