Former Australian cricket star Adam Gilchrist fears that England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff’’s looming retirement will motivate the England squad in the four remaining Ashes Tests.
“I don”t think the Aussies will be affected but it (Flintoff’’s retirement) can be a boost for the English players. I know from my time that a when a great [...]
Posts Tagged ‘player’
“Flintoff’’s retirement can be a boost for English playersâ€, says Gilchrist
July 16th, 2009 |
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Tennis ace Andy Murray in pet scare
July 16th, 2009 |
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Scottish professional tennis player Andy Murray was in a tizzy when his pet dog had to be rushed to the vet, after it ate many rocks from the garden.
Murray, 22, became worried when his border terrier pet dog Maggie started suffering from a mystery illness.
He had a pet ambulance collect Maggie from his 5million-pound home [...]
Kim Kardashian almost got stranded in South Africa after misplacing passport
July 16th, 2009 |
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Kim Kardashian almost got stranded in South Africa after she misplaced her passport.
She is grateful to her NFL player beau Reggie Bush who was there to save the day.
“They wouldn”t let me out of customs line,” People magazine quoted her as telling about the ordeal after flying from Botswana to Johannesburg, South Africa. [...]
Basketball Player Richard Jefferson Dumps Fiancee Hours Before Wedding
July 15th, 2009 |
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Former New Jersey Net star Richard Jefferson bailed on his stunning fiancée — pulling the plug on his posh Manhattan wedding at the 11th hour without even alerting some of the guests, The Post has learned.
The cold-footed forward’s decision…
Hughes continues pursuit of Terry
July 15th, 2009 |
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Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has reignited his interest in Chelsea captain John Terry.
City had a recent £30m bid for the 28-year-old England defender, a product of Chelsea’s youth scheme, rejected.
"We think we could offer him a different challenge," said Hughes, who saw Terry as a youngster when the ex-Wales boss was a striker at Chelsea.
"When you have been with a club a long time, you get to a point when a change of scenery could reignite you."
Hughes spent the majority of his career at Manchester United before moving to Chelsea in 1995 for £1.5m.
He scored 39 goals in 123 appearances over three seasons for the west London club, while Terry was coming through the youth system.
"I have fantastic respect for John Terry, ever since I saw him as a young player when I was at Chelsea as a player myself," added Hughes.
"He’s a great player and an outstanding captain but he’s very much a Chelsea player at this moment in time."
City have reportedly offered Terry a £200,000-a-week deal, but Hughes stressed that money would not be the deciding factor.
606: DEBATEBBC Sport’s Peter Scrivener
"It’s not a question of finance, or money, it is about a different challenge," he said.
"It is about John being at a different stage in his life and career, and maybe that is why there hasn’t been a response (to commit himself to Chelsea) because John is seriously thinking in those terms.
"I went through that process as a player and I can understand if that is the way he is thinking." </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Man City boss urges Terry to ‘reignite’ himself with move from Chelsea to his club
July 15th, 2009 |
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Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has urged star player John Terry to turn leave Chelsea and lead his club’s revolution.
“We would like to think we could offer John Terry a different challenge,†The Sun quoted Hughes, as saying.
Hughes, fresh from signing 26.5 million pound Carlos Tevez, spoke on for the first time about [...]
Terry wants to join us, say Man City
July 14th, 2009 |
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• City manager confident of signing ‘Mr Chelsea’
• Terry thought to favour a change of scenery
Mark Hughes broke his silence on the John Terry affair today to speak of his confidence that the England captain wanted to join Manchester City and publicly question whether the man who has portrayed himself as Mr Chelsea needed “a change of scenery” for the good of his own career.
Hughes described Terry as an “outstanding player and an outstanding person” and made it clear that City had targeted him because they had received information that he was agitating to leave Stamford Bridge. The City manager accepted there were some players in the world, such as Steven Gerrard and Lionel Messi, who could never be persuaded to leave their clubs but argued that Terry did not fall into that category and painted a picture of the 28-year-old beginning to feel stale at the place where he has spent his entire career.
“We would like to think we could offer John a different challenge,” Hughes said. “He’s been at Chelsea a long time and I know from my own experience as a player that when you have been with a club for a long time you get to a point when you think you need a new challenge and that a change of scenery would re-ignite certain things within you.
“It is not a question of finance, or money, it is about a different challenge, and John being at a different stage in his life and his career, and maybe that is why there hasn’t been a response [to commit himself to Chelsea] because John is seriously thinking in those terms. I went through that process myself as a player and I can understand if that is the way he is thinking.”
Those remarks will inevitably go down badly at Stamford Bridge at a time when Chelsea are aggressively trying to repel City’s advances and have not wavered from their public stance that Terry is not available at any price. Hughes, however, felt sufficiently emboldened to question whether Terry recognised City were “on the cusp of something” and he was speaking from a position of strength after several months of detailed inquiries behind the scenes to ascertain the defender’s exact position.
