Search This Blog

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Pre-season result - Stuttgart 1-3 Arsenal

Stuttgart 1 Arsenal 3

Arsenal's young Gunners Nicklas Bendtner, Carlos Vela and 16-year-old Jack Wilshere were all on target in Wednesday's pre-season friendly win over Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

The trio continued their form from the 10-2 thrashing of a Burgenland XI on Monday night as Arsene Wenger's men fought back to beat the Germans and former team-mate Jens Lehmann.

Wenger named a strong starting XI, but it was his young substitutes who would prove the match winners.

There was a debut for summer signing Samir Nasri, the first pre-season appearance by Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor - a target for AC Milan - and the side was led by captain William Gallas.

Lehmann easily collected an attempted chip from Robin van Persie in the 11th minute, before current Arsenal number one Manuel Almunia made a smart save at the near post from Romania striker Ciprian Marica and Nasri fired a 25-yard effort over following a quick counter-attack.

Veteran Lehmann, 38, showed brilliant reactions to deny Theo Walcott from point-blank range after he was set up by van Persie.

Young Danish striker Bendtner - who bagged four goals on Monday night - was introduced for the second half, as was promising Mexican Vela, back from his loan spell in Spain, while Pole Lukasz Fabianski replaced Almunia in the Arsenal goal.

However, the Gunners were behind six minutes after the restart when Stuttgart substitute Yildiray Basturk drilled in a low strike from the edge of the box.

Arsenal were soon level as Bendtner slipped Vela in on the right side of the penalty area. The 19-year-old held off both his marker and Lehmann before smashing the ball in off the underside of the crossbar to take his tally to four goals in two games.

Nasri's debut lasted an hour before he was replaced by Wilshere and £5million summer signing Aaron Ramsey, the Wales Under-21 midfielder, was also introduced.

Vela then turned provider for Bendtner, who nodded on a chipped pass to power into the area and stab the ball past Lehmann as Arsenal went ahead in the 65th minute.

Wilshere - who netted his first senior goals for the Gunners earlier this week - made it a night to remember when he drilled in a left-foot shot following persistent work by full-back Gael Clichy.

Wenger's analysis :

Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV: "It is good for the confidence to win here and you could see that the young players did well again tonight. I believe the strikers have shown it can work."

"Vela is a little bit like Eduardo da Silva, and Nicklas we already know from the end of last season is a very powerful striker. They both did very well."

Nasri was used in a more central midfield role, and Wenger said: "It was a very positive performance for his first game. He has all it takes to be a good player in this team."

NOW WITH BONUS VIDEO COVERAGE !

Betfred says Liverpool have little chance in the league

click to visit Betfrewd and take the 8-1 odds on LiverpoolManchester based bookmaker Fred Done has again thrown down the gauntlet to his football arch-rivals from Merseyside by pushing Liverpool out to 8/1 to win the 2008-09 Premier League title.

Done is encouraging the 'Scousers' to back their team with his company Betfred at the biggest price available, so confident is he that the Reds' spell without a championship victory will stretch to 19 years even though they have just splashed out £20.3million on striker Robbie Keane.

Done, a huge Manchester United fan and official bookmaker of the Old Trafford club, said: "Punters know I'm always happy to take on Liverpool, more so now than ever because I don't believe they have anything like what will be needed to win the title next term.

"I think paying £20.3million for Robbie Keane is a waste of money because I can’t see it working with him and Fernando Torres in the same team. Liverpool were clearly fourth best last season and I don't see how their signings this summer will improve them all that much."

Done envisages a third consecutive Premier League crown for his beloved United and believes the domestic and European champions can only build on their fantastic 2007-08 campaign.

"I agree with Sir Alex Ferguson that Chelsea are unlikely to improve much, while Arsenal have lost some key players," he said.

"I can only see it being an 18th title for United, which would put them level with Liverpool. But if the Scousers disagree, I urge them to put their red shirt on, walk into one of my shops and back their team with me at 8/1."

So - if you're a Liverpool fan and you think that Mr Done is full of **** then get along to Betfred and have a punt

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Will Four goal Darren Bent actually feature for Spurs?

Darren Bent scores 4 goals in a preseason gmae. But will he even start?Darren Bent may have smashed four goals past Norwich on Monday, but bet365 don't think he's a certainty to start against Middlesbrough on the first day of this season.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said : "Spurs are currently short on strikers and Bent's performance at Carrow Road would have given Ramos a nudge for the coming season.

