Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2011/10/31/2528651/chiefs-vs-chargers-score-monday-night-football-news
Monday, October 31, 2011
Asante Samuel isn?t making friends in the Eagles front office
Asante Samuel thought he might get traded before last week's trade deadline, and that made him sad. But the trade deadline came and went, and there he remained, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
If you thought that meant that he was going to accept his position, play nice, and try to get along with people in the Eagles organization, however, you were really, really wrong. He's still simpatico with head coach Andy Reid, but he also believes that other people in the Eagles front office would rather he wasn't around. Via CSNPhilly.com:
"Couple people upstairs might not want me, but who cares? They've probably never played football. ...
"It's a business and they run it like a business and they're going to do what they need to do. They're playing with a lot of money, playing fantasy football, doing their thing."
Asked to clarify if he was referring to [general manager Howie] Roseman and [team president Joe] Banner, Samuel said: "Howie and Joe? I don't know, do they fit the comment I made? There ya go. You think they're upstairs playing fantasy football with the owner's money?"
The "fantasy football" comment �-- which I imagine an NFL general manager would really hate -- references the big money the Eagles spent on big stars over the offseason: Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Ronnie Brown, Vince Young and Cullen Jenkins, not to mention the massive new contract they gave to Michael Vick.
[Track your favorite player with the free Yahoo! Sportacular app for iPhone and Android]
Samuel says his unhappiness won't affect his play on the field, though.
"For the fans, I'm here, as long as I get paid on Tuesday, I'm going to go out and do my job to the best of my ability each and every Sunday," he said. "I play for the fans and I play for my teammates, and that's what it's all about. Everybody has other issues, contract issues, whatever, and you just deal with it accordingly. Like I always have."
Well, that's good news, at least. Obviously, the man is unhappy, and that's not good, but I don't believe it's the kind of unhappy that affects a team on the field. Samuel isn't mad at a player or coach, he's mad at people upstairs. He's too good to cut, and the trade deadline has passed. As long as he'll play for his coaches and teammates, it shouldn't be a huge issue.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? NFL coaches get free pass while players pay the price
? Andy Dalton meets Bengals' hopes after Carson Palmer quit
? Albert Pujols in a Cardinals uniform just looks right
? Allen Iverson wants one last shot at NBA
Broncos will stick with Tebow despite poor performance
For those on either side of the fence in the Great Tim Tebow debate of 2011, it would appear that everyone will have the second-year quarterback to discuss for at least another week. Despite some speculation that the Denver Broncos might bench Tebow in favor of either Kyle Orton or Brady Quinn after his sub-par performance in a 45-10 demolition at the hands of the Detroit Lions, Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that there will be no change at the position.
After the game, Broncos head coach John Fox put the impetus on the team, as opposed to a new quarterback situation. It's too early to say," Fox said about what needs to be dealt with. "I haven't even had a shower yet, let alone look at that tape but we'll look at it and make changes where we see are needed. We've definitely got to get better.''
Talking to Denver sports radio station 102.3 The Ticket on Monday morning, Broncos team president John Elway -- who knows a thing or two about quarterback play himself -- reviewed a Tebow performance that saw the young passer complete just 18 throws in 39 attempts for 172 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and seven sacks.
"I think if you look at what they did defensively, they had a good game plan in that they were not a blitzing team before they got in here -- they got after Tim and they manned us up in the secondary and came after Tim in the pocket and they were going to make him get rid of it quick," Elway said. "Number one, they had a good pass rush coming in then you add the two blitzers that they had, and they tried to just smother him and they did a good job.
"You cannot win football games unless you pick up third downs. That's the bottom line. I think we were 0-for-7 at halftime on third downs, and we started that way last week. And it's not one guy, it's the entire offense, but I think if you look at the number one thing, if you don't pick up third downs and keep yourself on the feel, you'll never get a rhythm offensively. I don't care what the play calling is or anything else, until we do a better job on third down, we're not going to be a successful offense."
Before the game, Fox said that the Broncos were going to put together a college-style game plan to play better to Tebow's strengths. Based on the results against the Lions, Fox was taking a game plan from the University of Phoenix. Seriously, though, did Elway believe that enough has been done to meet Tebow halfway schematically?
"I think that anytime you have a performance like that, there's always plenty of I don't want to say blame but coaching staff, players, line, receivers ? everyone's responsible. So everyone could have done better when you get beat that bad. So everyone needs to look at themselves and say, 'How can we get better?' There were obviously some situations where play calling could have been better, but I don't care what you do, unless you pick up third downs, play calling cannot help you. And so I think that is the key thing, and as the quarterback's job, it's your job to pick up third downs because that's what keeps you on the field. Now, you have to give [the Lions] credit because they're a good defensive team with a good front four. You add two more blitzers to that which they were going to do ? they were going to smother Timmy, they were going to keep him in the pocket, and make him throw it and get rid of it quickly. And they were able to do that successfully, so they stuck with it."
Of course, the million-dollar question is whether a quarterback of Tebow's specific skills can succeed as a quarterback in the NFL ? maybe he's a better player at a different position? Elway sounded as if he wasn't nearly ready to give up on Tebow as a quarterback.
"I think that there's adjustments on both sides. Obviously when you have a quarterback of Tim's skill set and age and youth, I think they're doing everything they can to put Tim in the best situation to be successful, as well as this offense. Obviously it hasn't worked yet; we've struggled on offense the past two weeks. So we'll continue to work at it and see what we can get done."
Not as if they have much choice ? as the competitive aspect of the Broncos' season starts to close, the next step is to find out what they can get from Tebow if he is to stick around ? or what they can get for him if he's to be somebody else's project player in the end.
(H/T: Sports Radio Interviews)
Lamarr Houston Israel Idonije Ricky Jean Francois Peria Jerry
Chargers guard suffered seizure on team plane
San Diego guard Kris Dielman suffered a scary experience on Sunday night as the team flew home from�its loss to the Jets. According to AP, he suffered a grand mal seizure on the plane after sustaining a concussion during the game.
Dielman's injury came in the fourth quarter; he was obviously staggered but�continued to play. The Chargers have been hard hit by injuries, and they were out of offensive linemen. San Diego's injury report says that Dielman is likely out for two weeks because of the concussion.
Seizures happen when there is abnormal electric activity in the brain, and can be caused by brain injuries. Grand mal seizures involve a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions.
Dielman missed a game due to a concussion last season. Repeated concussions have been proven to have dire consequences on an athlete's long-term health and are considered a culprit in the chronic traumatic encephalopathy that has stricken such former NFL players as Chris Henry and Dave Duerson.
[Track your favorite player with the free Yahoo! Sportacular app for iPhone and Android]
The NFL tightened�its concussion protocol in 2009. Players should not be allowed back in games after suffering obvious concussive symptoms, but Dielman was not pulled from the game. Neurologists would have a hard time proving that the seizure was from staying in the game, but it's hard to consider the timing a coincidence.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Video: Will Tom Brady, Patriots conquer Steelers again?
? What will the losing Rangers do with their championship gear?
? DailyMeal: Eight great NFL stadiums for beer fanatics
Sunday?s five most valuable players, Week 8
See Sunday's five least valuable players here.
Steven Jackson, Running Back, St. Louis Rams. Watching Jack go nuts on the Saints felt really good. Remember when Steven Jackson used to have days like this pretty regularly, and it was so admirable, because the Rams so clearly had nothing else going for them, and he kept on grinding so hard? I always kind of wanted him to get a signature, come-out-of-nowhere win like this. It never really happened then, but now that we're in the second "the Rams have Steven Jackson but are still awful" era, it finally did, and it feels good.