The last message Hughes received was on Monday morning when he was reliably informed that Terry wanted, if possible, to leave Chelsea in as dignified a way as possible but that, were it necessary, he was also willing to force through a move. City’s information, as revealed by the Guardian in February, is that he has become disillusioned about Chelsea’s perceived lack of ambition in the transfer market and the frequency with which the club have changed managers. Information has also reached City that he has difficulties with several other members of the dressing room and, as Hughes indicated, that he feels like his career needs a new challenge. The huge sums of money on offer cannot be overlooked, with City willing to make him the highest-paid player in the Premier League on around £250,000 a week.
City have spent £54m on Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry this summer and Hughes’s spending will go through the £200m mark if, as expected, the club complete the £25m signing of Emmanuel Adebayor today. The fee has been agreed but Adebayor has asked for permission to sleep on it. The Togo international is worried how the move would be perceived in Africa but Hughes is confident of getting his man. “It’s well documented that we moved away from Samuel Eto’o and decided we wanted Adebayor, and it’s quite close.”
City’s next move will be to inform Chelsea they are willing to pay in excess of £30m for Terry. On two separate occasions Hughes pointedly described Terry as being a Chelsea player “at this moment in time” and the manager added: “We know there are other areas of the team we need to address now. We’ve made an offer to Chelsea and I’ve made my feelings known in terms of my respect for John Terry. I think he’s an outstanding player and an outstanding person. I’ve thought that since I first met him when he was a young boy at Chelsea and I was a player there, and if the opportunity has presented itself to bring a player of that calibre to the club we will try our hardest to do it. We’ve already had conversations with Chelsea to that regard and we would like the opportunity to speak to John Terry now.”
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Tevez completes move to Man City
July 14th, 2009 |
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Manchester City have confirmed the signing of former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez, who will hold a 1400 BST news conference on Tuesday.
The Argentine, 25, left Old Trafford last month and will sign a five-year deal following a medical.
City depart for a three-match tour of South Africa on Wednesday.
"It’s terrific news," said boss Mark Hughes. "He’s an international of the highest class who possesses all the attributes to help drive us forward."
Hughes added: "This is yet another deal that shows the commitment of the owner to make this club the very best it can be."
Tevez, who will wear the number 32 shirt at Eastlands, spent a season with West Ham before joining Manchester United on an extended loan deal in 2007.
His move to Old Trafford ended a long-running saga following complications with West Ham’s registration of the player.
"He is not only outstanding technically but he is a reliable goal scorer"
Mark Hughes
The Premier League has ratified all the paperwork regarding his move to Eastlands having been assured City have sole registration of the striker.
Tevez, the only player to win the South American player of the year award three seasons running, won the Olympic gold medal with Argentina in Athens in 2004.
He was at Old Trafford as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lifted successive Premier League titles, becoming a crowd favourite as he scored 34 goals in 99 league and cup starts.
Tevez will become one of a select band to have joined both Manchester clubs and he could re-visit his former club at the Old Trafford derby on 19 September.
"He is not only outstanding technically but he is a reliable goal scorer and someone who will contribute fully to the team ethic," Hughes added.
"He gives us another exciting, attacking dimension."
PHIL MCNULTY’S BLOG"Is he better than what City currently have Can they afford him Yes, and most emphatically yes."
United said in June that they were willing to pay the £25.5m to turn the striker’s two-year loan move into a permanent five-year deal but Tevez decided to move on.
Speaking after Tevez’s decision to leave Manchester United, the player’s advisor Kia Joorabchian said: "He has to sign the next five years with a club he believes has got ambition to go forward in the Premier League, a club with history and one that really wants to achieve things."
Argentine international Tevez scored 15 goals last season but was often on the bench for key games and was wary of not getting enough first-team football ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Manchester City’s summer spending so far has seen them sign striker Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn for £18m and Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry for £12m.
But a proposed bid for Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o fell through – even though reports suggested the club was willing to make the Cameroon international the highest-paid player in the world, earning £250,000 per week.
There have also been rumours that Chelsea captain John Terry is on Manchester City’s wish-list, although Stamford Bridge boss Carlo Ancelotti insists the England defender is not for sale at any price.
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is understood to be in talks over a move to Eastlands.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
“Serbia is key player in region”
July 14th, 2009 |
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Despite all the difficulties, Serbia is a key player in the region and its role will increasingly come to the fore, says French Ambassador Jean-Francois Terral. In an interview with daily Danas, Terral said that during French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s recent meeting with Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić, Sarkozy had said that Serbia was a European country and that it wanted to join the EU.