However, we're still expecting Juande to get busy in the transfer market and Bent could find himself back on the bench by the start of the season"


2008/9 Darren Bent Premiership Special Bets

Will Darren Bent Start Against Middlesbrough? (First Premier League game)
---------------------------------------------
Yes 5/6
No 5/6

Total Darren Bent Premiership Goals
---------------------------------------------
Under 8.5 5/6
Over 8.5 5/6

(Stakes returned if Bent leaves Spurs before start of season.)

Top Premiership Scorer
---------------------------------------------
Darren Bent 33

Visit Bet365 now and place your "Bent bet".

Monday, July 28, 2008

Robbie Keane moves to Liverpool for £19m

Liverpool sign Robbie Keane from Spurs

English Premier League giant Liverpool have completed the signing of striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham for a fee that could rise to £20.3m.

Keane who is 28, underwent a medical on Monday after agreeing personal terms on a four-year contract worth around £80,000 a week.

The arrival of Keane takes Liverpool's spending to about £32m since the end of last season. Liverpool have already drafted in Degen, fellow full-back Andrea Dossena, goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri and teenagers David Ngog and Emmanuel Mendy.

About £20m has been raised by selling Crouch, John Arne Riise, Scott Carson and Danny Guthrie.

Spurs said they agreed an initial fee of £19m plus a potential further £1.3m. Tottenham have also agreed to drop their official complaint to the Premier League after Liverpool apologised for their conduct in pursuing the Irishman.

Liverpool will now become Keane's sixth club after spells at Wolves, Coventry, Inter Milan and Leeds, before his switch to Tottenham in 2002 for £7m.

Beach Soccer : Brazil retain world title

Brazil retained their world beach soccer title with a 5-3 win over Italy in Marseille, France.

Brazil won the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2006 and 2007, both on the home sand of the famous Copacabana beach but were made to work harder this time around and Italy, Spain and Portugal attempted to close the gap.

The bronze medal went to Portugal who edged an close match duel with Spain 5-4 thanks to a hatrick of goals from Madjer (3), to return home with their heads held high.

Beach soccer tends to individual skills - and not surprisingly there were several awards made on the final day.

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Balls (Best Player)
----------------------------------------
adidas Golden Ball : Amarelle (ESP)
adidas Silver Ball : Benjamin (BRA)
adidas Bronze Ball : Belchior (POR)

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Shoes (Top Scorers)
----------------------------------------
adidas Golden Shoe: Madjer (POR) 13 goals
adidas Silver Shoe: Amarelle (ESP)
adidas Bronze Shoe: Belchior (POR)

adidas Golden Glove (Best Keeper)
----------------------------------------
Many goalkeepers shone during Marseille 2008 but according to members of the media, it was Spain's Roberto Valeiro, who pocketed the maiden adidas Golden Glove.

So Brazil's reign continues ... and they will be hoping to re-establish their dominance in Dubai next year, although they will have to do so without Junior Negao, who retired from the sport today with the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in his hands.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Football transfer rumours

Another in the (almost) regular transfer rumour round-up series, with Spurs in the spot light today.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Robbie Keane is set to complete an £18m transfer to Liverpool within the next 48 hours.
(Source = Daily Telegraph)

Tottenham have accepted a bid of around £3m from Blackburn Rovers for their goalkeeper Paul Robinson.
(Source = The Independent)

Andrei Arshavin's agent has insisted the Russian would be interested in leaving Zenit St Petersburg for Tottenham. Although remember that he's also claimed that both Barcelona and Arsenal would be ideal places for his player.
(Source = Daily Mail)

But Arshavin risks pricing himself out of any move to England with wage demands of £100,000+ a week - that's £5.2 million a year.
(Source = Daily Mirror)

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has refused to rule out making offers for Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor and/or Chelsea's Didier Drogba.
(Source = Daily Mail)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has told Liverpool to get on with their move for Gareth Barry or they will be barred from signing him.
(Source = Daily Mirror)

While others say that O'Neill has offered Gareth Barry a truce - along with a place in Villa's Intertoto Cup squad for the Odense match - and is ready to bury the hatchet after telling the England midfielder: "I want you to stay".
(Source = The Sun)

GOONER : We should know if this is true by Sunday as playing inn the Intertoto will make Barry ineligible for Europe any other club in 2008-09 and make him far less saleable.

