Following Wolves’ financial crisis that saw the club enter into an administration battle, Danish legend Peter Schmeichel decided to buy out the remaining stake belonging to the club. After over a month of FA meetings and court discussions it was decided that the club will be allowed to participate in the Premier League the following season. Schmeichel shocked Wolves fans as he announced the descision to move the club location, change the name, board, staff and players completely.

The newly formed ‘Three Rivers FC’ are now based in Hertfordshire based around the district area Three Rivers. The club have a new 40,000 seater stadium with under-soil heating and have local rivalries with Luton Town and Watford as well as rivalries with London giants Chelsea and Arsenal.

Because of Schmeichels project to ’start the club from scratch’ the team now has no backroom staff or players available to use. Peter Schmeichel also wants a brand new manager, one that perhaps has not had much experience but he says he will give him the resources he needs to build up his own squad.

Football media and fans alike all seem very shocked but excited about this new concept from Peter Schmeichel who says he aims to make the Hertfordshire club one of the best in England.

Peter was also quick to get some sponsors using his Danish links. The club announced that the club’s main sponsor would be Carlsberg. He has also set up a number of affiliates that will benefit the club with Standard Liege, Cardiff City and Brøndby.

Legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has written off his son Kasper’s chances of pushing for a spot in Denmark’s World Cup squad this summer.

Kasper, like his father a former Manchester City player, is now playing for Sven Goran Eriksson’s Notts County in League Two, and has been a regular in the Danish Under-21s, but Schmeichel senior has rejected speculation that he could make a late push for South Africa 2010.

“The national team is not a topic at the moment. And it shouldn’t be either,” the Manchester United legend said, according to Sky Sports.

“On some occasions, it is every footballers dream to play for the national team, but if you don’t reach it, you always need to work harder to reach a higher level, a level you wouldn’t reach if you didn’t have this as a goal.”

Denmark sit top of UEFA Group 1 in World Cup qualifying, three points ahead of second-placed Sweden with two games remaining.

Goal

Our present goalkeeper strategy seems very sensible. With Edwin van der Sar in his, probably, last season, Ben Foster will be given plenty of opportunities to prove himself. Presumably even at times when Van der Sar is fit. Sir Alex firmly believes that Foster will be England’s first-choice keeper in South Africa next summer, and beyond that the permanent successor to Van der Sar.

I’m not completely convinced by this strategy. Firstly, Foster’s injury problems have been far too frequent to install confidence in him as a reliable long-term solution. Secondly, I’ve been occasionally impressed but also  from time to time worried by his performances, e.g in the Community Shield a couple of weeks ago.

Even so there is no need to try to sign a new keeper unless you could identify one with genuine potential to be a long-term solution of the calibre of Casillas or Schmeichel.  I belive that such a solution was, perhaps still is, available this summer. I’m referring to 23-year-old Manuel Neuer at Schalke 04. I admit that I haven’t watched him regularly in the Bundesliga, but a number of hugely impressive performances in the European Under-21 Championship this summer convinced me that he should be our next keeper.

The end of the transfer window is fast approaching and a deal this week is unlikely. I fear that the competition for his signature will be very fierce next summer.

The Premier League Kicks Off today with Challengers Chelsea in  action at 1245 BST at home to Hull, Arsenal are away to Everton. On Sunday United welcome Birmingham back to the top flight at Old Trafford, with Liverpool away to Tottenham, the coming season marks 20 years for the Reds since they were last crowned domestic champions….

Arsenal Rule Out Fabregas Transfer. Arsene Wenger insists that there is not any chance of Arsenal Football Club selling Cesc Fabregas.
It was widely reported on Thursday that Barcelona are lining up a £40million bid for the Spanish international, but Wenger has dismissed the possibility of selling his skipper to any club.

Goalkeeper seals permanent Manchester City exit.

“It is a great signing for the club, obviously. He is one for now and one for the future,” County manager Ian McParland said in the Nottingham Evening Post. “Hopefully he will be here for a long time.”
It is believed the League Two club have smashed their transfer record to land Schmeichel, who is the son of former Manchester United great Peter.

Rafa: Fergie is worried by City – Rafa Benitez has started the season in traditional fashion by having a crack at old friend Alex Ferguson. The Liverpool manager is quoted by The Guardian as claiming that Alex Ferguson has been rattled by the sheer weight of spending by Manchester City.  “”I can understand why Mr Ferguson at Manchester United is a little bit worried.

“Aston Villa and Tottenham have also spent some money, so there will five, six or more fighting now.”Benitez went on to outline the importance of tying his most important performers to Anfield, something he started on Friday after Fernando Torres signed a new deal.

