West Ham United eye Bundesliga striker

Chelsea to outbid West Ham for Livorno star Candreva

linked with Bologna striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo

Excellent drivel in this link.

Secondo l’edizione odierna de Il Corriere dello Sport/Stadio, tuttavia, sempre per il ruolo di esterno offensivo, starebbe prendendo quota la candidatira del portoghese del Manchester United, Nani (23), ormai in rotta di collisione con Sir Alex Ferguson.

Prelevato dal club inglese due anni fa per oltre 25 milioni di euro, la sua attuale valutazione oscillerebbe tra i 15 ed i 18 milioni, e sarebbe al vaglio degli uomini di mercato di Via Turati.

Che Mourinho risponda “Allora Pato è interista” poco fa ridere, ecco perchè ha fatto bene a precisare di intendere l’Inter…Nacional, che a Tokyo c’è stato e ci ha vinto (con Pato in campo): in quel caso nulla da…

La ripresa del campionato di serie A coincide con una giornata interessantissima che pur non presentando i cosidetti big-match ha in palinsesto…

Fonte:
http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/?action=read&id=179367

La Tommasi sexy Biancaneve tra i nani

Volti noti alla mostra fotografica ‘La Casina dei Nani’, da un’idea di Daniela Javarone.

Tra le statuine di Gongolo e Mignolo, anche una sexy Sara Tommasi nei panni di Biancaneve del nuovo millennio.

Poi gli sposini del Grande Fratello 8 Thiago Barcelos e Benedetta Zilli, l’agente dei Vip Lele Mora, Elio Fiorucci, Michel Altieri e Siria de Fazio del GF9. Le foto della Tommasi e degli altri ospiti all’evento su GossipNews.

Eva Longoria disperata: sesso con Tony solo nei week-end!

Eva Longoria è disperata: riesce a fare sesso con il marito Tony Parker solo durante i weekend.

D’altronde la bella interprete di “Desperate Housewives” lavora ad Hollywood mentre la sua dolce metà gioca a basket con i San Antonio Spurs in Texas. Eva ha dichiarato alla rivista Joy: “Io lavoro 3 o 4 giorni a settimana e poi volo in Texas per trascorrere un lungo week-end con Tony. Così possiamo fare sesso solo durate il weekend”. D’altronde la stessa attrice ha ammesso di essere fin troppo iperattiva: “Non riesco a stare ferma. Devo sempre fare qualcosa. Ho fondato anche una mia casa di produzione. Abbiamo già sviluppato tre programmi tv e stiamo lavorando su due progetti cinematografici. Tony e io stiamo costruendo una casa a San Antonio e questo richiede molto tempo. Per fortuna, ho ereditato da mia madre un gene che mi permette di fare più cose contemporaneamente”. Ma la Longoria non pensa solo alla carriera. “Mi piace essere sposata – ha detto l’attrice -. Sono parte di qualcosa di più grande e di più importante ora. Il matrimonio mi da molto di più del lavoro. Tony e io siamo incredibilmente legati. Mi piace essere una casalinga. E’ davvero divertente, cucino, pulisco cucio. Faccio anche il bucato a Tony”.

Ma quale Pattinson, è Depp l’uomo più sexy del mondo!

Ma quale Robert Pattinson, è Johnny Depp, secondo la rivista americana People, l’uomo più sexy del mondo del 2009. Le voci circolate sull’elezione della star di “Twilight” erano false, le donne preferiscono gli uomini maturi agli “sbarbatelli” di ultima generazione.

Johnny si aggiudica per la seconda volta il riconoscimento di uomo più affascinante del pianeta, la prima fu nel 2003, e diventa il terzo attore ad aver raggiunto la vetta della classifica per ben due volte: finora erano riusciti nell’impresa solo George Clooney e Brad Pitt. Un portavoce della rivista ha detto che Depp, padre di due figli, con i suoi 46 anni, regna ancora come icona irresistibile di Hollywood. Nella classifica, altre celebrità come Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bradley Cooper, Giles Morini, Nick Cannon, Chris Daughtry e Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Pattinson dovrà ancora attendere prima di raggiungere colleghi del calibro di Johnny Depp.

ore 17.55
Trieste, esterno sera, parte il treno per Udine

ore 17.56
Andre arriva in stazione, male parole in codice fiscale: mprcpttnldrzzz.

ore 18.17
“Benvenuti sul treno regionale 6814. Informiamo i gentili passeggeri che il treno effettuerà le seguenti fermate: Duino, Sistiana, Monfalcone, Ronchi dei Legionari est, Mosca, Dubai, Fresno, Karlsruhe, Poggibonsi, Neverland, Giallo, Atlantide, Dixan, 8×1000, Edera, Lourdes, Udine.
Per tutti coloro che hanno intenzione di lamentarsi di un’ora e mezza di viaggio per fare 70km, e sì, parliamo proprio con lei Dott.Bellomo, è previsto il servizio “ascoltiamo il cliente” erogato in collaborazione con l’u.s.i., unione sordi italiani, che manderà un suo inviato ad ascoltarvi.”
Ottimo, me par un buon inizio. Se ieri le Furlan Desperate Housewives volevano uccidermi, oggi penso ci penserà il treno. La colonna sonora potrebbe essere “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, dati i transilvanici rumori di cigolii, gli scricchiolii, le rotture in  corso. E ovviamente quella signora con la crocchia che sembra proprio Miss Bates.

ore 18.44
Che dire, dopo una giornata passata a fare formazione, conclusasi con i temi della costanza e coerenza del messaggio, mi tocca fare i complimenti a trenitalia. La coerenza c’è, è innegabile. Il treno sembra un cesso anche dentro. Ma tipo quelli di autogrill da tangenziale. Il giallo minzione delle pareti si sposa benissimo al sedile tappo di Lisoform. Sebbene qua il disinfettante non credo sia mai passato. La costanza nel non pulire è lodevole, infatti. Il finestrino è in vetrocemento, o in vetrocragna, non riesco a capire. So solo che non risponde alle sue principali richieste: far specchiare i narcisisiti e far vedere quel mare che mi manca tantissimo.