Tennis : Fed Express fails to deliver the goods!

Roger Federer slumped to his 10th defeat this season when beaten 2-6 7-5 6-4 by unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon in the Rogers Cup in Toronto

He won the first set 6-2 and was a huge favourite in running at Betfair where he traded as low as 1/100 early in the second set - with over £62,000 being matched at the minimum price.

But Simon managed to pull off a remarkable upset after being matched at a high of 79/1 to win the match. (also on Betfair)

It just goes to show that in sports betting there is nothing, nothing that is ever a 100% locked-in "sure-thing".

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Punters backing Shrewsbury for Division Two Title

Paul Simpson's Shrewsbury Town are bet365's new favourites to lift the League Two title this season after heavy activity from punters.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth "Simpson has been busy in the transfer market and punters haven’t been slow in jumping on the Shrewsbury bandwagon."

"Sheer weight of money has seen their price drop from 28/1 into 8/1 over the last few weeks and, in Grant Holt and Richard Walker, they have the best strikeforce in the division."

"It's easy to read too much into friendlies, but having seen their last two outings, Simpson's new look side have every chance of being in the shake up."

2008/9 League Two Ante-Post Prices at Bet365
Shrewsbury 8
Bradford 17/2
Darlington 9
Wycombe 10
Rochdale 10
Chesterfield 11
Gillingham 11
Port Vale 12
Bournemouth 14
Rotherham 16
Brentford 16
Aldershot 18

E/W - 1,2,3. Others on request.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Tipping League winners for June/July

A belated announcement of the forum Tipping League Winners for June/July.

After 10 months of trying I finally secured the Division One title during the Euro 2008 competition - and so I've nipped out and commissioned some virtual medals to commerate the occasion.

Gooner wins Division One
Gaelic wins Division Two
FRanklyn wins Division Three

Congratulations lads - and overall the league showed a profit over all five weeks - so well done to all who took part.

Pre-season results : Crouch scores in Pompey win - Blackburn lose in Austria

New signing Peter Crouch scored his first goals for Portsmouth in Monday night's 4-1 friendly victory over manager Harry Redknapp's former club Bournemouth.

Sulley Muntari grabbed the only goal of the first half in the 23rd minute before Crouch scored twice, tucking in his first following a free-kick before heading in his second and Pompey's third.

Jermaine Defoe also got on the scoresheet with the visitors' fourth while Brett Pitman grabbed an 80th-minute consolation for the Cherries.

The only negative for Redknapp was a thigh injury sustained by another new signing, Glen Little.

---------------------

Blackburn Rovers crashed to a 3-1 defeat to Bundesliga newcomers TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in a friendly in Austria.

After a goalless first half, which saw Morten Gamst Pedersen pick up an injury, Rovers boss Paul Ince made a host of substitutions with Robbie Fowler coming on for his Rovers debut.

And it was Hoffenheim who took the lead six minutes into the second half when Christoph Janker followed up after Jason Brown saved a header.

Benni McCarthy's 63rd-minute volley drew Rovers level but two minutes later Matthias Jaissle's header just squeezed beyond Brown to give the Germans the lead again.

And in the final minute Janker grabbed his second to ensure victory for Hoffenheim.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Padraig Harrington Payout Costs Paddy Power €2m

Paddy Power pays out again!A year on, and another win for Padraig Harrington at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale has cost Ireland's biggest bookmaker almost two millions Euros!

Padraig Harrington retained his title and the coveted Claret Jug.

Paddy Power was feeling the pinch for the second year running with patriotic Irish punters backing the Dubliner all weekend long resulting in a payout of over €2 million!

Paddy said, "It feels like we've dodged a bullet. Once again the Harrington punters have taken our pants down but thanks to the wrist injury doubts they've left our underwear on!"

Well done Padraig!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

More Transfer rumours ...

Continuing the (almost) regular series ...