City bid for Adebayor as Tevez signs
July 14th, 2009 |
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• Move would net Arsenal striker in excess of £150,000 a week
• Eastlands club complete £25.2m signing of Carlos Tevez
Manchester City expect to follow the £25.5m signing of Carlos Tevez by making Emmanuel Adebayor the ninth striker on their books, having lodged a £20m bid with Arsenal for a player they know is available as long as the price is right. Arsenal want closer to £25m but both clubs are willing to reach a compromise.
Adebayor was identified in the process that led to City withdrawing interest in Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o last week. Talks have accelerated over the last few days and, though Adebayor initially wanted a move to Italy, a salary in excess of £150,000 a week would persuade him to move north.
If everything goes according to plan, City hope the 25-year-old will take some part in their pre-season tour to South Africa, with Mark Hughes’s first-team squad due to fly out on Wednesday with Tevez on board after the club confirmed his arrival on a five-year contract tonight.
“Carlos is an international player of the highest class who possesses all the attributes that will help drive this club forward,” Mark Hughes, the City manager, said. “He is not only outstanding technically but he is a reliable goal scorer and someone who will contribute fully to the team ethic. He gives us another exciting, attacking dimension. I cannot wait to welcome him to City.”
Tevez said his aim was to win more titles with City. “The manager and the owners are very ambitious,” he said. “This is the chance to be involved from the start, an opportunity to help build and create a special experience. I am here for success and to win trophies.”
He added: “There is a great feeling of excitement around the club. Look at the quality of the players who have been signed and the prospect of other top-quality players coming too. Things are happening at this club.” Tevez said the decision to join City was “mine and mine alone”.
City will now redirect their attention to their attempt to sign John Terry from Chelsea and the more straightforward task of agreeing a deal with Arsenal for a player they decided was expendable a long time ago. Adebayor’s reputation plummeted during a disappointing last season. But Hughes is mindful the Togo international scored 30 goals in the 2007-08 campaign. Tevez, meanwhile, is scheduled to take his medical examination tomorrow before an afternoon press conference that, a few miles away at his previous club Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson will be watching with interest.
“I half expected this a long time back,” the United manager said. “I think they did a deal maybe around January because I spoke to him and gave him an offer on the night we played Inter Milan [in March] and he never came back to me.
“I phoned him on holiday [in June] – and he never came back to me. I texted him twice – he never got back. Obviously he had made his mind up a long time ago.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
City bid for Adebayor as Tevez signs
July 14th, 2009 |
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• Move would net Arsenal striker in excess of £150,000 a week
• Eastlands club complete £25.2m signing of Carlos Tevez
Manchester City expect to follow the £25.5m signing of Carlos Tevez by making Emmanuel Adebayor the ninth striker on their books, having lodged a £20m bid with Arsenal for a player they know is available as long as the price is right. Arsenal want closer to £25m but both clubs are willing to reach a compromise.
Adebayor was identified in the process that led to City withdrawing interest in Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o last week. Talks have accelerated over the last few days and, though Adebayor initially wanted a move to Italy, a salary in excess of £150,000 a week would persuade him to move north.
If everything goes according to plan, City hope the 25-year-old will take some part in their pre-season tour to South Africa, with Mark Hughes’s first-team squad due to fly out on Wednesday with Tevez on board after the club confirmed his arrival on a five-year contract tonight.
“Carlos is an international player of the highest class who possesses all the attributes that will help drive this club forward,” Mark Hughes, the City manager, said. “He is not only outstanding technically but he is a reliable goal scorer and someone who will contribute fully to the team ethic. He gives us another exciting, attacking dimension. I cannot wait to welcome him to City.”
Tevez said his aim was to win more titles with City. “The manager and the owners are very ambitious,” he said. “This is the chance to be involved from the start, an opportunity to help build and create a special experience. I am here for success and to win trophies.”
He added: “There is a great feeling of excitement around the club. Look at the quality of the players who have been signed and the prospect of other top-quality players coming too. Things are happening at this club.” Tevez said the decision to join City was “mine and mine alone”.
City will now redirect their attention to their attempt to sign John Terry from Chelsea and the more straightforward task of agreeing a deal with Arsenal for a player they decided was expendable a long time ago. Adebayor’s reputation plummeted during a disappointing last season. But Hughes is mindful the Togo international scored 30 goals in the 2007-08 campaign. Tevez, meanwhile, is scheduled to take his medical examination tomorrow before an afternoon press conference that, a few miles away at his previous club Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson will be watching with interest.
“I half expected this a long time back,” the United manager said. “I think they did a deal maybe around January because I spoke to him and gave him an offer on the night we played Inter Milan [in March] and he never came back to me.
“I phoned him on holiday [in June] – and he never came back to me. I texted him twice – he never got back. Obviously he had made his mind up a long time ago.”
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Karina Ioffee: Russian Jews Face Continued Challenge As Country Seeks To Be A Global Player
July 13th, 2009 |
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Russia, a country of 140 million, is trying to reinvent itself to become a global player. But it’s also an Orthodox Christian country. That makes carving out a space for Jewish life a continual challenge.