[Slideshow: Photo highlights of Week 8]
Eli Manning, Quarterback, New York Giants. Without much of a running game to lean on (Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 60 yards on 17 carries), Eli lit up the Dolphins to the tune of 349 yards and both of the Giants touchdowns. Eli was measured, patient, accurate and balanced -- eight different Giants caught balls. If Eli can keep up this level of play, which, admittedly, has not been Eli's strong suit, the Giants are in good shape with their two-game division lead.
Tony Sparano, Head Coach, Miami Dolphins. MJD's mea culpa of the week: I was wrong about the Dolphins. I thought all the "We stink, you stink" nonsense was an indication of an impending mental meltdown for the Dolphins, but nothing could've been farther from the truth. No Dolphin, not even Reggie Bush, stunk on Sunday. They played really hard and fought the Giants every step of the way. They may not be great at playing football, but they are competitors. That's not nothing.
LaMarr Woodley, Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger was awesome with his 365 yards passing, but I've got to see the Pittsburgh defense as the most important unit of this game. After a bye week, I expected Tom Brady to come out and have his perverse way with the Steelers secondary, but that wasn't even close. Not only did the Steelers lock up the Patriots ground game, but Brady couldn't do anything, either. The offense keeping the ball for 39 minutes helped, but Woodley was excellent on Sunday, just as he has been every week since James Harrison went out.
Mike Vick, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles. The Week Eight version was the best version of Michael Vick we've seen all season, and the NFL is a way more interesting place when Vick is at his best. We haven't seen enough of it this year. The Cowboys might disagree, but really, I think Marcus Vick would've beaten them on Sunday night. Vick finished 21-of-28 for 279 yards and two touchdowns, which aren't numbers that blow you away, but then you mix in his 50 rushing yards and consider that he did pretty much all of that in the first half, and it gets more impressive.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Player sacks Tim Tebow, then mocks him to his face
? Long-winded referee delivers 63-word explanation on call
? Percy Harvin picks fight on opposing team's sideline
Football League: your thoughts | Ian McCourt
Southampton set a club record, Huddersfield remain unbeaten and the eight goals at Bramall Lane are eclipsed at Underhill
? All of Saturday's results and scores
? Before Saturday's game, Middlesbrough had not lost at St Mary's but two first-half headed goals by Guly do Prado changed all that. That brace means the Brazilian has scored six goals so far this season; more than half of his total last season. Speaking before the match, he said: "I once had my doubt about staying at Southampton but not any more. I wouldn't want to go back to Italy now. I still don't like the cold weather and English food isn't my favourite. But what I do like here, more than anywhere I've been, is the people." David Connolly, who came on for Guly, made the game safe in the 80th minute. Southampton's fans will probably reciprocate Do Prado's latter sentiments, as the win means Southampton remain the only club in the Championship with a 100% home record, which also enabled them to set a club record 16th consecutive league victory on their own turf. The Saints remain three points clear at the top.
? You may not have heard, but Leicester are without a manager at the moment after Sven-Goran Eriksson's departure during the week, and they faced a big task away to West Ham, who, second in the league and with three wins in their last six games, are one of the form sides in the Championship. This was the first time the sides have met in seven seasons and Leicester have not won at Upton Park in 11 years. That statistic will not be changing for a while, despite two second-half strikes by Andy King, thanks to a goal from Julien Faubert and two from Sam Baldock.
? While the Hammers may be one of the form sides of the league, Crystal Palace are the form side. Last week they ended the unbeaten run of Ipswich ? who were comfortably seen off 4-1 by Millwall at the New Den on Saturday ? and though they could only manage a goalless draw at home to Reading, the Royals have not lost since a 2-0 defeat at home against Watford on 10 September.
? In League One, there was no change at the top of the league. Second-placed Huddersfield continued their, by now, staggering run without defeat ? it now stands at 41 league games ? with a 1-0 win away at basement club Yeovil, thanks to a late goal by substitute Anton Robinson. Meanwhile, leaders Charlton hammered Hartlepool 4-0 away courtesy of two goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips and one each from Danny Hollands and Scott Wagstaff.
? Game of the day in League One, however, was at Bramall Lane where Sheffield United and Exeter drew 4-4. The Grecians were 2-0 up until Matt Phillips and Billy Clarke drew the Blades level. Matthew Lowton then put United in front before John O'Flynn brought the two sides level once more. Two goals in two minutes, by Phillips and James Dunne, meant the game ended that way. The draw means United lose ground on Sheffield Wednesday ? who won 2-1 at Wycombe.
? Going in to their game at Rochdale, Leyton Orient had gathered 12 points from a possible 18, erasing the memory of their poor early season performances. They continued that good form with a 2-0 win at Spotland, where Dale, according to their manager, Steve Eyre, "are in a rebuilding phase, we are improving and occasionally you get chinned when you don't expect it". Rochdale may have only one defeat in six but they are now mixed up in the relegation zone.
? While League One spectators in Sheffield were greeted with eight goals, their League Two counterparts at Underhill saw nine, as Barnet lost 6-3 against Burton Albion. The spectacular defeat means Barnet remain in the relegation zone, four points ahead of Plymouth, who were heading for a draw at Cheltenham until Darryl Duffy scored his second deep into injury time to give the home side a 2-1 win.
? In what was probably the big match of the day in League Two, Peter Leven scored a fabulous long-range goal to earn three points for Oxford against Port Vale and move his side up to fourth. At the top of the league, Southend are now level with Crawley, who needed a late goal from Hope Akpan to earn a home draw with Accrington Stanley.
Check out the latest league tables and have your say on all the action from the Football League below
guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
JaMarcus Russell had a lot on his mind in Oakland
Much like every other athlete in the world, there's a lot you didn't know about former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Sports Illustrated's L. Jon Wertheim went to Mobile, Ala., to talk to Russell and got his side of being a huge NFL draft bust. Here are some of the tidbits he turned up.
Russell suffered from sleep apnea.
"In the NFL, my first year, I had to be there at 6:30 before practice and be on the treadmill for an hour. Then meetings come, I sit down, eat my fruit. We watch film, and maybe I got tired. Coach Flip [quarterback coach John DeFilippo] pulled me aside and said, 'What are you doing for night life?' I said, 'Coach, I'm just chilling.' He said, 'I need to get you checked out.' I did the sleep test, and they said I had apnea."
From former life coach John Lucas:
"JaMarcus is a good kid, I'm telling you, who just needs to find his motivation. But we still talk. Have him tell you about his sleep apnea. A lot [of his issues] come from that. And no one knows it."
Sleep apnea can indeed throw a giant monkey wrench into someone's life. Essentially, it means that a sufferer stops breathing when they sleep, up to dozens of times per night, making it impossible to get a good night's sleep. They never feel rested, and all day long, every day, all they feel like doing is sleeping.
I'd imagine that would make it difficult to excel as a quarterback, which requires constant learning, snap decision-making and near-instant reflexes.
[Related: Sad end to $42 million NFL player's season]
Russell says there were more things working against him, including a staff and roster that gave him no support, the lack of a quarterback mentor, and the deaths of 11 friends or family members while he was in Oakland.
None of that explains everything, though. I don't want to call them excuses, and I'm not unsympathetic, but I don't believe for a second that Russell couldn't have been better than what he was. If there had been a better work ethic and a better mindset, he certainly would've at least risen to a level above abysmal. He wasn't the worst of all time, but he was close.
Other highlights of the article include Russell's incredible spirit of giving in his hometown of Mobile, and his plans to get back into the NFL. He's still only 26 years old, and he just built a 50-yard practice facility on his property. He doesn't want to play in the UFL or CFL, but says he's committed to getting back.