“The important thing was to try and extend the contracts of key players” he said. “And that is what we did. We had 86 points last season to finish second, and we have more or less the same squad, so maybe we can do the same again or better.

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Una de las grandes glorias del fútbol danés, es sin lugar a dudas que Preben Elkjaer Larsen. Este notable jugador nació en la ciudad de Copenhague el 11 de Septiembre de 1957… sin saberlo, Dinamarca había generado a uno de los pocos jugadores en la historia que han sabido combinar la potencia física con una gran habilidad y armonía en sus movimientos.

Este delantero de juego agresivo y con una amplia visión de juego fue para horror de sus entrenadores un fumador empedernido. A nivel internacional tuvo su debut con 19 años años en 1977 frente a la selección de Finlandia, pero sin lugar a dudas, fue en México ´86 donde el mundo conoció y admiró su nombre defendiendo a la debutante Dinamarca en el llamado “Grupo de la Muerte” frente a Alemania Federal, Uruguay y Escocia.

Dinamarca no solo humilla a los “charrúas” por un contundente 6-1, sino que pasa a Octavos de Final donde cae ante la inspirada España de Emilio Butragueño. De todas formas, Elkjaer Larsen se inscribe con 4 anotaciones en ese Mundial.

Es en la Eurocopa de Alemania ´88 donde viste por última vez la casaquilla de país frente Alemania Federal. Jugó 69 veces para Dinamarca y anotó en 38 ocasiones, convirtiéndose en uno de los jugadores más admirados y queridos de su país.

Vistió los colores del Vanløse IF y Vejle de Dinamarca, FC Köln de Alemania, Lokeren de Bélgica y Verona de Italia anotando 166 goles entre 1976 y 1990.

Actualmente es un experto comentarista junto a los inolvidables Brian Laudrup y Peter Schmeichel.

I know what you are thinking. Why on earth would I specifically choose footage of yesterday’s FA Community Shield to highlight just why I think Ben Foster will be a future England number 1, and potentially even a future captain?

Why would I do that? The keeper had (with all due respect – and I have a lot of respect for this guy) a bit of a howler – almost giving two goals away with sloppy play on the ball, and having far from the best couple of hours of his career in general.

His shot stopping may have been OK, but most of his saves were just that – stopping the shot. He didn’t catch as many as I’d have thought, preferring to just keep it away from the net and then picking it up after having parried a shot directed more or less straight at him.

He didn’t look comfortable with the ball at his feet – as I said earlier, almost gifting Chelsea with a couple of sloppy goals.

However, for me, he is still easily one of the best – if not THE best – England has at the moment.

Did you see the attitude he presented, the absolute command of his own penalty area?

When receiving a back pass, and taking far too much time on the ball and allowing Chelsea a chance, the glare he shot at his defence as though THEY had done something wrong was absolute class, and more than a touch reminiscent of a certain Great Dane who used to wear the United keepers’ jersey.

His size is another positive factor – for a big guy, he is just as agile as any other keeper out there, and the fact that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson shelled out £1m for his services from Stoke in 2005 is a telling sign that this guy has a bright future ahead of him.

Despite his shaky performance, Foster still retains faith from his manager – the man who knows just about everything in football. It is no strange occurrence for a keeper to have a howler for United and rarely play for them again (Massimo Taibi anyone?) but Sir Alex remains unshaken from this display, having opted for Foster ahead of United’s other understudy, Tomasz Kuszczak, in the absence of the injured Edwin van der Sar.

“Knowing Ben and the ability which he has, he should have done better with the second goal,” Sir Alex told skysports.com.

“However, it was his first big challenge. He has waited a long time, has had his injuries and in pre-season I spread the load between the three keepers, and maybe we did not have enough minutes for him.

“But the important thing is, knowing his ability, it means I do not have any worries about him.”

As he has been proven right against all the odds time and time again, I firmly believe Sir Alex has hit the nail on the proverbial head once again. As I said before, Foster has it all – the size, the agility, the attitude and the commanding presence – and I firmly believe that sets him above all other England keepers right now, and experience may even make him the best England keeper since the great David Seaman hung up his gloves.

The excitement was palpable around television centre this morning, as excited BBC fans  welcomed back legendary pundit Alan Shearer in advance of this afternoon’s televised game between West Bromwich Albion vs Newcastle United. In advance of his triumphant return to sitting on a sofa, FistedAway spoke to the fans in a not-at-all ghoulish, exploiting-the-mentally-ill fashion.