Man Utd move for ‘new Ronaldinho’
July 13th, 2009 |
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• Ferguson targets 18-year-old tipped as ‘new Ronaldinho’
• United offer financial package of £7m plus add-ons
Manchester United have re-established formal contact with the Brazilian club Gremio about trying to reach a compromise over a fee for Douglas Costa, the talented 18-year-old who has been hailed as “the new Ronaldinho” in his country.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, rates Costa as the brightest young talent currently playing in South America but the Premier League champions could not convince Gremio to allow him out on loan when negotiations began earlier this summer and believe the deal can happen only if the Porto Alegre club drastically lower their valuation.
Gremio have severe financial issues and are acutely aware that selling their most prized young asset could be the answer to those problems. With that in mind, they have informed prospective buyers they want £21m. United regard that as excessive for a player who has not yet played 20 senior games but they are hoping Gremio’s position is negotiable and have put together a financial package, with an initial outlay of £7m, plus a series of success-related add-ons if the player lives up to the promise that has brought him to the attention of Ferguson via John Calvert-Toulmin, the club’s principal scout in Brazil.
The transfer hinges on whether a compromise can be agreed and United are hoping the influential deal-maker Chris Nathaniel can help to convince Gremio that they risk getting nothing at all if they continue to play hardball. Nathaniel, whose extensive list of clients includes Rio Ferdinand and Robinho, is prominently involved with Costa and has spent the last few days in Brazil, in the process holding extensive talks with Gremio’s hierarchy.
• United striker Macheda robbed in his home
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• Terry in Chelsea talks as Man City prepare bid
Manchester City are also aware of Costa’s burgeoning reputation but they, too, regard Gremio’s demands as exorbitant and would rather pay significant transfer fees for established players. United’s policy is different, targeting players below the age of 25 if large sums are involved, and Costa fits into their transfer strategy as a young, talented footballer whose value should feasibly go up in future years, just as happened with Cristiano Ronaldo, who was 18 when he signed from Sporting Lisbon.
Costa, a Brazil under-20 international, has other admirers in Spain and Italy but has indicated he would like to move to England and become United’s fourth signing of their summer, following Luis Antonio Valencia, Michael Owen and Gabriel Obertan to Old Trafford.
Carlos Alberto, Brazil’s outspoken World Cup-winning captain in 1970, recently accused United of “raping Brazilian football” and urged Fifa to intervene to prevent the country’s best young players from being lured away by Europe’s leading clubs.
United, however, are proud of their expansive operation in South America, having plucked three Brazilian players – Rafael and Fabio da Silva plus Rodrigo Possebon – from relative obscurity in the past two years.
Costa, who joined Gremio at the age of 11 and is contracted to the club until February 2013, helped Brazil to victory in the South American Youth Championship in January and February, scoring three goals in the process, but United’s interest in the player dates back more than a year before that. Gremio is the club where Ronaldinho made his breakthrough and Costa has obvious similarities in terms of his ability to run with the ball and beat opponents from his favoured role between midfield and attack, as well as being a free-kick specialist.
Any deal would be dependent on the player receiving a work permit but United have never had significant problems obtaining the necessary paperwork in the past.
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Jim Jaffe: Why’s Post Sorry Now?
July 12th, 2009 |
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I’m at a loss over the fuss about the aborted Washington Post salons. It seems to be taking place in a parallel universe that’s…
Man City pull plug on Eto’o move
July 10th, 2009 |
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Manchester City have ended their interest in Barcelona’s Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto’o.
The two clubs had been in talks over the £25m-rated striker after Barca told the 28-year-old Eto’o they were prepared to let him leave the Nou Camp.
City chief executive Garry Cook said: "The circumstances surrounding him were such that a deal couldn’t be completed.
Eto’o is the second marquee player City have missed out on following Kaka’s decision not to sign in January.
City reportedly made a bid in the region of £100m for the Brazilian midfielder, but he opted to stay with AC Milan, before joining Real Madrid in a £60m transfer in June.
Reports suggested the Eastlands club told Eto’o he could earn wages of up to £250,000 per week, which would have made him the highest-paid player in the world.
606: DEBATE"There are better £20m targets available"
——–HistoryRepeating——-
But the transfer became bogged down in a contractual dispute between Eto’o and Barcelona, who has been offered a new two-year contract by the Catalan club.
Eto’o cost Barcelona £16m when he signed from Mallorca in 2004 and the Cameroon forward has scored more than 100 goals in his five seasons with the club.
He helped the Catalan side win a treble trophy haul of the Spanish league title, domestic cup and Champions League in the 2008-2009 campaign.
City’s summer spending so far has seen them sign striker Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn for £18m and Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry for £12m. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.