Cristiano Ronaldo has fails to clear up speculation over his future by saying he could still leave Manchester United. When quizzed by ESPN he said: "What do you want me to say? That I'm going or I'm staying? I don't know about the future, only God knows it. I can't say any more."
( Gooner Truth Rating = 5/10 :: Source = ESPNsoccernet)

Chelsea's world record bid to sign AC Milan forward Kaka could cost the Blues anything from £50m to £120m with 10% going to the player himself, but the Serie A side say he is not for sale.
( Gooner Truth Rating = 1/10 :: Source = Everyone)

Chelsea are also apparently interested in Real Madrid forward Robinho after his agent revealed the club have proposed a firm offer.
(Gooner Truth Rating = 5/10 :: Source = Sunday Telegraph)

Juventus are ready to launch a £15m bid for Arsenal's Robin van Persie, who they see as an ideal replacement for Pavel Nedved.
(Gooner Truth Rating = 1/10 :: Source = News of the World)

Adebayor - over hyped - and not wanted - anywhere!And in the massively over-hyped and not nearly as good as you and your agent think you are section of the day Emmanuel Adebayor says that he will deign to stay at Arsenal if the Gunners offer him £100,000-a-week.

F*ck off Ade - no-one is interested in your delusions.

Missing Football Betting? Bet on Chickens!

PaddyPower EggyCam - bet on which one hatches first.Are you missing your regular football punt? Well now you can bet on Chickens !!

It's true - PaddyPower have gone nuts - this week they've developed Eggy-cam - where you can bet on which egg (out of a nest of 10) will hatch first ...

We found this little gem over at Bookielabrat so head over and check out the Bookielabrat Eggy-cam blog post or you can also go directly to PaddyPower's Eggy Cam mini-site to see all 8 markets that they're offering ... and a video feed of the eggs.

They're Mad at PaddyPower - I tell you ... Mad !!

Footnote :
All the eggs used in Eggycam come from Duncan & Sally's Farm in County Wicklow, Ireland. They breed rare species and have over 200 birds onsite, a donkey Casper and a pig called Pig.

When the eggs eventually hatch they will return to the comfy confines of the farm.

Additional Footnote :
Real football is back soon with the 3rd round of the Champions League qualifiers kicking off 12th August with Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Schalke and Juventus all in action.

(Phew!)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Pre-season results from Saturday.

Some interesting results from the first Saturday of pre-season action.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa all drew, while Everton, West Brom, Celtic and Rangers slid to defeats.

Wins for Arsenal, Fulham, Newcastle will put a smile on fans faces even though these matches mean nothing.

INTERTOTO
Odense 2 v Aston Villa 2 (match report)

FRIENDLIES.
Kaizer Chiefs 1 v Man Utd 1 (match report)
Barnet 1 v Arsenal 2 (match report)
Cambridge 4 v Everton 2 (match report)
Cologne 4 v West Brom 1 (match report)
Fulham 3 v Celtic 1
Hartlepool 1 v Newcastle 4 (match report)
Liverpool 1 v Wisla Krakow 1
Ostend 1 v Hull 1
Schalke 1 v Rangers 0

Friday, July 18, 2008

Spurs report Liverpool & Man Utd for poaching

Tottenham have complained to the Premier League over Manchester United and Liverpool's pursuit of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.

Sir Alex Ferguson's comments that he expects a deal to go through for Berbatov have infuriated Spurs as has Rafael Benitez's interest in Keane with the Spurs chairman Daniel Levy singled out United boss Ferguson for criticism.

"It is unbelievably hypocritical given his comments in respect of Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid," Levy said.

"The behaviour of both clubs has been disgraceful. We told both clubs very early on that we had no interest in selling Robbie or Dimitar, respectively, and that they should refrain from pursuing the player.

I have absolutely no wish to sell either player and to date we have not accepted any offer for either"


"Both clubs arrogantly chose to ignore this request and we now have evidence that both clubs have systematically been working to prise the players away from us, outside of Premier League rules of conduct."

Ferguson announced on Friday that United had made Tottenham an offer for 27-year-old Berbatov and that he was confident that the deal would go through. Benitez admitted earlier this month that he was interested in bringing Keane, 28, to Anfield this summer.

But it was Ferguson's comments that prompted Levy to speak out about the attempts to unsettle his strikers.

"Today's public comments by Manchester United's manager, announcing that he has made an offer for Dimitar and is confident that the deal will go through with time working in their favour, is a blatant example of sheer arrogance and interference with one of our players.

"It is also probably one of the worst offences by any manager in the Premier League to date. As a result, we have today made an official complaint to the Premier League about the conduct of Manchester United."

Ronaldinho lands in Milan - PR hype hits

Brazil star Ronaldinho has been unveiled to fans and the media at the San Siro stadium after completing his move from Barcelona to AC Milan.