ore 18.51
Dal vetrocragna intravedo l’insegna dell’Hotel “Ai 7 nani”. Era ora che si mettessero su un attività, che senso aveva continuare ad ospitare ste emaciate viandanti a gratis? Inutile dire che i prezzi sono bassi e ci sono tariffe agevolati per i soggiorni brevi, perchè scadrei nello scontato.
E poi, vista l’ubicazione (vicino allo svincolo dell’autostrada per i non triestini) possiamo immaginare i nomi delle Biancaneve ospitate: Marcelo, Sergej, Paulo, Anatoli, Joao e Sandro (pronuncia Sann-da-ro), nota star locale.

ore 19.08
Cerco di fare la lista dei posti più scomodi in cui mi sono seduto per fare un tragitto a-b. Perchè in questo sembra di essere incastrato tra la tazza del cesso e il coperchio (si chiama così?). Di marmo però. La posizione che si assume è un misto tra Andreotti e Mr.Burns.
Dicevo, posti scomodi:
-la panca fai da te di quel maledetto gommone che aveva mio padre, detto anche lo sbalzatette
-prima fila centrale volo londra-los angeles fronte megaschermo, dove ho capito che quando Liz Taylor diceva che “il più bel gioello sono due ginocchia dietro le orecchie ” non si riferiva di certo a questa situazione.
-la panchina del traghetto Olbia-Livorno in cui credo di essermi addormentato per magia
-lo strapuntino posteriore della 911: ginocchia sulla schiena di mia mamma, naso sulla tesa di mia mamma, miei piedi (sfoggiavo già un orgoglioso 46) nel portabagli anteriore, gomito in faccia a mia sorella (vabbè questo l’ho fatto apposta), vibrazioni da motore boxer a boxer dei simpson, testa sul lunotto in fase di sbrinamento=puzza di bruciato dai capelli
-gli sgabelli della mia accademia, dove a fine giornata, diventavi una molla. Piatto sul culo e con la schiena ciondolante.
-il posto sinistro del brucomela, perchè arrivando a una pendenza in curva del 63% era a pericolo di morte, anche se quella volta ero ciccione come Jamie il fratello di superVicky
-le sedie piegevoli del campeggio prima serie (ahimè ce ne sono state più serie, perchè ahimè i miei amavano il campeggio come io amo rubare i giornali in aereoporto). Se stavi dritto sembravi un omino del lego, appena ti appoggiavi cadevi all’indietro e dopo esserti rialzato, in avanti per par condicio.
-il ramo centrale del nocciolino del nonno, ma lì era una questione di capobranco.
-il sellino dietro della r1100 s sempre di mio padre, dove ti sentivi un elefante in bilico su uno stuzzicadente, ma a a 180 km/h.

ore 19.23
Ho fame sete sonno cacca pipì doccia. Adesso mi butto per terra e piango. Poi guardo il pavimento e ci ripenso. Anche perchè sono sicuro di aver visto la sindone della Santanchè. Per par condicio vi dico che il controllore sembrava Rutelli. Io spero che lo fosse. Non perchè il controllore sia un brutto lavoro, ma perchè così almeno il Franci si trova un lavoro serio e mette la testa a posto.

ore 19.35-19.46
Ero talmente stufo che stavo per scendere alla stazione sbagliata. Nel mezzo del nulla. Non c’era nemmeno la luce.
Ora scendo davvero, preparate la damigiana di spritz.

Well folks, it’s November. Which means it’s almost December. Which means it’s almost January. Which means it’s almost time for the transfer window to open once more. Which means it’s rumour time.

In the past week I have seen several articles detailing certain high profile clubs (English) monitoring the movements of a “new Kaká,” a “new Didier Drogba” and so on and so forth. I’ve heard rumours about Roman Pavlyuchenko coming to Roma in a swap for Julio Baptista, of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar going pretty much anywhere but Milan, and of pretty much every single pleasant surprise of this year being on their merry way out the doors of their respective clubs. Not to mention players like Nani, Guti and Phillip Lahm, who have taken nasty swipes (however accurate) at their clubs via the press recently; with rumours of Lahm to Real Madrid and the other two far from spectacular, could these be foreshadowings of events to come in the new year?

I’ll rattle off some other trade rumours: Juan Manuel Vargas to Real Madrid, Edin Dzeko to AC Milan, Marek Hamsik to Chelsea, Sergio Agüero to Chelsea, Angel Di Maria to Chelsea, (and so on and so forth), Raúl to Retirement, Cesc Fàbregas to Barcelona, and even Wayne Rooney to Barcelona (ha!).

Will any of these rumours come true? Eh, maybe one or two. For the most part it’s probably all just a load of crap; the unfounded conjecture and speculation that always precedes the opening of the transfer window. It will be interesting to see just what does materialize in the new year, and especially how much the transfer window will be affected by the Real Madrid-inflation that occurred over the summer. In the meantime, let the rumours fly; ’tis the season!

Manchester United are trailing Chelsea by five points after the defeat to Blues at Stamford Bridge and things are not looking good for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. Nani seems to have finished his career at Old Trafford (if he ever had one) after daring to criticize Fergie, while the squad look in desperate need of rebuilding. This can by done by some extent in January, although don’t expect the gaffer to rush into any new deals.

This season was always going to be difficult from the moment Ronaldo left the club and I believe the boss should have added few more players to the squad. He obviously didn’t want to make big changes to the team that had a lot of success in the past few years, but only because he expected more from Nani, Anderson, Berbatov and co. Antonio Valencia is slowly growing accustomed to the life at Old Trafford and his performances are getting better by the day but players like Nani and Anderson, who were expected to step up the plate are desperately underperforming.

Things should improve now that Giggs and Park are back in action and I am confident the boss will have no problems getting rid of Nani after his latest comments. However, with Van der Sar, Giggs, Scholes and Neville in the closing stages of their careers, it’s high time they were found some replacements. Foster and Kuszczak have already proven they didn’t have the required quality to replace the Dutch keeper so Ferguson will have to look elsewhere. Igor Akinfeev and Manuel Neuer are being mentioned as possible replacements and one of them could be on the way to Manchester very soon.