If that's true, he'll get another shot. Guys with his physical skills always get another shot, as long as there's some hope remaining that they can get the rest of their life together. We'll find out for sure next summer.
[Download the free Yahoo! Sportacular app for iPhone and Android and never leave the game behind]
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Terrell Owens gets contract offer from unlikely team
? Andy Dalton meets Bengals' hopes after Carson Palmer quit
? Video: Is Colts coach Jim Caldwell's job in danger?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
T.O. draws no NFL attendance in first public workout since knee surgery
When Terrell Owens showed up at Calabasas High School outside of Los Angeles on Tuesday morning for a workout that would ostensibly show the NFL what the 37-year-old receiver had left just six months after ACL surgery, he was a man nearly alone. Aside from a scattering of media (led by the NFL Network, which televised the workout), there were no confirmations of attendance from NFL teams, and�no team gear on the sidelines, according to Lindsay Soto of the NFL Network. The workout was put together by agent Drew Rosenhaus, who engineered a successful comeback for client Plaxico Burress with the New York Jets.
If Owens was to ever again replicate anything remotely like the three-touchdown day Burress had last Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, he would have to show that he could do what he'd always done at a high level ? get off press coverage with a quick release, make fast cuts on short routes, and get upfield in a hurry off those cuts and catches.
"I feel good," Owens told Soto after the workout. "This is actually shorter than I've been going the last couple of weeks, so I feel good. It's been challenging from a physical standpoint, just to get my knee back to where it needs to be, and to have the confidence to go out here and run and cut. This is what I've been training for, I'm not worried about the naysayers who say that I can't come back, that I'm wasting my time. I think what I showed today -- it speaks for itself."
[Video: Can anyone stop the Packers?]
Well, not to align myself with the "naysayers", but ... whether it was the knee or age simply catching up to him, Owens looked below par in comparison to an average NFL possession receiver. He ran a handful of routes on the high school's field after an extended warmup and caught balls from quarterback Casey Hansen of the Arena League's Spokane Shock. Defensive back Richard Brown, who has had some camp time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons, lined up against Owens on a few of the routes.
The first point of concern: Through the workout, Owens got frequent breaks between drills; Charles Davis of the NFL Network made the valid point that teams would want to move this process along and see how winded he gets. However, there was no weakness or buckling in the left knee.
He spent the first 20 minutes of the hour warming up with trainer Raymond Farris and hanging out with Rosenhaus. Once he got going, he looked reasonably quick on the ladder drill; good short-step quickness there. Owens rounded off his cuts a little bit on the second 60-yard shuttle after looking nice and tight on the first one. He seemed to have good, fast foot "twitch" and appears to have no issues with lateral motion.
[Related: Surprising numbers about NFL arrests]
His feet were active in blocking drills but looked a bit slow to turn in the "stalk" mirror drill where he ran up a few yards and moved with his trainer side to side. He got decent first-step separation off the line in drills. That's key, because at this point in his career, he isn't going to run a lot of go routes ? he will be asked to get very quick separation and catch the ball quickly on shorter routes.
On the 5-yard quick out, he got vertical on a high throw and came to the ground. Teams would probably want him to be able to keep his feet and turn upfield on that. On the 12-yard comeback (quick dig) ? there were no knee problems with the turn back and upfield, but he was not exceptionally quick -- not an aggressive and controlled turn-and-cut player at this point in his recovery.
Owens looked a bit quicker on the 10-yard skinny post to out route, but I didn't see a guy who was going to consistently separate in those short routes unless he can be physical and beat press with his hands as he has before.
He held up and decelerated a step after the turn on the 18-yard out, missing the anticipated throw. Another problem there ? if quarterbacks have to adjust to a receiver with very little in the way of acceleration in those short areas, they're going to get sacked a lot. Not going to happen. He ran another 18-yard out and looked slow after the turn again. He looked better on a very quick short slant, but that's easy fodder. Not bad on the hard cut to beat off coverage, but I don't think that speed is gonna work against, say, Brandon Flowers.
[Y! Sports Shop: Buy gear of your favorite NFL team]
Overall, and hearing from one source that Owens is fairly close to complete in his recovery (a couple weeks away, that source told me), I'm not seeing a receiver that would grab interest from any team. Until and unless he can get up to speed and optimal acceleration after cuts, I'm not sure what he'd be able to do in an offense.
Owens remained positive, even when asked about the lack of NFL interest.
"I have faith that I'll land on my feet."
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Video: Lions' Suh is nasty ? but is he dirty?
? Rangers one win from first World Series title
? Prep QB continues to play despite being legally blind
MC Hammer shares some life lessons with the 49ers
Yo, sound the bell. School's in, sucka.
MC Hammer is two things. He's dope on the floor, and he's magic on the mic. On Tuesday, he was willing to share some secrets with the San Francisco 49ers on how they can be dope on the field, and magic in their lives.
Perhaps those weren't his exact words, but I like to imagine that was the gist of it. Here's the report from Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com:
A 49ers team spokesman said Hammer addressed the team Tuesday afternoon about handling the "trials and tribulations" that can easily come along with being a public figure in sports and entertainment.
Hammer's appearance was set up by Keena Turner, the 49ers' vice president of football affairs. Both Turner and Hammer live in Tracy, and have known each other for a long time.
I know it sounds silly, but Hammer's an experienced and wise man. He's an ordained minister, and he knows what life can be like in the spotlight. He's been around the world. From London to the bay.
It's not the first time Hammer has helped the 49ers, either. Back in '09, Michael Crabtree staged a lengthy holdout, until Hammer got involved in the negotiations and said to everyone involved, "Stop. Contract time." They hammered out a deal, and the rest was history.
Gracias, Deadspin.
England's tired minds selected the wrong options in India | Vic Marks
By the end of this ODI tour in India, England's batsmen could still run ? they can always do that ? but they could not think
England will not have to play another game of cricket this year ? for which they are, no doubt, truly grateful. They look as if they have had enough. Just about everyone on the planet is mightily intrigued by the mysteries of India ? except perhaps our cricketers.
England's tour of India, which finished on Saturday, reminded me of my first and only trip to the Taj Mahal, which took place on the 1984?85 expedition. The entire party got up at 4.30am in order to see the great mausoleum at sunrise, except Mike Gatting, who explained: "I've seen it before." These past four weeks those England players who had seen it all before in India seemed to exhibit little enthusiasm for another visit to the country so soon after the previous one ? at least when 50-over cricket was on the agenda.
Now they can all rest up until the new year. We have reached a conclusion of sorts, and at the end of anything nowadays there have to be some awards. So we can dish a few out.
Most improved ODI cricketer: Andrew Strauss. You are always better in retirement. Forget that there were always queries about his right to be in the team, Strauss it was who played the spinners so deftly when England met India in Bangalore during the World Cup. Apparently Andy Flower wanted him to continue for another year, but Strauss, with indisputable logic, thought otherwise.
Most indispensable ODI batsman: Eoin Morgan. His reputation was high before the Indian tour; it has sky-rocketed in the past three weeks. Now he is being touted as captain for all forms of limited-over cricket. The longer he is injured the more imminent his appointment appears to be.
Most lethal ODI bowler: Stuart Broad. (See above on the joys of being absent). This was a very good tour to miss.
Most improved international cricket coach: Duncan Fletcher. Well, he was obviously crap in England last summer, but now he is a bit of a wizard again.
Notwithstanding Saturday's Twenty20 victory, the tour to India was a chastening experience. Flower has drawn comparison with the Test defeat in Jamaica in 2009 when England were bowled out for 51, partly because the shock waves that performance provoked were ultimately so productive.