The 28-year-old insisted he was fully fit despite concerns about his lifestyle and attitude in Spain.

"I have always lived a regular life and I will continue like that. I am in good physical condition" he said. "Every player dreams of playing for Milan. It is a special emotion and I hope to bring happiness to the fans."

Thousands of fans turned up at the stadium to welcome Ronaldinho to the club, with the San Siro nearly half full.

"I already feel at home here" he added - although unfortunately he was speaking in Portuguese and not Italian.

The fact that Barcelona sold the overweight Ronaldinho at a cut price fee, that Ronaldinho only wanted to move to a club that would let him play for Brazil in the Olympic football tournament, and that AC Milan are not in the Champions League this season were not discussed.

Milan need to reinvigorate the side with youth, energy and desire ... and instead they buy Ronaldinho?! Too old, too fat, and too jaded after a very successful career.

Can you see this all ending in tears in 12-18 months? Me too.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Man United have Spurs' Berbatov in their sights

Manchester United are prepared to play a waiting game in the pursuit of want-away Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov.

United leave for their pre-season tour of South Africa on Thursday but are not going to be rushed into paying silly money for the 27-year-old.

It is understood United have made a bid for the Bulgarian striker worth £20million plus add-ons and given Berbatov's barely-disguised desire to move to Old Trafford and Champions League football, United are hopeful an agreement will be reached at some stage.

United have previous experience of protracted transfer dealings with Tottenham when Michael Carrick moved to Manchester in 2006.

That saga lasted several weeks and that situation could be repeated given Spurs have valued Berbatov at £28million and United are adamant they will not pay anything like that sum for the striker.

Berbatov's arrival would be likely to lead to the departure of Louis Saha - the Frenchman could even travel the other way if Tottenham are interested.

Ronaldinho to join AC Milan

AC Milan have beaten Manchester City in the race to sign Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho after revealing they have reached an agreement in principle on a three-year deal for the Brazilian.

The Serie A club made the announcement on their official website following a day of talks between Barca president Joan Laporta and Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani in the Catalan capital.

The financial terms of the agreement have not been revealed but City's interest almost certainly pushed up the final fee.

Transfer talks between Barca and Milan reportedly stalled earlier this week, with the Italian club only willing to pay £11.9million plus up to around £4million in add-ons - £7.9million less than Barca were demanding.

But the Rossoneri are understood to have increased their bid by around £4million after City were reportedly waiting with a bid of £27.8million.

The Italian club confirmed that the formal completion of the deal now hinged only on the Brazil international successfully completing a medical.

"AC Milan and FC Barcelona have reached a principle agreement for the transfer of Ronaldinho to the Rossoneri," read a short statement on Milan's official website on Tuesday. "The player will be in Milan tomorrow (Wednesday) to undergo the medical examinations and sign the contract that will bind to Milan until June 30, 2011."

Gilberto Silva set for Panathinaikos move

Panathinaikos willmake Gilberto Silva the highest paid player in Greek football by signing the Arsenal midfielder on a three-year contract.

According to Greek sports radio station Sport FM, the Brazilian star is expected to arrive in Athens on Wednesday afternoon to complete a medical and put pen to paper on his contract which was agreed by the player's representatives last week.

PAO president Nikos Pateras met with Gilberto's representatives last week and thrashed out a deal after making an offer of around £1-2m to Arsenal on Friday.

The World Cup winner will sign a deal that will see him earn around £6million over the next three years, making him by far the best paid player in the country in a move which will cost Pana almost £8million in total.

Despite being made vice captain of Arsenal in 2006, Gilberto found himself on the fringes of the first team last season due to the presence of Cesc Fabregas and the emergence of Matthieu Flamini, who has since left the club but has been replaced by France midfielder Samir Nasri.

However, in the 29 appearances he did make for Arsenal last season, Gilberto showed that he still has plenty to offer.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Arshavin suddenly fancies Arsenal

Andrei Arshavin's agent has hinted his client would choose Arsenal over other interested parties due to manager Arsene Wenger's influence and the team's attacking football.

Zenit St Petersburg's Russia international is suddenly one of this summer's hottest properties after helping his side claim last season's Uefa Cup and impressing with couple of good performances at Euro 2008.