This season doesn’t look too optimistic for United as they don’t seem to have the quality to match thoroughly impressive Chelsea in the Premier League, while Champions League title looks like mission impossible at the moment. That is the reason why the rebuilding process should have already started as these things take time and could cost United at least a couple of trophies. In all fairness, Ferguson brought players like Nani, Anderson, Obertan, Da Silva twins with the aim of building for the future but this process clearly didn’t go as expected.

I still hope Manchester United can fight for trophies this season but apart from maybe reaching the final stages of one of domestic Cups, that don’t look like a realistic possibility. This team are not well balanced and have some missing links, and this is something that cannot be sorted out by buying a couple of players in January. This is one bet I would like to lose but backing Manchester United not to win any trophies this season at 2.00 offered by Paddy Power looks like one of the best sport picks at the moment.

What you missed while dealing with your paraskevidekatriaphobia…

• After falling to the LA Galaxy in the MLS playoffs, Preki’s contract with Chivas USA was not renewed.
• What do Inter Milan and every FM player in the world have in common? Both of them tried to buy Messi in the last transfer window.
• Rio Ferdinand received a mystery injection to cure his mystery injury after said injury caused his mysteriously bad recent form.
• Jermaine Defoe has vowed to curb “rushes of blood to the head”; Steven Gerrard wishes everyone would just quit making fun of his music already.
• If you had Osasuna in the “next club to lose players to H1N1″ pool, step up and collect your prize.
• Nani claims that he has no problems with Sir Alex Ferguson. Nani clearly doesn’t understand that only Sir Alex Ferguson can tell you that you don’t have problems with Sir Alex Ferguson.
• Your Copa Sudamericana semifinal update: River Plate 2-1 Liga de Quito; Fluminese 1-0 Cerro Porteno.
• England has a chance to win the 2010 World Cup, according to…Lucas Leiva.
• Finally, let’s pull one from the ATD archives (since I thought the Hate Match was OCTOBER 14th when in fact it will be played tomorrow on NOVEMBER 14th): The Hate Match Could be Played Twice

很棒的質感, 穿起很舒服, 米果推薦!!

nani?衣著遊樂園 http://nani.tw

What you missed while this guy was tempting fate:

• Frank Lampard is out of England’s friendly against Brazil after suffering an injury in camp; he’ll be replaced with Jermaine Defoe.
• Bad news: Albert Rieira and Yossi Benayoun will be missing from the Liverpool squad for the next month after suffering hamstring injuries. Good news: Jay Spearing isn’t hu-…umm…there is no good news.
• In spite of Peterborough chairman Barry Fry’s assertions to the contrary, former manager Darren Ferguson doesn’t have another job lined up now that he’s left.
• France might pull a Mexico and not sell the television rights for the return leg of their World Cup playoff to Ireland.
• Nani claims that Sir Alex Ferguson is undermining his career; Sir Alex Ferguson likely to reply that Nani is undermining the team.
• Park Ji-Sung, who hasn’t played for Manchester United in two months, was declared fit for South Korea’s friendlies against Denmark and Serbia.
• Yuri Zhirkov is staying positive in spite of the fact that he’s been continuously injured since his arrival at Chelsea.
• Former Manchester City and England striker Darius Vassell was evicted from his hotel after his new club, Turkish side Ankaragücü, declined to pay the bill.

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

Cristano Ronaldo won't be able to help his country out but Portugal can still qualify without his help

Portugal have been one of the major football nation to emerge in the last tournament in the European Championship and the World Cup. This time they face elimination threat as they face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a playoff two legged tie.  Danmark and Sweden qualified ahead of Portugal in the group and the Portuguese are desperate to join the others in the prestige tournament next summer.

Portugal are in this situation simply because they could not overcome the absence of their best player Cristiano Ronaldo. He is included in the squad against Bosnia but a rift between his club Real Madrid and country have appeared to resulted that he will not be fit for the match. Portugal Coach Carlos Queiroz has picked his 23 man squad and expect Ricardo Costa, Deco, Tiago, Nani, Simao and Richardo Carvalho in the starting lineup. He is also boosted with Hugo Almeida and Miguel returning from fitness.

Bosnia-Herzegovina finished second in their group behind European Champions, Spain. Head Coach Miroslav Blažević will be plotting his master plan to evict Portugal in this vital playoff two legged tie. Two players that Bosnia will count on in taking them to the world cup are Zlatan Muslimovic, from Udinese, and Edin Dzeko, Wolfsburg. Both players are top scorer for their country and if they can get things going then the Portuguese might find it tough to handle them. Bosnia will do their best to qualify for the world cup for the first time in their history.

It will be a tragedy if Portugal does not make it to the World Cup but a strong bond Bosnia team are a good replacement for them. Portugal will do their best to wrap up the tie in Lissabon and if that happens, Bosnia will be facing a uphill struggle to qualify. Bosnia knows this is already a tough task so they would try to avoid getting trashed in Portugal, if possible.

Read the report on Bettingexpert.com called  “A betting report for the 2008/2009 season“ and the tipsters might be able to help you decide where you want to bet.

Looking for a place to play slot machine then check out what danmarksautomaten can offer you.

Who Ate  All the Pies picks it’s Premier League Flops Team of the Season, including five(!) United players.

The Evening News lists our six major transfer targets (and overrates our chances of signing them).

Red Rants puts Nani’s latest brilliant career move into a bit of perspective.

Arsenal’s trophy cabinet may have been collecting nothing but dust in recent seasons but the plaudit cabinet at the Emirates Stadium is undoubtedly full-to-busting this term as their attacking exploits have earned them many admirers. Another fine display from Arsene Wenger’s men saw them destroy Wolves 4-1 and as a result three of their players reside in the top 10 of the Actim Index, with Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen featuring.

Despite Chelsea beating champions Manchester United at the weekend, Didier Drogba had a disappointing afternoon on the pitch. And on Sunday night Drogba may well have settled down in his expensive house to watch the Black Eyed Peas perform on the X Factor without knowing he shared the same fate as Fergie and co. That’s right, Sunday night saw the BEP dumped from the top of the singles chart by Tinchy Stryder and Drogba has also lost his place at the top of the pile, slipping down to number two mainly thanks to some impressive from by Fabregas, who takes his place at the summit.