“We’re over the moon, I can’t believe it. He knows that sofa inside out.” enthused one fan, adding “If you cut Alan, he bleeds the licence fee”.

Amid accusations that the fickle fans have been down this road before, another fan reacted angrily. “Look, this messiah is different to the countless other messiahs we have followed before. Alan isn’t Peter Schmeichel. He isn’t Graham Le Saux. And he isn’t that Judas Stubbs either”.

The BBC have seen a boost from Shearer’s return, as earlier this week, fans were queuing up at the gift shop to buy the BBC Pundit replica shirt.  The shirt features layered chest panelling, climacool technology and an implausibly big collar. The full replica kit also includes a tie with an implausibly large knot, and trousers that seem to go tighter as you look at them. A special edition Shearer shirt has been produced to commemorate the comeback, with the double-cuffs inscribed own personal latin mottos: “nihil dicit” on the left and “absit iniuria verbis” on the right.

Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE (born 18 November 1963) is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the “World’s Best Goalkeeper” in 1992 and 1993. He is best remembered for his most successful years at English club Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 UEFA Champions League to complete The Treble. He was a key member of the Denmark national football team that won Euro 92.

Born in Gladsaxe, Copenhagen, Schmeichel is famous for his intimidating physique (he is 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) tall and wears specially-made size XXXL football shirts) and his attacking threat. During his career, Schmeichel scored 11 goals, including one for the Danish national team, a great feat for a keeper. He is also the most capped player for the Denmark national team, with 129 games between 1987 and 2001. Apart from Euro 92, he played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and three additional European Championship tournaments. He captained the national team in 30 matches.

Schmeichel is also known for his trademark shouts at his defence. He would often yell out at the defenders in charge of helping him defend the goal for blunders and poor defending and would occasionally single out various individuals in the defence to make his feelings heard.

Today, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of football. The IFFHS ranked Schmeichel among the top ten keepers of the 20th century in 2000, and in 2001, Schmeichel won a public poll held by Reuters, when the majority of the 200,000 participants voted him as the best goalkeeper ever, ahead of Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. In 2003, Schmeichel was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact on the English game. In March 2004, he was named as one of the “125 greatest living footballers”, at the FIFA 100 celebrations.

He holds the record for the greatest clean sheets-to-games ratio in the Premier League with 42% of the games he played in the league ending without his team conceding.

Biography
Early years
Born in Søborggård parish, Gladsaxe, Denmark to a Polish father and a Danish mother, Peter Schmeichel held Polish citizenship until 1970 when he, his father, and his siblings became Danish citizens. He inherited his second name – Bolesław – from his great-grandfather. He spent his early years growing up in the town of Buddinge, Copenhagen, and began his football career playing for a team in the adjacent suburb of Høje-Gladsaxe. His first match came on 7 August 1972 at the age of 8. After a two-and-a-half-year unbeaten run, Schmeichel was approached by Hero, a team from a few divisions above Høje-Gladsaxe and with one of the largest youth football schemes in Denmark. Hero later merged with Gladsaxe to form Gladsaxe-Hero BK, and Schmeichel was presented with the opportunity to play for the Zealand FA’s junior representative team.

Eventually graduating to the Gladsaxe-Hero senior squad, Schmeichel met his first mentor in Svend Aage Hansen, the first team coach at the club, and later to become his father-in-law. With Gladsaxe-Hero already relegated from the Danish Third Division with three games to go, Hansen promoted Schmeichel and six others from the youth team for a match against Birkerød. The team lost 1–0, but Schmeichel received mentions in local newspapers for his personal performance. At the end of the season, Hansen explained to Schmeichel his plan for the future, which involved Schmeichel spending two more seasons with Gladsaxe-Hero before moving on to Hvidovre, playing for the Danish national team, and eventually having a successful career abroad. Schmeichel admits that he had received an offer to play for B1903’s youth team, but he turned it down as the club “seemed a bit boring”.

The following season came down to the wire, with Gladsaxe-Hero needing only to avoid defeat to Stubbekobing to prevent relegation from the Danish National League. In the end, Schmeichel played one of the games of his career and Gladsaxe-Hero won the match. At the end of the game, Hansen’s daughter, Bente, ran onto the pitch and hugged Schmeichel. The two ended up going out as a couple, and they eventually got married.

Before becoming a professional footballer, Schmeichel had to work a number of jobs to make ends meet. His first job came in the dyeing department of a textile factory, but his concerns with the factory’s policy on safety eventually forced him to hand in his notice. He then spent 12 months as a cleaner at an old people’s home, before taking up an office job with the World Wildlife Fund. He originally worked in the organisation’s shops, but three weeks after he joined, the store manager quit and Schmeichel was promoted to the position of sales manager.