Now we seek some sort of perspective. English cricket is not suddenly a shambles. Nor is it quite so potent as the euphoria of 2011 ? from the triumph of an Ashes victory in Sydney to the routing of India in the home Test series ? led some to believe. Especially when they are using white balls. In India, only one player categorically advanced during the ODIs and that was the one who was hungry for some cricket, Steven Finn. Otherwise, Samit Patel and Jonathan Trott just about ended in credit. None of the others did.
It may be that the selectors were too emboldened by the successes of 2011. They were in a mood to take a punt (always beware selectors with a yearning to pluck rabbits from hats). So it was that they sent out Scott Borthwick and Stuart Meaker. Of course, they have to experiment some time and glean new evidence but whether an away one?day series against India, arguably the toughest assignment on the international circuit, is the place to do that is debatable.
In the nearest equivalent that the English domestic game offers to ODI cricket ? the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition (I know, it's not that near) ? Borthwick played eight games for Durham and took six wickets in 2011. Meaker played three games for Surrey and captured four wickets. In the Lord's final in September, which was played on a low-bouncing, Indian-style pitch, Surrey opted not to pick Meaker. Yet this pair were part of England's 15 in India.
Our selectors are usually so pragmatic. and, recently at least, so youthful. Incidentally, Australia have just appointed John Inverarity, 67, as their full-time national selector. In other circumstances there might be scope to mock but for the fact that I know that Inverarity's knowledge and passion for the game is exceeded by no one. Moreover he is not the sort of man to be locked in his own era. He will be good.
Of course, England's torment was not the fault of the peripheral selections for the tour. The batsmen could not bat effectively against spin on turning tracks, more, I suspect, through tired minds than too many technical deficiencies. Against competent spinners in these conditions, batsmen need their wits to be razor sharp in assessing the risks. They must sometimes try to manipulate the ball rather than massacre it. They must be able to think on their feet. By the end of the ODI series they could still run ? they can always do that ? but they could not think.
guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/oct/29/england-tired-minds-in-india
The NFL?s Week 8 Fight Card
The Fight Card organizes this week's NFL matchups as if they were a night at the fights, with prelim matches, the mid-card, the upper-card, and the main event. Also included for handy reference are game times, networks, commentary teams and "Vegas expectations," we'll call them. Thanks to The 506 for the broadcast info and BetUS for the numbers.
THE PRELIM BOUTS
New Orleans Saints @ St. Louis Rams
1 p.m. ET, Fox. Chris Myers and Tim Ryan
Saints favored by 14, Over/Under of 48
It's Ivan and Nikita Koloff against the Mulkey Brothers, with A.J. Feeley once again playing the role of whichever Mulkey brother fancied himself in charge. Sam Bradford's been ruled out once again.
Cleveland Browns @ San Francisco 49ers
4 p.m. ET, CBS. Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
49ers favored by 9�, Over/Under of 38�
Did you realize that the Cleveland Browns are a .500 team? I don't think I did. Of all the teams in the NFL that are the worst in their division, the Browns have the best record. Should they somehow beat the 49ers on Sunday (not likely) and the Steelers lose to the Patriots (more likely), the Browns can't be more than a game out of the division lead come Monday morning. The relevance of all this? There's not much. The Browns are probably going to lose.
Miami Dolphins @ New York Giants
1 p.m. ET, CBS. Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf.
Giants favored by 10�, Over/Under of 42�
Ten and a half? Is that the appropriate line for an 0-6 team, on which everyone says that everyone else sucks, playing on the road against a quality team that's coming off a bye? Just 10�? It seems like Miami's miniature mental meltdown this week should've pushed that to at least 13.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Seattle Seahawks
4 p.m. ET, CBS. Bill Macatee and Steve Tasker
Bengals favored by 3, Over/Under of 37.5
It feels like I have the Bengals among the prelim bouts every week, which absolutely is not fair to them, but I'm sorry, I just can't muster much interest in any game involving the Seahawks. In Week 14 or so, when the Bengals are still above .500 and very much alive in the AFC North, and Bengals fans are calling me terrible names because I didn't give them enough respect back in Week 8, I will take it and know that I deserve it.
THE SPECIAL PILLOW FIGHT
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
1 p.m. ET, CBS. Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Tennessee favored by 8�, Over/Under of 43�
I was watching ESPN's "Numbers Never* Lie" the other day, and they were talking about Chris Johnson's struggles and who deserved the blame. Someone mentioned that the Titans offensive line, according to Football Outsiders, was last in the league in Adjusted Line Yards, a metric that measures offensive line performance. I'm sorry I don't remember who said it, but no one else cared, either -- everyone pretty much ignored it and then went on to make arguments that had nothing to do with numbers. So no, maybe numbers don't lie, but that doesn't mean we can't ignore them.
THE MID-CARD BOUTS
Arizona Cardinals @ Baltimore Ravens
1 p.m. ET, Fox. Sam Rosen and Brian Billick
Ravens favored by 13, Over/Under of 43
A quote from Cardinals tight end Jeff King: "We're a team in search of 'it.' That's on all of us. It's no group in particular, it's no person in particular. It's us. Does it suck, losing? Well, yeah. Losing sucks, but you have to come back to work and work even harder at it." Great. So it's up to no one in particular to find something that can't be defined or quantified. Sounds promising for the rest of the Cardinals season.
San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
(Monday) 8:35 p.m. ET, ESPN. Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden
Chargers favored by 4�, Over/Under of 43�
I feel like it's going to take some kind of colossal embarrassment to prod the Chargers into turning their season around. My hope is that that embarrassment came against the Jets, and isn't still upcoming against the Chiefs. By the way, remember in Week 2, when everyone thought Todd Haley was about to be fired? He deserves a little love for righting the ship and getting the Chiefs back to .500, doesn't he?
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans
1 p.m. ET, CBS. Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Houston favored by 9, Over/Under of 40�
Could any two teams in the league be more different in terms of the kind of football they inspire the Baltimore Ravens to play? The Texans got the best out of them. The Jaguars somehow turned them into little old ladies. It was like they invented the neutral zone trap of football.
Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
1 p.m. ET, Fox. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
Panthers favored by 3, Over/Under of 46�
When this one's over, I don't know that you'll be able to look at it and say, "Hey, that was one really well-played game," but I do feel pretty confident that Cam Newton and Christian Ponder will entertain you. It seems like Ponder's got a little bit of Newton in him. It's not the same athleticism, but it's some athleticism, and he's capable of getting out of the pocket and making a game between teams with a combined record of 3-11 worth your while.
THE UPPER-CARD BOUTS
Detroit Lions @ Denver Broncos
4 p.m. ET, Fox. Dick Stockton and John Lynch
Lions favored by 4, Over/Under of 41�
It looks like Stafford's going to play on Sunday, which should be enough to get the Lions off of their two-game losing streak, but I still feel a little weird about this one. Detroit's allowed three 100-yard rushers in their last three games. In fact, the last time they didn't allow a 100-yard rusher was when they played the Cowboys and Felix Jones got most of the carries, and Felix Jones would find a way to bow out around the 60-yard mark if you entered him in a marathon.
Washington Redskins vs. Buffalo Bills
4 p.m. ET, Fox. Thom Brennaman and Troy Aikman
Bills favored by 6�, Over/Under of 45�
All right, I'll say it -- we're struggling to fill the upper portion of the fight card this week. This one's here because the Bills had a week off, it feels like it's been too long since I've seen them, and it's being played in Toronto, which, because I'm an idiot, makes it inexplicably more interesting to me. I feel like the Bills are about to get their first win in Canada. Why that means anything to me, I couldn't tell you.