Aston Villa dominate the Team of the Week – but they had the advantage of having played an extra game to most other teams. They lost at West Ham last midweek but made up for it in style with a 5-1 thumping of Bolton at the weekend. John Carew, who poses a huge threat to England’s World Cup chances if he continues to keep Emile Heskey out of the Villa side, had a marvellous afternoon, scoring once and having a hand in three others. He carded an impressive score of 60, which was only outdone by team-mate Ashley Young’s effort of 66. James Milner and Carlos Cuellar complete Villa’s presence in the select XI.

The fat ladies of Hull may well have been having a gargle in preparation for a song or two in honour of beleaguered boss Phil Brown before the weekend. But they will have stood down after the last-gasp victory over Stoke at the weekend. However, despite the win, Hull’s players are still struggling in the Index. Winger Stephen Hunt is their highest-placed player in 38th but you have to go well into the three figures to find their next player, with Kamil Zayatte weighing in at 110th. If there was an Index for most letters in a name, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink would almost certainly top it, but Sunday’s matchwinner is out of luck and he will have to make do with a double nelson, sitting at 222.

Talking of Nelsen, Blackburn’s Ryan Nelsen is having an impressive season and is proving that there is much more to New Zealand than cult comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, Jonah Lomu and rain. Nelsen had a great time of it in the win over Portsmouth, grabbing his first goal of the season and as a result takes his place in the Team of the Week. He moved up 68 places in the overall Index and will look for further improvement as he currently sits in 158th.

Portugal are in dire straits ahead of their World Cup play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina and are currently embroiled in a bitter row with Real Madrid over the availability of the ‘one man’ in their one-man team, Cristiano Ronaldo. And the Winker’s countrymen are not having a good time of it in the Actim Index this season. Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho is leading the way in 37th and even that is courtesy of a sizeable shift up the Index on the back of the win over Manchester United. Deco is doing what Deco does best and flattering to deceive in a disappointing 76th, while every Manchester United fan’s pet hate (apart from traffic on the M25 travelling up to home games) Nani is in a meagre 113th. West Ham’s Manuel Da Costa is at the bottom of the pile in 349th.

View the latest Actim Index >

Every year my dad’s side of the family puts together a family news letter for the holidays, asking everyone to contribute a bit about what is going on in their life. I had a hard time keeping it short, but as it revolves around my current travels I figured I’d include it in my blog. Enjoy!

As I sit on the Shinkansen (bullet train) on my way from Mishima to Nagoya, eating an onigiri (rice ball), drinking a chu-hi (grapefruit soda and sake…canned – 1.50 at any convenience store), I am not sure where to begin.

At this time last year I was at home in Hawaii, performing around the islands in an educational play called ‘Trash Heap’ and going to school part time. Now, for the first time since I was in preschool I’m not enrolled in a fall semester, not taking any formal classes, but learning tons. After spending the past Spring taking a full schedule of classes, mostly in the education department, at UH Hilo, I knew I was ready for a journey. I spent the summer working at a small restaurant in Honokaa called Simply Natural, which I lived upstairs from, and spent the majority of evenings working at a Mexican Restaurant about 30 minutes away which is currently evolving into the Big Island Brewhaus. Having had no knowledge or understanding of the Beer as a process, the daily pauhana (after work drink) and Beer talk opened my eyes to the artistry and craftsmanship involved in Brewing. During the summer I also taught drama at a small Waldorf school in Honokaa called the Hawaii Sustainable Education Initiative, where I taught Spanish throughout the school year.

Caught some memorable, gem surf sessions with the family and was in and out of the folk’s house for the occasional dinner and, garden time, and lots of random favors. Although I haven’t lived at home for a while I never seem to stop asking mom and dad for their help and guidance, although now we’re more friends than anything.

That quick synopsis of the last few months brings me to the Fall…where does time go? I turned twenty two a couple of weeks ago and I’m starting to understand what ‘adults’ mean when they say that time goes faster as you get older. This fall brought me to Japan. Literally.

Growing up in Hawaii and studying in Southern California I had never seen the different colors and leaf contrasts that are so seasonally typical in other parts of the world (I’m definitely not complaining!) The oranges, reds, yellows and browns were calling me – It was time to watch the leaves fall. Plus, if I didn’t immerse myself in the language I knew that my Japanese (which I studied as a kid) would get locked up in one of those compartments of the brain that you end up loosing the key to.

I didn’t have much of a plan for this trip, and when people asked me why I was going and what I would be doing I didn’t have a very clear reply…but it’s working out! What started as a solo trip with no direction is molding into a series of home stays with old friends, new friends, and friends of friends up and down the country.

That brings me back to the bullet train, where I sit at the moment, coming from the Izu peninsula south of Tokyo and headed to Nagoya. My Izu buddies were new friends, but after a week of surfing together, morning hikes to see the view of Mount Fuji, watching sunsets, making dinners, and doing morning yoga sessions, we were tight. In our language exchange we even had a point system going, competing on who could remember the most vocabulary – each point worth one beer. At the moment I’m eating the bento box Ai packed for me, full of my favorite foods, such as ikka (dried squid), umeboshi onigiri (plum rice ball), o senbei (rice crackers), and kinpira gobo (cooked burdock root). The seats in the Shinkansen are much like an airplane, the tray in front of you folding down to create a table, but the leg room is double and the seat leans back deeply for comfortable napping. My other option was $20 cheaper, but consisted of a 4 hour train ride with 5 changes. I’ll be on this Shinkansen for less than two hours with no changes – a little expensive but I can see why. Looking forward to more delicious Japanese food, language immersion, colorful trees, and friendships.

Which brings me to the present (which truly is a present – so thankful). I’m stopping in Nagoya to visit a friend I studied abroad in Spain with over a year ago and laughing as I think about how the Span-anese we’ll speak is going to sound. As far as school…I’m getting educated daily, but I’ll also be going back to college in the spring at Chapman University to finish my degree, which is a double major in Sociology and Peace Studies with an emphasis in education.
Lots of love and aloha to family everywhere, along with wishes of health, happiness, and growth as we transition into the new year. Mahalo to my mom, dad, and brother for being such remarkable, supportive, and inspiring people. Malama Pono (take care)!