However, Arshavin believed his own agents publicity too early and after shooting his mouth off that he "only wanted to play in Spain", and now the Russian midfielder has had to come to terms with the fact that Spanish clubs were more impressed with their own national teams efforts than his displays.

The 27-year-old playmaker has little chance of engineering a move to Spain and now it appears as though Arsenal could be in pole position for his services - err - if they plan on making a bid.

Arshavin's agent Dennis Lachter has told Sky Sports News his client is a great admirer of French tactician Wenger and the team's exciting attacking football.

"The stable situation in the club and the influence of Arsene Wenger to Arsenal to English football is huge. I think this is an advantage," said Lachter.

---

Honestly?! I feel that this is a load of desperate old bollocks, hyped by an agent and carried by Sky Sports to get a few hits.

Arshavin has excelld in the UEFA Cup, then looked good for two international games before disappearing in the "big match" against Spain.

At 27 he's already running out of time, and if he was to be an Arsenal target then it would be for a damn site less than the £20m quid being bandied about.

Bollocks Rating on this rumour = 9/10 - very unlikely.

Can Zamora show West Ham what they lost?

Bobby Zamora looks to be on his way to Fulham and bet365 make him 11/8 to score against his old club next season.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth says : "The goals dried up for Zamora towards the end of his West Ham career and he'll be out to prove he can more than fill the boots of the recently departed Brian McBride at Craven Cottage"

2008/9 Bobby Zamora Specials at Bet365

Total Zamora 2008/9 Premiership Goals
----------------------------------------
Under 6.5 goals = 5/6 (1.83)
Over 6.5 goals == 5/6 (1.83)

Zamora To Score Against West Ham (in either Premiership game during 2008/9)
(Bets void if Zamora doesn't move to Fulham)
----------------------------------------
Yes = 11/8 (2.38)
No == 8/15 (1.53)

2008/9 Premiership Match Bet - Who Will Finish Higher?
----------------------------------------
Fulham === 9/4 (3.25)
West Ham = 1/3 (1.33)

Place your bet at Bet365 now

Cristiano Ronaldo needs 12 weeks to recover

Cristiano Ronaldo is facing at least three months on the sidelines, according to Antonio Gaspar the Portuguese national team physiotherapist.

The Manchester United wide man has had a difficult summer, failing to deliver at Euro2008 and then toying with Spanish suitors Real Madrid and his Old Trafford employers.

Ronaldo underwent surgery on his right ankle last Monday and the Portugal physiotherapist Antonio Gaspar has confirmed the playmaker will not return to action before October.

"We are going to use everything that is possible to us and that will help him recover as quickly as possible," Gaspar told Spanish sports daily AS. "But Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in an optimum state for the competition until 12 weeks are up"

Friday, July 11, 2008

Friday's Transfer Rumours

Even the transfer gossip is coming up a bit short today - although the London papers have plenty of general speculation re-hashed as a new story.

Adebayor going to Milan is being touted as an almost done deal - with AC Milan midfielder Yoann Gourcuff is being used as part of the "bait" to finance the estimated £30m cost of Adebayor.
(Source = Daily Express)

So the Sun reckons that Arsene Wenger wants to sign Ajax and Holland striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar to replace the departing African.
(Source = The Sun)

Down the road a bit ...

Frank Lampard has left Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich stunned by rejecting a £140,000-a-week deal over four years - although that works out as £29.2m in wagers Lampard says it's not enough - he needs 5 years to secure his future.
(Source = Daily Star)

So Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has stirred things up by claiming Lamps is "the best professional" he has worked with as he tries to lure the midfielder to Inter Milan.

The Stamford Bridge club are considering making bids for Real Madrid forward Robinho and Valencia striker David Villa reports "The Independant" - which frankly sound like a rehash of our blog entry yesterday.
(Source = Independent)

Queiroz takes Portugal coach position

Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz has been appointed as the new coach of Portugal's national side.

The 55-year-old, who had a previous spell in charge of Portugal in the 1990s, has signed a four-year contract to succeed Luiz Felipe Scolari.

FPF president Gilbert Madail said that Queiroz was his first choice for the post after Scolari departed for Chelsea at the end of Euro 2008 after five-and-a-half years in charge.

Queiroz has also previously managed Real Madrid, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

He has had two spells with United, first coming to Old Trafford in the summer of 2002.

He then spent an unsuccessful year in charge of Madrid before rejoining United on a one-year rolling contract in 2004.