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
8:30 p.m. ET, NBC. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
Eagles favored by 3, Over/Under of 49
For a Cowboys/Eagles game, it's been an eerily quiet week. The Eagles were on a bye last week, and the Cowboys played the Rams, which is kind of like a bye. If it wasn't for DeSean Jackson bringing up Rob Ryan's digs about the Eagles from two months ago, we'd have heard nary a word about this game. Sure, Asante Samuel's been moaning, but not about this game. Could it be that these two teams have embraced a business-like, just-go-do-your-job mentality? Just for a week, maybe?
THE MAIN EVENT
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
4 p.m. ET, CBS. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Patriots favored by 3, Over/Under of 52�
It's not often that we get a matchup of the top two seeds from the Absurdly Premature Playoff Picture. And I'm glad we'll see the Steelers tested, too. Sure, they've turned things around since their mudstomping at the hands of Baltimore and their 2-2 start. But those wins have come against Tennessee, Jacksonville and Arizona. After New England this week, they get Baltimore and Cincinnati. Whip out the measuring stick.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/The-NFL-s-Week-8-Fight-Card?urn=nfl-wp10626
Lions deny taunting Matt Ryan when he was injured, cite Falcons? ?clip reel? in retort
Sunday, we brought you the story of several Atlanta Falcons players accusing Detroit Lions defenders ? specifically defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive tackle Cliff Avril ? of taunting Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan when Ryan suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of Atlanta's 23-16 win.
Avril defended himself via Twitter, and we included that in the original post. But nobody had heard from Suh about this subject, though he did speak to media after the game. Monday, Suh went out of his way to defend himself and his teammates from the accusations by Falcons players, led by receiver Roddy White.
"I'm not even near their quarterback, so how am I going to trash-talk somebody that has a medical staff that's all around him?" Suh told the Detroit media on Monday. "That's their own problem. If you look at that play, I didn't cause his quarterback to come down. [Lawrence Jackson], who was closest man to him, and Corey [Williams] didn't cause the player to go down. Myself and Cliff [Avril] were standing next to each other.
"If you look at it, to me, it's karma. For all the bad stuff they've done in the past, their offensive lineman hurt their own quarterback. So I'll leave it at that."
[Video: Lions' Suh is nasty ? but is he dirty?]
But why would the Falcons say these things and be so detailed in their accusations if the accusations weren't true? "I don't know," he said. "Maybe that's because the media and certain outlets have continued to call me a dirty player but yet can't prove it."
Avril also made mention of the Falcons' own extracurricular activities coming back to bite them, but he wasn't very specific. Suh laid it all out, and insisted that he didn't need "Rodney" White's respect.
"There's many, many, many plays that I can go back to on film that I watched all week that their offensive line has done -- and that they've been coached to do, as far as I know," Suh said. "It's not anything that's not been said, it's not anything that's new. Those are things that they're taught to do.
"And I can go back -- there's like a 13-, 15-play clip reel that we have that shows everything they've done. That's not even counting our game. There's many plays that I can go back to in that particular game and say, 'What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to just let that happen? Or what?'"
Also on Monday, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz tried to put the entire incident in context by saying that "it would be very out of character for someone to be saying something about an injured player. I mean if you really look at that play, he stepped on his own player [tackle Will Svitek] and that is what caused it. When he was down on the ground, we didn't have anybody near him.
"[Atlanta] is a team that prides themselves on playing hard, particularly on the offensive line. We are a team that prides ourselves on playing hard, particularly on the defensive line. When you have those kinds of battles, there is going to be things that happen during the game and there were a lot of things. It was chippy; let's put it that way. We didn't play well enough to win. I would be very surprised if that was the case.
"I can speak on my experience. The one play that happened close to our sideline when [Falcons FB Ovie] Mughelli hurt his knee. You see all of our guys? I mean [Louis] Delmas who actually made the hit immediately dropped to his knees to say a prayer for him. Every one of our players was immediately calling for their trainers to come in. I would be surprised if our guys felt any other way. I mean Mughelli looked like he was seriously injured. Matt Ryan missed a play."
[Download the free Yahoo! Sportacular app for iPhone and Android and never leave the game behind]
Between the frequent penalty flags thrown in Suh's direction and Schwartz's own impulse control issues with 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, the coach was asked if the team's tough-guy approach got in the way of actual football at times. "No, I don't think that there's any cause of concern for anything like that," he said. "I think football's something that you have to play with an attitude. You don't want to get penalties and you don't want to extend past the line. I think that the officials did a pretty good job of keeping this one in control. Like I said, that's a team that prides themselves on pushing the envelope on the offensive line. I mean, I think, anybody that's seen them play or has watched that game could see some of those things and you know, we're a team defensively that does the same thing.
"I don't think that had anything to do with the game. I mean it had nothing to do with us making a play in the game or not making a play in the game."
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Video: Can anyone stop the Packers?
? La Russa to blame for Cardinals' Game 5 loss
? UFC's BJ Penn won't be drawn into trash-talking battle
Football live blog -as it happened
More reaction to the Carlos Tevez situation, comment on the allegations against John Terry and team news ahead of a busy weekend
Good morning and welcome to our weekly live football blog. We'll keep you up to date with all the latest fixture news ahead of this weekend's action, as well as breaking news and updates from press conferences around the UK and beyond. Should you wish to get involved, feel free to ping me an email or post a comment below the line. If there's any news pertaining to your club that you think is worthy of mention in this week's blog, put it in an email and send it our way.
So, here we go again. It is almost but not quite the weekend, and that is reason enough to roll up our sleeves, grab a pick and a shovel and prepare for a day of toil at football's vicious coalface. Key games this weekend include Chelsea v Arsenal and reunions for Roy Hodgson and Liverpool at the Hawthorns, and for Darren Bent and Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. In the Championship the leaders, Southampton, host third-place Middlesbrough, while in League One the visit to Yeovil could be Lee Clark's final match in charge of Huddersfield, with Leicester rumoured to be circling.
This came through on Reuters overnight: "San Lorenzo's home match with All Boys in the Argentine first division this weekend has been suspended after Saints defender Jonathan Bottinelli was attacked by a fan of his own club. Bottinelli was punched by a San Lorenzo fan after Wednesday's practice as he made his way to the dressing rooms, the player told reporters." The AFA have started an investigation, while Botinelli says he might leave. "As I was going to the dressing room, one [fan] hit me from behind," he said. "I know him, but not his name. In the heat of the moment, the first thing that I think of is leaving the club." The All Boys president, Roberto Bugallo, disagreed with the postponement. "I think it's the wrong decision because All Boys are not to blame for San Lorenzo's problems," he said. San Lorenzo, one of Argentina's so-called "Big Five" teams, have had a rubbish time in the Apertura championship, and are in the bottom half of the table with 14 points, precisely half the total boasted by leaders Boca Juniors.
Also in Argentina, Newcastles Jonas Guiterrez has been dropped from the squad to face Bolivia and Colombia in World Cup qualifiers next month. The only UK-based players included by Alejandro Sabella are Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta and Sergio Ag�ero.
This extremely exciting news update has been removed, because the Press Association sent it out before they were supposed to. In fact, the news reported in this update will not happen for another few hours, until 1pm in fact, and we will report it again then. In the meantime, we will replace it with the news that Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers is likely to name an unchanged side for tomorrow's Premier League clash with Bolton.
Jermaine Jenas is included in Villa's squad for that game, and thus could finally make his debut for the club following thigh and achilles injuries. Barry Nannan is absent having been suspended by the club following his arrest for suspected drink driving.