My dad had this really lovely piece published in The Chronicle Herald this weekend. It’s about my grandparents, the navy, the legion, and Remembrance Day – super touching, sweet, and has a really great message.

I am super proud of him and hope, if you read it, you vote for and share it this Remembrance Day!

Manchester United booked its passage to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League in dramatic and somewhat embarrassing fashion. If a side like CSKA Moscow can come to Old Trafford and score goals in the manner they did, I don’t think the Special One at Inter Milan or Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola will be having sleepless nights worrying about United’s threat to their title hopes.

It seemed that Wayne Rooney was not the only one suffering from insomnia in the last few days. He had a legitimate excuse with the birth of his son and future England international Kai Rooney. On the other hand, United’s backline, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans in particular, were time and again caught napping by a fluid Russian offence.

United really made heavy weather of a game that with better defending ought to have been a stroll in the park. The opening goal from bright prospect Alan Dzagoev was a case of Evans being outdone by the youngster’s pace. The Northern Ireland international should have got closer to him and Edwin Van der Sar’s lame attempt at a save would have seen him being slaughtered in the media if his name was Ben Foster instead.

Michael Owen’s equaliser a few minutes later seemed to restore normality to the proceedings. A flick from Nani, intentional or not, preceded a cool side-footed finish from Owen, whose predatory instincts kicked in. He once again displayed his positional awareness by staying onside, although the CSKA defence did help in part by playing a deep line.

Milos Krasic, who has now turned in two commendable displays against United in this campaign, gave Fabio da Silva such a torrid time that I wonder if Sir Alex Ferguson subbed in his twin brother Rafael without anyone knowing during the break to give him a rest. Krasic’s goal was well-taken as he breezed past Evans and took it around Van der Sar for the tap-in. Darren Fletcher should have done better to track Krasic’s run as he ran onto Dzagoev’s pass.

But the goal that has got Carlo Ancelotti brimming with confidence going into Sunday’s crunch encounter was Berezutski’s header just after the break. Ferguson described the marking, or the lack of, at the back post for the set-piece as “unbelievable”. As he rightly points out, they will be slaughtered if they carry on defending in this manner at Stamford Bridge.

Federico Macheda, who was making his first European start, was quick to point the blame at others when the ball went into the net but the Italian was the one caught flat footed as the cross came in. The Italian could learn from watching Chelsea ace Didier Drogba in defending set-pieces. He will get a chance to watch it up close this weekend and I hope Drogba will be a useless teacher and score an own goal!

CSKA were probably too embarrassed to be leading by two goals at the Theatre of Dreams. The Russians added to the “How not to defend set-pieces” instructional DVD by giving Paul Scholes the freedom of Manchester to head the ball in from a Gary Beckham, I mean, Neville free-kick.

And that is why I love this club so much because inspiration is found from somewhere to not only get a goal back but also make you believe that all three points are a possibility. Antonio Valencia, who is the complete opposite of Cristiano Ronaldo by passing too much and not shooting enough, finally decided to have an attempt that was heading for row Z in the Stretford End before the law of physics decided to intervene.

There was not enough Fergie time to get all three points but the Ecuadorian’s deflected equaliser showed that if you don’t buy the ticket, you won’t win the lottery.

So I suggest you keep buying your 4D and Toto tickets. And if you win, please don’t forget to make out a cheque to yours truly.

Qualification is secured, United’s eight-year unbeaten Champions League home record is still intact and the Red Devils will top the group with a win over Besiktas in the penultimate group match.

United fans have probably become accustomed to the team playing in fits and starts this season. I just hope key players like Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs are FIT to play against Chelsea this weekend and United can START to play like the champions they are.