"I'm very proud and honoured to go back to serve my country" said Queiroz.

His decision leaves United boss Sir Alex Ferguson without an assistant with just five weeks to go before the start of the new Premier League season.

Former United stars Mike Phelan and Brian McClair are already on the coaching staff at Old Trafford, as is Dutchman Rene Meulensteen, and they could take on extra responsibility in the short-term.

Thursday's Transfer Rumours


It looks like being another month or so until "REAL" football kicks off - so I'm going to continue the football transfers rumours series.

ARSENAL lead off today with a whole lot of talk ..

Arsenal midfielder Alex Hleb has agreed a four-year-deal with Barcelona and is set to sign for £15m - or perhaps €15m. No-one seems quite sure.
(Source = The Sun)

Arsenal are also likely to waive goodbye to Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva to Greek side Panathinaikos.
(Source = Blog Arsenal Analysis - but now picked up by a lot of papers)

On the positive side Arsenal will complete a £11.5m deal for Marseille's Samir Nasri now that the new French tax year has begun.
(Source = The Sun)

Newspapers then start totally making it up when claiming that Arsenal have bid £19m for Andrei Arshavin but his club Zenit St Petersburg want £24m.
(Source = Star)

The Gooners are also rumoured interested in 22-year-old Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, who is rated at £8m by his club River Plate - and this sounds more like Wenger to me.
(Source = The Sun)

Chelsea are also well covered in the rumour market ..

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has personally blocked Inter Milan's attempts to buy midfielder Frank Lampard.
(Source = half a dozen sites)

While on paper says that Lampard has told friends he is determined to leave Chelsea and says it is time for him to go.
(Source = Daily Express)

Didier Drogba still wants to leave Stamford Bridge, even though there hasn't been much interest - with Milan keeping very quiet ...
(Source = Daily Star)

And Chelsea were interested in Brazil forward Robinho but have been told by Real Madrid that it will cost £30m to sign .
(Source = Daily Star)

Liverpool fans are also kept informed - although the news is not so positive ..

Liverpool were interested in signing Valencia's David Villa but have been put off by the massive £32m price tag and instead are looking at Spanish international winger David Silva.
(Source = The Sun)

Benitez's transfer funds are also in doubt after Juventus said that they will not pay £15m for midfielder Xabi Alonso. That could affect Liverpool's chances of raising the cash to sign Aston Villa's Gareth Barry.
(Source = The Sun again)

Finally two snippets from mighty ManYoo ..

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has pontificated again about "player slavery" and said Manchester United they should let winger Cristiano Ronaldo join Real Madrid.
(Source = FIFA website)

Manchester United look to have lost another Portuguese employee in the form of assistant boss Carlos Queiroz, who took over as Portugal manager on Wednesday evening.
(Source = Daily Star)

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Premier League Transfer gossip


Warning most of this is pure bollocks!

As the summer grinds on - and very little major transfer action actually is happening - I thought that I would start a daily thread of the various rumours - with their sources.


The cynical webmasters amongst you might think that i'm just trying to up the hits on this blog ... and you might be right !!
:-)

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has boasted to Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal that Cristiano Ronaldo has already signed for the Spanish club.
(Source = just about every newspaper)

Frank Lampard looks to be on his way out of Chelsea as owner Roman Abramovich has refused to sanction the new five-year deal the midfielder is demanding.
(Source = The Sun)

AC Milan claim Arsenal have written a letter to them offering to sell Emmanuel Adebayor, but don't want to pay the £35m fee that the Gunners want for the striker.
(Source = The Sun again !)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has set Gareth Barry's price at £17m plus defender Steve Finnan. Wow!
(Source = Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is trying to do a cut-price £6m deal for Real Zaragoza's Argentine forward Pablo Aimar.
(Source = Daily Mirror)

Everton are tracking Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito as David Moyes considers potential replacements for unsettled striker Andy Johnson who might move to Wigan. (Source = several)

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Liverpool ready to sell Peter Crouch to Portsmouth

Peter Crouch looks likely to make a switch from Liverpool to Portsmouth in a deal that could be worth up to £11m.

The two clubs reached an agreement over the weekend and Liverpool confirmed on Monday they had given the 27-year-old permission to talk.

"We have reached a verbal agreement with Portsmouth and have given them permission to speak with Peter," a Liverpool statement said.