Wolves are still without injured striker Steven Fletcher for their Barclays Premier League match away to Manchester City tomorrow.
Fletcher has a calf problem, but he may be fit for the next game against Swansea. There is no reason for Mick McCarthy to change the team that lost 5-2 to an understrength City side at home this week, although some logical and tactical ones might crop up.
A very tasty goal from last night's Besiktas v Fenerbahce derby. Enjoy.
Shane Long, ruled out by West Brom for six weeks just a few days ago, is nevertheless in the Republic of Ireland squad for the Euro 2012 play-off against Estonia next month. The games are on 11 and 15 November.
Republic of Ireland squad: Given (Aston Villa), Westwood (Sunderland), Forde; O'Shea (Sunderland), Kelly (Fulham), Ward (Wolves), Dunne (Villa), St Ledger (Leicester), O'Dea (Leeds), McShane (Hull); Whelan (Stoke), McCarthy (Wigan), Coleman (Everton), Andrews (Ipswich), Fahey (Birmingham), Gibson (Man Utd), Keogh (Leeds), Duff (Fulham), McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Hunt (Wolves), Lawrence (Portsmouth); Keane (LA Galaxy), Doyle (Wolves), Long (West Brom), Cox (West Brom), Walters (Stoke).
News from Brazil, albeit from a few days ago: a bitch on the pitch. Am I allowed to say that? I don't even know the sex of the dog.
Another tasty goal from last night, this from Romania (courtesy of 101greatgoals.com).
Gordon Taylor has been on the airwaves defending the PFA's position on the Carlos Tevez saga, after Manchester City accused his organisation of an "apparent conflict of interest" because Tevez's representative during this entire snafu has been the PFA's chief executive, and the PFA ended up blocking the club's proposed four-week fine. "It's not a conflict of interest at all," he said. "It's just merely pointing out what the law is, what the law says, and what the code of practice says. It's like a QC having to tell the judge that in accordance with the law you've got it wrong."
If Carlos Tevez is annoyed about the amount of money Manchester City aren't paying him, he should have a chat with an employee of Plymouth. The latest is that staff and players ? who have been paid in full in only two of the last 12 months ? are being asked to sign yet another wages deferral today, apparently so as to give the administrators time to negotiate more money for themselves. The Argyle Fans' Trust are now threatening "targeted and specific protest action against P&A Partnership and their associates should they continue to jeopardize the future of our club". Some good background here.
Ashley Young is likely to miss Manchester United's trip to Everton tomorrow with a toe injury. "It's nothing serious," says Sir Alex Ferguson, who will give the player a late fitness test. Nemanja Vidic and Tom Cleverley are both in the squad.
Here's an interesting read, on the former France striker who was arrested last weekend for attempted murder.
Also in France, Laurent Blanc has warned fans to expect rubbish football and an early exit from his side at Euro 2012. "In 15 months [after the 2010 World Cup humiliation], people want us to have a great team with great players and play like the Netherlands, Spain or Germany. It is impossible!," Blanc said. "We said, and we say it again, that it would take time. You don't buy quality of play, or a team, in the supermarket." Depending on who makes it through the play-offs, France could find themselves in Pot Four, among the lowest-ranked nations in the final tournament, when the draw is made in December. "If we have Spain and Germany in our group, it will be very tough to get through the first round," said Blanc. "People can fantasize but I am telling you the truth."
Do have a go at today's statistically-focused football quiz. I only got six out of 10, but I was in such a hurry I was basically just clicking at random. But then, I would say that ? I only got six out of 10.
Sunderland could also choose an unnamed side, for the visit of Aston Villa, having beaten Bolton away last weekend. Phil Bardsley "will be pushing for a start", I'm told.
Newcastle are holding today's training session at St James' Park in front of thousands of schoolkids enjoying their half-term break. Nice idea, that.
Sunderland have sent Nyron Nosworthy on loan to Championship strugglers Watford. He could make his debut against Peterborough tomorrow.
Apparently a deal has been done to take Plymouth out of administration. More news as I get it.
Arsenal team news: Thomas Vermaelen is available, the terrible ankle injury he sustained against Bolton in midweek having turned out to be cramp. Carl Jenkinson awaits a late fitness test.
All I can tell you about Plymouth so far is the rather brief contents of this email from administrator Brendan Guilfoyle: "I am pleased to tell you that agreement has been reached for Akkeron Group to acquire the club and stadium. I wish them and your club every success in the future." So there you are.
I refuse to get involved in this Tevez nonsense. They say this. He says that. The PFA says the other. Couldn't be less interested. I can enjoy watching Manchester City only by deliberately blocking all thoughts about everything to do with the club except for who is actually on the pitch, and thus have already forgotten who Tevez is. Or was.
There's a statement up on Plymouth's website. "I am delighted that this morning we have agreed a deal that will see Plymouth Argyle Football Club coming out of administration. We have been assured that Akkeron will complete the purchase today," says administrator Brendan Guilfoyle. "Like many other parties both ourselves and [crack legal outfit] Walker Morris have waived a significant amount in fees to ensure the survival of the club. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and continued support during complex negotiations to save the club."
Kanny Dalglish and Ars�ne Wenger have both spoken today about racism in the English game. The good news is, there isn't any. "I don't think it is prevalent in the game here, and it certainly isn't at this football club," said Dalglish, whose forward Luis Su�rez was recently accused by Manchester United's Patrice Evra of racist abuse. "For me, I don't see racism as far as this football club is concerned, apparent in any way, shape or form." As for Wenger, "I do not think that in sport racism is basically a problem, because you are rewarded on merit," he said. "However, in society I still think there is some job to do, and we are not at the end of it. But in sport overall, I don't think it is a problem."
Plymouth latest: I have now googled "Akkeron Group", the people who have taken Plymouth out of administration. "Akkeron Group is a new global farming and asset management business which brings professional land management and farming practices to agriculture around the world," it says at akkerongroup.com. Are there two Akkeron Groups, or is this the one? And if so, what are they doing buying bankrupt lower-division football clubs?
Paul Wilson has been to see Sir Alex Ferguson this morning. "Ferguson has not been Manchester United manager for 25 years without acquiring a selective memory," he writes. "In Fergie's opinion the real story of the week was the way Aldershot have returned from the brink of extinction to turn themselves into the very model of a lower league football club. 'It was great to see,' he said. referring to United's Carling Cup trek in midweek. 'Even the pitch was magnificent. Aldershot are a reminder of how far you can fall in this game, but it's a fantastic story to see a club like that come back in such good health.' Good stuff, I'm sure we all agree. I did have the idea there was some other big story involving United last week, but it was probably nothing of any consequence."
Anton Ferdinand, as quoted on Sky Sports News, on the last week: "Of course it's been strenuous. People have been stopping me in the street and talking to me." Jeepers, he's had to interact with people. That is tough.
Manchester City team news: all the people given the night off the other day will be back. Owen Hargreaves, who has a "minor calf problem", will not.
Tottenham team news: There'll be a brace of late fitness tests for William Gallas (calf) and ledley King (groin). Steven Pienaar is in the squad and could make his first appearance of the season following his own groin injury. Sandro could also play following a positive scan on his calf injury, but Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Vedran Corluka are out.