Zen zen chigau translates from Japanese to English as ‘completely and totally different’, which is the only way I can describe my transitions in and out of Tokyo then subsequent adjustment to Izu, about 2 hours south of Tokyo by Shinkansen. The complete contrast of city and countryside are somewhat digestible when it takes an airplane ride of at least a few hours to get from one to the other (which is always the case from the Big Island to any huge metropolitan center). But when you go from one of the three ‘command’ city centers of the world to complete countryside patterned by rice fields and gardens and framed by the mountains and ocean within the space of two hours in a train the only thing to say is ‘zen zen chigau’. All the Japanese people I’ve been spending the last few days with agree, nodding their heads and repeating the phrase, ‘zen zen chigau.’ Most of them won’t deal with Tokyo unless they absolutely have to, just as most die-hard Tokyo folk don’t tend to bother themselves with the countryside unless it’s only for a couple days at a time. Kamakura and Chigasaki were impressive in terms of their mellowness despite being right outside of Tokyo, but Izu is an entirely distinctive world…two hours away. Zen zen chigau.
From the subtle to the obvious Tokyo and Izu set themselves apart from one another; buildings and karaoke to gardens and fishing boats, bars and restaurants to home cooked meals and house parties, late nights and daytime naps to early rest and dawn rising, but being a small town girl myself it was easy to adapt back to the countryside. My Tokyo Halloween celebration was spent dancing hula for an Irish band at club Asia in Shibuya, at Tokyo’s center. Talk about oxymoron; dancing hula to Irish music. “What?” That is exactly what I said, and it took me awhile to agree to the performance, but in the end it made more sense than I would have ever anticipated. I agreed only as a favor to my friend Jonathan, who had been so kind as to let me crash at his apartment in Shinjuku on and off for three weeks while I figured out my trajectory for the remainder of my time in Japan. Jonathan is the producer (for lack of a better word) of this Irish band in Tokyo called Johnson’s Motor Car – meaning he supports them financially because he believes in their potential as a band. So Jonathan (as well as the band) has this vision that Irish music can fit to any world dance; hip hop, African, Salsa, belly dance…and hula. So he gave me the music and I did my best – choreographed while on the beach in Kamakura (outside of Tokyo). I fell asleep on the beach thinking the waves might pick up, and when I awoke it was even more flat so I danced hula in the sand while the surfers (who had no waves to surf) watched me. I subsequently raided the plants on the side of the road and in the park to make the best leis I could. I wouldn’t call it raid – more of a trim…Managed to create a decent amount of foliage adornment for the show and after a little few day hiatus in Kamakura and Chigasaki I returned to Tokyo in time for the sound check at club Asia. Aside from myself the show included a pair of salsa dancers, an Irish dancer, and a hula Hooper.
The song I danced to is called “star of the county down”, and speaks of a beautiful woman who is unfortunately spoken for. I danced to the language of the song, just as I would to any Hawaiian song, and the story, accompanied by my movements, came alive. My initial and unrelenting skepticism erased itself in what ended up being a blend of my blood, heritage, and childhood… all in a club in the middle of Tokyo. Who’d a thought? I’ve found in my short time in Japan that a mixture of no expectations, a little faith, and a genki (happy) mood create a formula that ends up giving the gift of the present…And it truly is a present. Especially the unexpected moments – like today, when I happened upon a matsuri (town holiday) festival in the middle of Izu outside of a convenience store – taiko drums, flutes, paper decorations, kids, uncles, aunties, and beer (I think that’s why the whole procession stopped outside the convenience store). But back to my zen zen chigau story. After the show in Shibuya I went out salsa dancing to a Cuban club in Roppongi, where I danced salsa with Cubans and spoke a blend of Japanese Spanish English with the mixed crowd. A good time but in the end I think I’d prefer to dance Salsa in a Latin country, and speak only Spanish – the mixture of circumstance and cultures was just a little too confusing. That said, the bar made delicious mojitos, fresh mint and all. A day and a half later and things were zen zen chigau. One o’clock in the afternoon on Halloween day and I was drinking cheap Kirin beer with the Izu boys at a country style party in a persimmon orchard in the mountains. The whole day passed like that – barbequing, drinking, talking – kicking it just like home, only with a Japanese crew and some tasty plum wine. Even the drive home was similar to Big Island – an hour on a windy road from the mountain to ocean.
So while Izu is certainly zen zen chigau from Tokyo, it’s not so different than what im used to, and the mellow evenings of cooking exchange (my friend Ai and I are giving each other tips) with a glass of wine are just what I needed after my initial Tokyo blitz. As I set up my futon on a tatami mat floor to the tune of the wind and ocean, wedged in between the mountains and the ocean, on the West coast of the Izu peninsula, I can’t help but laugh as the phrase ‘zen zen chigau’ continues to ring through my head.

A EE Júlio Secco deu o troco no time da escola Celestin Freinet no 2º jogo pela Liga Praia Grandense de Fustal neste domingo, dia 31/10: 4×3, com 2 gols de Juliana, 1 de Adriane e outro de Nayara.

A próxima partida acontece dia 08/11  às 16h20 da tarde, no Ginásio do Clube de Praia São Paulo (sujeito a alteração). Desta vez, as meninas jogam contra Ases/Frota Vento Imports. Não perca!

I am two months old today. But instead of celebrating I am little sad . My nana (my mom’s dad) is going back to India tommorow. The thought itself makes my heart sinks because after mom I spend most of my time with nana and nani (mom’s mother)

He is the one who entertains me all day. He carries me when I cry. He massages me, he bathes me. He along with nani takes good care of me to make sure that I am in good health & hale. It is hard for me to think how I would spend my day without him. His absence means more work for my mom and nani during the day time and for dad during night time.

But there is nothing we can do here. He has his business and other things to take care back in India. So he has to go. This reminds me of my first lesson. Change is inevitable. Seasons of life keeps changing. Good season (happy days) is followed by bad season (sad days) and bad is followed by good. But the good part for me is nani is still around for another two months. She is the one who puts me to sleep by singing traditional songs called halarda, specially sung for children. So atleast I don’t have to worry about sleeping for now

Following Manchester United’s fairly dismal performance against Liverpool last Sunday, I have decided (over the course of the week, it didn’t just come to me in a dream) that what is lacking from their mostly mediocre performances so far this season is the absence of wingers that enjoy taking on defenders.

While this may seem obvious following the departure of a certain greasy-haired number seven, the problem dates back to before Cristiano Ronaldo, and he has merely covered up the problem for the past five seasons or so.

Yes, there is Nani who undoubtedly has the ability, but instead of harnessing this, he decides he is already as good as Ronaldo and wanders around the pitch rarely producing anything other than a pitiful scream every time he goes down when feeling any sort of contact. Sir Alex Ferguson’s lack of faith in Nani is shown by the amount of times he has started in a big game. Approximately never.

Summer arrival Antonio Valencia may yet prove to be the sort of dribbling winger every full-back fears, but just now he seems perfectly content with heading for the by-line every time he picks up the ball, so as to avoid any opposition player. He had the pace to beat Emiliano Insua on Sunday, but as has become his trademark, he would head for the dead ball line and aim to pull the ball back. Understandably this tactic becomes somewhat predictable for the opposing full-back.

Indeed, excluding Ronaldo, I don’t think United have had a truly fearless attacking winger since they won the treble in 1999. Back then it was Ryan Giggs, Jesper Blomqvist, and even David Beckham, who, contrary to popular belief, did used to have the pace to beat a player before whipping the ball in.

Since then they’ve relied on an ever ageing  pre=”ageing “>Giggs, Park Ji Sung, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and even Wayne Rooneyto fill the wide positions. For all of Ferguson’s claims that United are a club who believe in true, dribbling wingers, long gone are the days of the marauding Giggs or Andre Kanchelskis. Ronaldo but this to the back of everyone’s mind, because while he was making himself the best player in the world, there was effectively no need for two attacking wingers, as Ronaldo by himself was more than enough.

However, for all this doom and gloom, Tuesday night showed there was the potential for the dawn of a new age. Despite a few eyebrows (including my own) being raised when Gabriel Obertan was bought in the summer. a player who was shipped out on loan to Lorient when he couldn’t hold down a place at Bordeaux, many thought Ferguson had finally lost it, but following  following Obertan’s impressive debut against Barnsley in the Carling Cup, the doubters will have been hushed, if not all together silenced.