Soon after, Schmeichel was called upon to do his four weeks of compulsory military service. However, this coincided with Hvidovre’s summer training camp in Portugal, which he was permitted to go on with the proviso that he completed his military service the following month. Nevertheless, the delicate organisational situation that arose between the WWF, the Danish defence department and Hvidovre prompted Schmeichel to give up working for the WWF. A job with his father-in-law’s flooring firm came next, until he realised that his knees could not support his 15 stone (95 kg) frame for eight hours a day, and he was offered a job with the advertising firm owned by Hvidovre’s chairman, Niels Erik Madsen. This was to be his last job outside football, as he was offered a contract with Brøndby the following spring.

Professional career
Despite the fifth best defence in the league, conceding 40 goals in 30 games, Schmeichel and Hvidovre finished in 14th place and were relegated in 1985. After only a single season, the club bounced right back to the 1st Division, but Schmeichel was lost by Hvidovre to Danish runners-up Brøndby IF before the 1987 season. Winning the Danish league in his first year, he joined a club which he helped turn into a success. He debuted for the Danish national team in May 1987, under national manager Sepp Piontek, and was selected for the Euro 88 tournament, where he eventually became Denmark’s starting goalkeeper.

In all, Schmeichel and Brøndby won four championships in five seasons. The climax of his Brøndby career would come in the European 1991 UEFA Cup competition, which saw Schmeichel as an important part of the team that reached the semi-finals. The club was eliminated by AS Roma with a last-minute goal by Rudi Völler. Following the tournament, Schmeichel was voted 10th in “The World’s Best Goalkeeper 1991″ poll by the IFFHS.

Manchester United
Following his showings on the international scene, Manchester United bought him in 1991 for £530,000, a price which was described in 2000 by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson as the “bargain of the century.”Schmeichel played the bulk of his career for United, eight years in total. With United, Schmeichel won five FA Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, and the UEFA Champions League.

Manchester United finished as runners-up in Schmeichel’s first season (also winning the Football League Cup for the first time in the club’s history), but it was on the international stage that Schmeichel enjoyed his biggest success that year. In the Danish national team under new national manager Richard Møller Nielsen, Schmeichel was Denmark’s starting goalkeeper at the Euro 92 tournament which they won. He saved a penalty kick from Marco van Basten in the semi-final, and most notably held a cross with one hand in the final. He made a string of important saves during the tournament, and was elected “The World’s Best Goalkeeper 1992″.

In the 1992–93 season, 22 clean sheets from Schmeichel helped United win the Premier League championship for the first time in 26 years. Schmeichel was once again named “The World’s Best Goalkeeper” in 1993. In January 1994, Schmeichel fell out with Ferguson, as United had squandered a 3–0 lead to draw 3–3 with Liverpool. The two had a row where Schmeichel “said the most horrible things”, and he was subsequently sacked by Ferguson. A few days later, Schmeichel made an improvised apology to the other players. Unknown to him, Ferguson was eavesdropping on this, and he let Schmeichel stay at Manchester United. Schmeichel and United repeated the Premier League championship win at the end of the season.

Despite being a goalkeeper, he could also single-handedly provide a deadly attacking threat. He would run into the attack on corner kicks if his team was behind. The sight of him going up for the corner was a great distraction to opposing defenders. He scored a goal in this fashion, for Man United, in a 1995 UEFA Cup match against Rotor Volgograd. He scored in the last minutes of the game, though United was eliminated from the tournament on the away goals rule.

In April 1996, during a game against Coventry City, Coventry defender David Busst colided with United defender Denis Irwin and suffered a compound fracture of the leg. The break was so bad that the bone pierced through the skin and his blood had to be cleared off the pitch. Schmeichel, who witnessed the incident, reportedly vomited at the sight and had to receive counselling afterwards.

Schmeichel competed with Denmark at the Euro 96 hosted by England. The defending European Champions went out in the preliminary group stage, despite delivering results equivalent to the Euro 92 tournament.

Following a February 1997 match against Arsenal, Schmeichel was accused of racism by Arsenal striker Ian Wright. During the game, Schmeichel and Wright had a number of controversies, and at the end of the game, the two players confronted each other on their way off the pitch. After the game, news emerged of a police inquiry into a November 1996 match between the two clubs, where it was alleged that Schmeichel had made a racist remark. After months of politicizing by The FA and The PFA, who wanted a “converted” Schmeichel as their posterboy of the “Kick Racism out of Football” campaign, no evidence was found and the case was dropped.