Plymouth's good news has broken in our news section. Meanwhile, an Akkeron update. "Akkeron are run and owned by a local businessman, James Brent," writes Trevor Langworth. "The reason he purchased the club (although other factors such as profit and business opportunities [also applied]) was a desire to see the club saved. James Brent is from Devon, he has saved (with help from the Fans Trust, Pasoti, the Green taverners, the staff and players of PAFC and the fans who have raised well over 100,000 pounds for staff who have gone without pay for 12 months) to keep football in Plymouth ... The lack of coverage of Argyle's plight has been nothing short of disgraceful, especially in light of the work done by the fans in raising an eye watering amount. Maybe some more research would be better?" Consider my wrist smacked, Trevor.
Another cause for celebration ? it's World Champagne Day today everybody!
Serie A news: Internazionale will have to do without Julio Cesar for the visit of leaders Juventus tomorrow. Lucas Castellazzi will replace him in goal, having saved an 89th-minute penalty to earn his side a draw at Atalanta on Wednesday. It was the fifth penalty Inter have conceded this season. "I'm sure it's just a random decision going against us," said president Massimo Moratti, "but when random things happen five times in a row, it gets annoying." Juve should be unchanged following their win over Fiorentina on Tuesday. "The table doesn't tell the true story," midfielder Claudio Marchisio says, "Inter are a big club and will be up for this match. We have to be fearless."
Liverpool team news: Luis Su�rez will have a late test on his ankle before the visit to West Bromwich. All the players rested for the midweek Carling Cup win over Stoke will return to contention.
More from the Guardian's site today: Scott Murray proposes some memorable sporting theme tunes in this week's Joy of Six, while Ewan Murray blogs about Rangers' battles with the Beeb.
THE NEWS THEY TRIED TO BAN! Finally, we are at liberty to (re-)publish the update we first attempted at 9.50am but had to take down.
Alex McLeish on Darren Bent, who returns to Sunderland with Aston Villa tomorrow: "When you leave a club to go somewhere else, fans see you as the enemy and that's their prerogative. Darren is experienced and mature enough to understand that is what happens in football. I'm sure he will take that and it won't faze him and his game and not affect him trying to score a goal past Sunderland. Bent is an England international, he has got a tough mentality. I will certainly be looking for a big performance from him. There is no reason why Darren can't go back and hurt his own team. But Sunderland will be trying equally as hard and they will be saying in that dressing room 'we can't let Benty score'."
So there you go. Was it worth the wait? Don't answer that.
Everton team news: Phil Neville, Tim Cahill and Royston Drenthe are all out for the visit of Manchester United. The first two are injured, the last is suspended.
A first change of the day. I'm off for a bit and Evan Fanning will be in the hot seat for the next while. Keep him furnished with your comments and thoughts.
Good afternoon folks. Simon has moved on and so have Swansea: moved on from the disappointment of losing a two-goal lead at Wolves last weekend that is. How's that for a segue? Here's defender Neil Taylor ahead of Saturday's fixture against Bolton at the Liberty Stadium ...
"Last week almost felt like a loss if we are honest. It was one where we lost two points instead of gaining one. But we have moved on from it, when you sit back and reflect on it and watch the video for 80-odd minutes we were very good.
"After defeat at Norwich it was a massive improvement, and it had to be because the performance at Norwich wasn't good enough. When you step back and look at things it was a really good performance away from home and it's something we can build on. We are back on home turf this week and hopefully we can do well this week.
The gaffer did not have to tell anyone anything after the game. We were all sat there and knew that what happened wasn't good enough. This is the Premier League and teams are not there without good reason and they will not roll over. There are big crowds and when a team gets a goal they can kick on and get another. Whether you win, lose or draw you have to move on as the next game is completely different."
BREAKING NEWS ..... The Sunderland defender Titus Bramble has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and urinating in a public place but his lawyer said he would "vigorously contest" the allegations.
The PFA has been busy this week. Having given comment on the Carlos Tevez situation (it's officially a 'situation' now having moved on from a 'saga') Gordon Taylor has now commented on the allegations aimed at Chelsea and England captain John Terry. "The Football Association have got to be as even-handed as possible and also transparent," he says. The FA is due to meet with Anton Ferdinand at the QPR training ground today.
One person who isn't interested in signing Tevez should he move on from City is Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. The Spurs boss has been speaking ahead of Sunday's home game against QPR. "Would I like him? Yes. Anyone would like him. He is a fantastic player," Redknapp said. "He is an amazing player. When he plays no one gives more than he does. He works his socks off, he runs, he chases, he plays, he tackles and he scores goals. He is the full package when he plays so I don't think there are too many teams who wouldn't like him. Affording him is a different matter. That's the problem. We couldn't afford him really."
Kevin Porter emails quoting Simon's comment earlier regarding Wolves's selection issues team : "'There is no reason for Mick McCarthy to change the team that lost 5-2 to an understrength City side at home this week, although some logical and tactical ones might crop up.' Really? Despite the fact that Wolves also had NINE changes from the side that played the First Division match against Swansea and therefore were also fielding what constituted an understrength side for the midweek League Cup game! If McCarthy did field the same side surely the league would fine the club again?" I'm afraid I may have to leave this for Simon to deal with when he get back. Kevin also has some words for Harry Redknapp: "They all are, aren't they Harry? They all are. Fantastic player."
Red cards don't need to spoil games, argues David Lacey. Even for the team down to 10 men. You can read his column here and have your say below the line.
Andr� Villas-Boas has revealed that he has no problems picking John Terry for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off against Arsenal. Ramires is fit to return following a knee injury, while Fernando Torres is set to start a domestic match for the first time in more than a month following his three-game ban. Didier Drogba is still suspended. Chelsea provisional squad: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Alex, Ferreira, Terry, Luiz, Cole, McEachran, Mikel, Romeu, Meireles, Ramires, Lampard, Mata, Malouda, Torres, Anelka, Sturridge, Lukaku, Kalou, Taylor, Blackman.
Ars�ne Wenger has also been speaking ahead of this game. He reckons an Arsenal win will send a message that they are back among the big boys. They're not going to win though, are they? "First of all a win would of course install us among the top teams in the league, but what is very important is that it would strengthen the belief inside the team and would continue our progress," said the Arsenal manager. "I feel we are getting stronger and Chelsea is a big test - a test of strength, of resolve, of commitment, and that is what we expect tomorrow."
West Brom face Liverpool in Saturday's evening kick-off which means Roy Hodgson against his former club. Little know fact: Hodgson has only lost twice to Liverpool in league fixtures throughout his entire career. Paul Brennan has emailed: "Roy Hodgson heaping even more misery on us Liverpool fans (this time in the opposite dugout) at The Hawthorns last season was hard to stomach, despite how ominously inevitable it was after the guff we gave him. Still, West Brom's best player on the day, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, has moved on, so here's hoping Liverpool can exact some revenge!"
More Harry Redknapp, this time on John Terry. Is there anything 'Arry isn't drawn on? I wonder what his thoughts on the Eurozone rescue package are. I imagine he would say: "They're just kickin' the can down the road again, aren't they?" Anyway here is Harry on JT: ""I think we have to wait and see what comes out of it. You can't pre-judge what has happened. There is no room in life, let alone football for racism. It is not what we want. I don't want to be pre-judging what John did. I wouldn't have a clue whether he did it or not. Only he knows that. It's up to the FA to get to the bottom of what happened."
Norwich have no new injury worries heading into tomorrow's clash with Blackburn at Carrow Road. Grant Holt is pressing for a recall after coming off the bench to score the equaliser at Liverpool last weekend. Not that Paul Lambert is taking three points for granted. "It is wrong if people are going to come and think we are going to just roll them over - that is how you get caught", Lambert told a press conference.