Liverpool are expected to initially receive in the region of £9m for Crouch, who joined the club from Southampton in July 2005 but only started nine Premier League games last term.

Anfield boss Rafael Benitez initially said he would consider offers for Crouch in the region of £15m but has been forced to scale back his demands for a player with only a year left on his current contract.

Crouch has scored 40 goals in 135 appearances for Liverpool but has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place in recent times.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Canbet offering Olympic Games promotions


Canbet.com Football
CANBET - the popular dual licensed (UK and Australian) bookmaker - is offering a whole raft of promotions around the upcoming Olympic games in China.

From Home entertainment packages (including HD TV, DVD player and Surround Sound), to paying your annual Cable TV subscription or even £250 (€300) cash in your Canbet account.

Check out all the details on the Olympic Promotions post over at Bookielabrat.com - and see if it's to your liking.

We recommend Canbet as a safe, reliable place to have a punt.

Friday, July 04, 2008

Manchester City buy Jo

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Brazilian striker Jo from CSKA Moscow.

At 6ft 3in tall is he the Brazilian answer to Peter Crouch?

His full name is Joao Alves de Assis Silva and the 21-year-old is the first signing by City boss Mark Hughes since his arrival at Eastlands.

Jo helped CSKA win four trophies during a three-year spell in Russia has signed a four-year deal scoring 44 goals in 77 games for CSKA Moscow.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Gareth Barry moves to Liverpool - once Reds pay up

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill says Gareth Barry's transfer to Liverpool will remain deadlocked unless the Reds meet the Midlands club's asking price.

Aston Villa have rejected a bid of around £15m for the 27-year-old midfielder and their asking price is thought to be between £18m to £20m

O'Neill told the club website: "We put a valuation on him and Liverpool value him differently at the moment. That's what the stalemate is, nothing else. When somebody says they want to leave there's not much you can do. If they meet our valuation he will go."

He added: "Gareth has pointed out he wants to go and has made his position clear, that has been the case since the beginning of June, when he said he wanted to join Liverpool."

Earlier this week Villa captain Barry was disciplined and ordered not to report for pre-season training for giving an unauthorised interview to a newspaper in which he criticised O'Neill.

In the interview Barry said "There's no going back, it's time for me to move on," and "I'm desperate to play Champions League football and that's why I have to leave Villa."

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Deco moves to Chelsea in £8m deal

Luiz Felipe Scolari begins life as Chelsea's manager with the signing of the Barcelona midfielder Deco on a two-year contract.

The Chelsea yesterday completed the purchase of the 30-year-old playmaker who has followed his Portugal manager to west London in an £8m deal which may have an effect on Frank Lampard's future at Stamford Bridge.

The Premier League club had been unsure whether Deco, who was below par in a Barcelona side well adrift of Real Madrid last season, represented value for money but Scolari was obviously persuaded by Deco's good form at Euro 2008.

The midfielder was a key member of Scolari's squad in Austria and Switzerland as Portugal reached the quarter-finals and has long been viewed as the coach's on-pitch lieutenant.

But what now for Frank Lampard? The England midfielder is currently on holiday in Italy but with only a year to run on his contract he has been courted by Chelsea's former manager, Jose Mourinho, who is now at Internazionale.

Deco's arrival appears to threaten Lampard's place in the team.

Are YOU the Master of Blackjack?

Have you got what it takes to become bet365 Master of Blackjack?

Throughout July UK online Casino operator Bet365 are hosting a £50,000 bet365 Masters of Blackjack tournament where YOU can prove yourself to be a true Champion.

There's eight daily prizes of £3,000 to give away and a fabulous final prize pool of over £26,000.

For as little as £1 a hand you can enter this competition at Bet365's Casino

bet365 offer bet on "Bridesmaid Ballack"

Bet365 - our #1 rated bookmakerBridesmaid Ballack 5/2 To Choke Next Season

bet365 are offering 5/2 that Michael Ballack finishes on the losing side for Chelsea in a cup final next season.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth "Ballack's trophy cabinet should have more winners medals than it does and his nearly man tag will have been added to after tasting yet more defeat on Sunday night."

Will Ballack Be A Losing Finalist Next Season?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes 5/2
No 2/7


(Ballack must actually feature for Chelsea in a final to count.
Champions League , Carling Cup &/or FA Cup)

Take a look at the odds at bet365 now