Pacey, and not afraid to take on a player or two, Obertan showed he had the make up of the Old Trafford wingers of old. Couple with this the signings of Zoran Tosic and Adam Ljajic, and the future of the Manchester United winger may be safe, after all.

Gestern abend stand eines der traditionellen Premier-League-Duelle auf dem Spielplan: FC Liverpool gegen Manchester United. Ich habe mir im «Shamrock Irish Pub» einen netten Nachmittag gemacht, englischer Fußball und Cappuccino sei dank. Während des Spiels entstand in meinem Notizbuch ein kleiner Liveticker, den ich eigentlich schon gestern abend veröffentlichen wollte – allein, es fehlte die Zeit.

[Vor dem Spiel] Steven Gerrard fehlt bei den «Reds», der Kapitän nur auf der Tribüne; dafür kann Fernando Torres spielen. Bei Manchester ist Wayne Rooney überraschenderweise rechtzeitig fit geworden.
Das Duell des Tages wird wohl im Sturm stattfinden: Rooney und Berbatov gegen Torres.

3′ Steilpass auf Rooney. Tor! Aber Abseits.

5′ Manchesters Defensive formiert sich sehr zentral, bei Liverpools Angriffen gibt es auf den Außen immer eine Anspielstation. Sollte auf diesem Niveau eigentlich nicht passieren. (Interessanterweise verfügen Manchesters Flügelspieler bei Ballbesitz über ein sehr gutes Stellungsspiel, aber die Außenverteidiger ziehen sich bei Ballverlust beide in die Mitte zurück.)
Schon jetzt zu beobachten: Beide Teams bemühen sich um eine konzentrierte Spieleröffnung mit flachen und direkten Pässen. Bloß nicht zu früh den Ball verlieren!

10′ ManUtd besetzt die defensiven Außenpositionen wieder nicht. Taktik?

12′ United kontert nach einem Liverpool-Freistoß. Zwar mit wenigen Spielern, aber trotzdem entsteht Druck für die gegnerische Abwehr. Rooney als Anspielstation prägt das Bild der «Red Devils».

16′ Freistoß für Liverpool, van der Saar rettet, Nachschuss Torres, van der Saar ist erneut da. Manchesters Abwehr schwimmt. Aber Liverpool kann im Nachsetzen kein Tor erzwingen. Die Chance war da, Manchesters Zuordnung stimmte nicht. Drei freie Spieler von der Merseyside im Strafraum sind entscheidend zu viel.

18′ Liverpool kontert über Dirk Kuyt, scheitert aber erneut an van der Saar. Ist das der vermeintliche Krisenklub Liverpool? Nur im Tabellenmittelfeld? Nein, das ist ein ebenbürtiger Gegner.

21′ Der erste konzentrierte Angriff von Fergusons Elf. Berbatov, Rooney, dann ist der Ball weg. Vor allem in der folgenden Rückwärtsbewegung zeigen sich im defensiven Mittelfeld von Manchester riesige Lücken – ist das eine Meistermannschaft? Noch einmal: Löcher im Mittelfeld und de facto sechs Innenverteidiger am eigenen Strafraum, aber keine Außenverteidigung.

25′ Nun wird Torres gezielter gefoult. Willkommen in England.

34′ ManUtd inzwischen mit «Kick and Rush», das hart am Liverpool-Strafraum beendet wird. Die Wiederholung zeigt: Eigentlich wäre ein Strafstoß fällig gewesen.

36′ Die letzten Minuten gehörten eindeutig Manchester, die Statistik spricht von 77% Ballbesitz. Nun ein Lebenszeichen von Liverpool, Kopfball von Fabio Aurelio aus kurzer Distanz, aber van der Saar ist schnell unten.

40′ Nun ist auch die Abwehr der «Reds» nicht bei der Sache – aber Berbatov schießt Reina an.

46′ Berbatov hält Kuyt im Strafraum, aber auch Liverpool wird der Strafstoß verweigert. Eigentlich zwei klare Szenen.

Halbzeitfazit Liverpool dominierte 20 Minuten lang und schläft dann plötzlich ein, während Manchester allmählich ins Spiel kommt, aber vor allem von Rooneys Gefährlichkeit lebt. Unmittelbar vor der Halbzeit ist der von ManUtd aufgebaute Druck am größten, Liverpool fällt mehr und mehr ab. Besonders dem anfangs sehr agilen Fernando Torres scheint in den letzten Minuten die Kraft ausgegangen zu sein.

53′ Liverpool kommt besser aus der Kabine, hatte schon zwei, drei gute Angriffe. Gelingt mit neuer Konzentration endlich ein Tor?

56′ Angriff über Berbatov und Rooney, der von Lucas gelbwürdig gestoppt wird, aber mit einer Verwarnung davonkommt. Ryan Giggs zieht den folgenden Freistoß scharf auf Berbatov, aber Torres ist zuvor am Ball.

60′ Mascherano und Agger bedrängen Valencia. Giggs zieht den Freistoß wieder gefährlich in den Strafraum, aber Michael Carrick köpft Johnson an.
Wirkliche Gefahr strahlt ManUtd in der zweiten Hälfte vor allem über Standards aus.

65′ Tor! Liverpool überbrückt schnell das Mittelfeld. Steilpass, Querpass, Steilpass – und dann lässt Fernando Torres Rio Ferdinand stehen und hebt den Ball über Edwin van der Saar. Großartiger Spielzug! Torres ist mit neun Treffern nun auch wieder alleiniger Anführer der Premier-League-Torschützenliste.

68′ Freistoß für Manchester 25 Meter zentral vor dem Tor – aber Rooney hämmert den Ball in die Mauer. Liverpool zieht sich weit zurück, will sich jetzt kein dummes Gegentor einfangen.

70′ Neill Lucas stößt in Manchesters Abwehrlücken und geht auf das zweite Tor – aber er scheitert.

71′ Distanzschuss Mascherano.