"If we don't play as well as we have been we will get turned over. They have got young players, but also experienced ones as well, lads who have played in the league for a few years. We have to combat that." Norwich provisional squad: Ruddy, Naughton, R Martin, Barnett, Tierney, Hoolahan, Fox, Johnson, Bennett, Pilkington, Morison, Rudd, Wilbraham, Jackson, Surman, De Laet, Crofts, Holt, C Martin.
It's not just the Premier League where there are massive, massive games taking place this weekend. In the US, the annual Soccerball World Series is entering the final inning and this weekend sees Los Angeles Galaxy face New York Red Bulls. Or David Beckham and Robbie Keane v Thierry Henry if that's how you want it billed to whet your appetite. Here's a match preview.
News from Newcastle where Alan Pardew is hoping to maintain his side's unbeaten start to the season. Pardew could include midfielder Cheik Tiote and defender Steven Taylor in his starting line-up for Monday's trip to Stoke. Taylor, who broke his nose in last weekend's 1-0 victory over Wigan, is the more likely to play, possibly with a mask, while Tiote is battling to recover from a knee injury. One player who will definitely be absent is striker Shola Ameobi, who has been ruled out for at least a month with a hamstring problem. Newcastle provisional squad: Krul, Elliot, Simpson, R Taylor, Santon, Ferguson, Coloccini, S Taylor, Perch, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Marveaux, Obertan, Gosling, Guthrie, Ben Arfa, Abeid, Vuckic, Smith, Ba, Best, Lovenkrands, Sammy Ameobi.
More changes afoot. Ian McCourt is going to take over for a while with more hot off the press new.
Good afternoon all. We have unchained Evan from his desk and allowed him to go get a sandwich. I reckon he'll plump for a toastie. In other more football related news, Roberto Mancini has used his right hand to swat away question about Carlos Tevez at his press conference today. "I think we are in the best moment in our history and I think our focus is only on the games and training. The other situations are not important," he said.
Kenny Dalglish has had some nice words to say about Luis Su�rez. "He has been fantastic and the great thing about him is that he is very unassuming as well," Dalglish said. "Everybody can see what he can do on the pitch but he has got no edge to him. He doesn't think he is better than anyone else. He is a great ambassador for the football club. For us, as well as his football, the other things he brings to the club are very important as well. He is just a fantastic person as well as a fantastic footballer."
In case you haven't seen it by the way, Su�rez scored an absolute belter against Stoke during the week.
Below the line AMRCLS has this to say:
It seems that with the game sewn up, the gaffer's happy to use his squad players, and there's a rare outing for McCourt. Nice to see.
Squad player? Squad player! Oh, it hurts because it's true. By the way, Evan is a New York deli sandwich man, in case any one was wondering.
Meanwhile over in West Brom, Roy Hodgson has called Shane Long's inclusion in the Republic of Ireland Euro 2012 play-off squad is "the correct decision". Speaking at his press conference, he said: "The prognosis from the doctors and medical experts is that Shane will be out for six weeks. But I quite understand why an important player like Shane is included in the squad because there is nothing to stop Giovanni Trapattoni being optimistic. There have been lots of cases in the past where people have been diagnosed with an injury which will take longer than it actually takes. So no one would be happier than ourselves if Shane Long recovers in two weeks and can play for Ireland in these important qualifier. For me, his selection is fine. I just hope they won't be too disappointed if the doctors prognosis turns out to be the correct one. It might turn out to be optimistic."
To all fantasy football enthusiasts. It's time you updated your team for the weekend. The dastardly Rob Smyth and Barry Glendenning are running away from me in the Guardian Sport league ? perhaps that would not be the case, however, if I had checked these invaluable squad sheets on a more regular basis.
The Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says that he would rather beat local rivals United 1-0 six times, than 6-1 once, as they did last Sunday. No really. Watch the video and see.
More substitutions as Evan returns for the rest of the day.
Hello again. No time for messing about. Here's some (reasonably) big breaking news: Chelsea have been fined �20,000 by the Football Association after admitting a charge of "failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion" in last week's Premier League match against QPR. The fine was imposed after Chelsea players surrounded referee Chris Foy following Jose Bosingwa's red card during the 1-0 defeat at Loftus Road. The FA today announced the fine in relation to the incident and they also asked Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas to explain his post-match comments to the media about Foy and the assistant referees.
I bet what you want right now is to see Kevin Prince Boateng singing happy birthday with the help of some backing vocals from his team-mates. Well here you go ...
Journalists covering Everton would have faced a grumpy David Moyes today (or David Moyes as they like to call him). Moyes's goat is up because his decision to play a strong team in Wednesday's Carling Cup game against Chelsea has backfired. Royston Drenthe was sent off and is now suspended for tomorrow's game against Manchester United. Everton will also be without captain Phil Neville, substituted at half-time in the Chelsea game with a hamstring problem, and Tim Cahill, who completed the full 120 minutes but was carrying an injury. "We took a chance by playing a strong side against Chelsea, to try to get through in the cup," Moyes said. "I thought that game was the important one at the time and we wanted to do it, but you are always running the risk of losing players through injury."
Moyes also spoke of Wayne Rooney's return to Goodison and the inevitable aggressive reception he'll receive from the crowd. "I'm sure it is probably inevitable," Moyes said echoing what I just said. "But Wayne would be the first one to tell you - he would be delighted to come back with his wee boy and watch Everton," Moyes said. "He is bringing up his son as an Everton supporter and he will always be an Evertonian. He'll get criticism because he left the club but time has moved on, we've moved on and so has he."
There were so many ways to say that David Moyes's Carling Cup selection decision backfired that I got caught in two minds (or had half-a-mind on each) and ended up nowhere. Fear not, however, because I'm bouncing back with some cracking Roy Hodgson quotes brought to you via the intrepid reporters at the Press Association.
Hodgson on Liverpool: "The situation now is vastly different to the situation I had but I realised when I went in there that there was going to be a change of ownership and these things can always happen. The fact is when I went it was a period of transition and the first job for the people that employed me was basically to make certain the club didn't go into liquidation. That was a possibility - but it was a worse case scenario and it never came close. But Liverpool now need to be aiming for a top four finish because that's what the investment is for. I don't think the new owners are investing all this money for them to be a mid-table team. They are doing it because Liverpool in the past, alongside Manchester United, are one of the two flagships of English football. The reasons the owners have gone in there is because they believe they can get Liverpool up to that level. There is no doubt the pressure on Liverpool to finish in the top four is similar to the pressure many of the clubs in the Premier League have to survive."
Hodgson on Luis Su�rez: "They have spent wisely and bought some very good players. If we want to get something from the game, we've got to perform at the highest level. Su�rez is outstandingly good. He is playing very well. He was obviously a magnificent signing for the club. He has had the best of all possible starts which is important when you come to a big club like Liverpool. The fans are ready to embrace new players but they want to see them playing well and he has done that. He has had a magnificent start and we must be aware he is going to be a key figure in their attacking play and we will have to do our best to keep him quiet. It won't be easy because he is a quality player."
Hodgson on managing at Anfield: "It is always good to play Liverpool. I was lucky enough to get the job there. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to stay as long as I would have liked, to see the new ownership coming in and maybe having a chance to build a team. But I have no regrets. It is a magnificent club and I'm pleased for the club and the fans because they are one of the icons of English football. It is good to see them back closer to where they want to be, maybe not exactly where they want to be because they want to win league titles."
That's it from today's Friday football blog. A pulsating end-to-end affair, I'm sure you'll agree. Read back through for all the latest team news ahead of the weekend's games or keep an eye on the Guardian site throughout the evening for more stories, interview and features. Thanks for your comments. Bye
guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/oct/28/football-live-blog-premier-league
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)