72′ Wieder Lucas, diesmal nach einer Ecke. Jetzt drückt Liverpool!
Kurz darauf Gelb für Mascherano. Insgesamt eine gute Leistung von Liverpool, in der Abwehr konzentriert und im Sturm spritzig. Sieht gut aus!

74′ Doppelwechsel bei United: Michael Owen für Berbatov, Nani für den unauffälligen Paul Scholes.

75′ Gelb für Nemanja Vidic, der den auf rechts startenden Fernando Torres im Mittelfeld foult. Liverpool zieht sich jetzt weiter zurück als vor der Führung und spekuliert auf Konter.

77′ Nani zieht aus 11 Metern ab, Reina hält.

78′ Guter Angriff der «Reds», aber Torres will am Strafraum zu lässig den Ball durchstecken und bleibt hängen.

81′ Wechsel Liverpool: David N’Gog für Torres.

82′ ManUtd wirkt verzweifelt, probiert es erneut mit «Kick and rush».

84′ Valencia hämmert vom Eck des Fünfmeterraums den Ball an die Latte – knappe Sache.

87′ Gelb für Carragher. Nur gelb.

89′ Gelb-Rot Vidic. Dirk Kuyt ist an der Mittellinie durch, Vidic reißt ihn um. Klare Sache.

90′ Liverpool hat verständlicherweise Zeit ohne Ende, Manchester kann es nicht schnell genug gehen.

91′ Großartig: Johnson läuft Rooney den Ball ab.

92′ Wechsel Liverpool: Martin Skrtel für Benayoun.

94′ Gelb-Rot Mascherano. Der Liverpooler geht den herausstürmenden Edwin van der Saar hart an. Eine klare Entscheidung.
Liverpool zieht sich jetzt komplett zurück. Nur kein dummes Gegentor!

96′ Inzwischen ist das Spiel ein wildes Gebolze, Manchester versucht aus dem Chaos Chancen zu kreieren. Im Gegenzug ein feiner Angriff von Liverpool über Dirk Kuyt und David N’Gog, die locker die United-Abwehr aushebeln – und N’Gog erzielt das Tor! Das war’s, damit machen die «Reds» den Sack zu und sichern sich die drei Punkte.

97′ Abpfiff. Eine turbulente Nachspielzeit endet. Der FC Liverpool besiegt Manchester United. Spielerisch war Liverpool tatsächlich etwas besser, größtenteils sah man aber ein Duell auf Augenhöhe. Mit den drei Punkten könnte Liverpool einen ersten Schritt unternommen haben, um die zwischenzeitliche Krise zu beenden.

Mann des Tages war für mich Neill Lucas (Liverpool), der mit einer konsequenten Defensivleistung und gefährlichen Vorstößen viel Aufsehen erregte.

It was billed as an epic encounter; Rafa under pressure after Liverpool’s worst run for 22 years and in desperate need of a win. United on the back of a midweek victory and looking to maintain top spot by overcoming their bitterest rivals in their own backyard. What transpired was a lacklustre affair devoid of  intensity and quality. Neither team played with the precision or confidence of a side who believe they will be sitting top of the table next May.

Not surprisingly the fitness of Gerrard and Torres dominated the pre-match hype, as everyone knows the merseysiders are a different beast when the deadly duo are in the side. In the end one was enough to turn the match. As the contest looked certain to end a stalemate Torres, as he so often does, popped up with a moment of genius, latching onto Benayoun’s wonderful through ball and beating Ferdinand for pace and strength before pulling off a cracking finish.

United had no option but to chase the match and still managed to create nothing. When Carragher somehow escaped a blatant red card having prevented a guilt-edged chance for Michael Owen it was clear that lady luck had deserted United in Anfield. Insult was duly added to injury when Ngog slotted Liverpool’s second goal in injury time after Vidic had been sent off.

Ferguson needs to learn from this embarrassing display as Liverpool exposed some obvious flaws in the United team. Playing Scholes and Carrick in the centre of midfield simply doesn’t work. Both are holding midfielders and have an inclination to drop deep even when United push forward. On Sunday United constantly knocked long balls up to Berbatov and Rooney. The Bulgarian had the beating of the centre backs for the most part but once in possession he was stranded with only Rooney for support. Time after time the duo were starved of any supporting thrust coming from midfield. Giggs and Valencia did their best to help out on the flanks but without anyone offering themselves in midfield the visitors were repeatedly outnumbered and dispossessed.

The only move really open to Ferguson was to move Nani onto the left and play Giggs behind the front two. This is by no means a title-winning midfield. Nani is far from the finished article and only shows flashes of potential. Giggs is most effective on the left. Scholes, while a master on a good day, doesn’t have the consistency of years past. Carrick….is there really anything good we can say about Carrick? He passes well sometimes, only sometimes. He lacks any kind of passion or desire, he repeatedly fades into the background when backs are against the wall. In many ways he’s the opposite to the previous number 16 at Old Trafford.

So look to the bench, who do see? Park, Anderson, Fletcher, Gibson. There’s no shortage of effort or work ethic but is there any genuine class? Anderson has yet to fulfil the potential he showed in his first season in the Premiership. Park does the defensive work well but is limited when on the ball. Fletcher has really upped his game this season, picking up a few man of the match awards. The Scot has added assisting and scoring to his arsenal proving his more than just a destructive nuisance to opponents. World class? Im afraid not. Fletcher is merely the best of a bad bunch.

It is now painfully clear that Fergie needs an attacking midfielder. A Scholes of old, a Zidane, an Iniesta, a Schneider, this is the type of performer United crave. Even the return of Owen Hargreaves won’t added the necessary attacking flare needed. Unfortunately for Sir Alex there isn’t such a simple solution for the defensive problems. United still boast the same quartet that proved so formidable last season. Why then do the reds look so vulnerable at the back this season? Confidence! Ferdinand and Vidic are woefully lacking in confidence, so much so that Rio is under pressure to keep a place in the national side. Evra and O’ Shea have been impressive for most of the season, but the centre-backs are the heartbeat of any defense and at the moment United’s is too weak to last a long season. Fergie has to hope for some consistently solid outings to boost confidence or his two big centre-backs will be exposed again as they were on Sunday.

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