Under new national manager Bo Johansson, Schmeichel was a part of the Danish squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was one of the leading members of the Danish campaign, which ended in a 3–2 quarter-final defeat to Brazil.

Schmeichel ended his Manchester United career on the highest note, when Schmeichel and United won the Treble, the FA Premier League title, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, in the same season. In that year’s FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, Schmeichel saved a penalty kick by Dennis Bergkamp in the last minutes of the game, to send the game into extra time. In the absence of the suspended Roy Keane, he captained United in the UEFA Champions League final in May 1999. German opponents Bayern Munich had a 1–0 lead until the dying minutes of the game, when United received a corner kick. Schmeichel ran into the attack attempting to cause confusion, and Teddy Sheringham scored the equalising goal. A few seconds later, Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored the 2–1 winner for United to ensure that Schmeichel’s United career ended on the highest possible note. In an unforgettable celebratory moment, Schmeichel was shown cartwheeling gleefully in his area after Solskjær’s winning goal.

Sporting CP
Schmeichel decided to leave English football at the end of the 1999 season, as the gruelling 60 game league and cups season, which came with playing with a successful club, was threatening to undermine his high standards at the age of 36. He moved to Sporting CP, where he won the 1999–2000 Portuguese Liga title in his first season with the club. He scored his only goal for the Danish national team, a penalty kick against Belgium, in a June 2000 warm-up match for UEFA Euro 2000. He represented Denmark at Euro 2000, where the team was eliminated in the group stage. He retired from the national team in April 2001, when he played a planned farewell match against Slovenia.

His second year with Sporting would be remarkable in that it was the first time in 14 years, since his Hvidovre days, that Schmeichel’s club would finish below second place in the domestic league competition. Schmeichel stated his wish to activate a contract option of a further year at Sporting in January 2001, but eventually decided to leave the club when his contract ran out in June 2001. He considered a number of options for the future, before deciding to keep on playing.

Return to England
He returned to England with Aston Villa in July 2001. On 20 October 2001, Schmeichel became the first goalkeeper to score a Premier League goal, in a 3–2 defeat away to Everton. A goalkeeper scoring in the Premier League is a feat only repeated twice, by Blackburn Rovers’ Brad Friedel on 21 February 2004, also from a corner kick, and by Tottenham Hotspur’s Paul Robinson from a free-kick on 17 March 2007. Schmeichel failed to complete his single season at Villa due to a clause in his contract stipulating that he would get to play in every game that he was fit for. Villa and Schmeichel decided to terminate Schmeichel’s contract in order to let Schmeichel leave.

Schmeichel played his last active year for Manchester City during the 2002–03 season. Schmeichel’s record in the Manchester derby is exceptional, in that he was never on the losing side. During his nine years with Manchester United, they were unbeaten against Manchester City, while in his single season with City, they won at Maine Road and drew at Old Trafford. His last major action in football was to make a world class save against Liverpool at Anfield, in a game which City went on to win. This ultimately led to Liverpool missing out on a Champions League spot on the final day of the season.

Retirement
This section biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2008)
(Find sources: Peter Schmeichel – news, books, scholar)
In December 1999, Schmeichel became the club owner of his childhood club Hvidovre IF. He withdrew from the club in June 2002. He worked as a pundit for the BBC after retiring, being a regular analyst on Match of the Day until 2005. He then began hosting live UEFA Champions League matches on Danish television channel TV3+, with Preben Elkjær and Brian Laudrup the studio pundits. However, he still works occasionally as a pundit for the BBC.

Most recently, Schmeichel appeared as a pundit during the FA Cup Third Round match between two of his former clubs, Manchester United and Aston Villa on 5 January 2008 alongside host Gary Lineker, and pundits Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer. Schmeichel’s tough line of punditry has often been praised by critics and fans alike.
He has a son named Kasper who plays as goalkeeper for Manchester City. Kasper was called up for the Danish U-19 squad in August 2003 and got his first experience of first team football on loan at League 2 side Darlington in 2005.

His popularity in Britain is perhaps best measured by Chesney Battersby-Brown on the Manchester-based soap Coronation Street, naming his former dog (a Great Dane) “Schmeichel”.

He also took part in Soccer Aid, and played for the Rest of the World team, who lost 2–1 after he was substituted at half-time. Schmeichel was a contestant on the 2006 series of the BBC’s popular Saturday night TV programme Strictly Come Dancing, but was voted out by the public on his 43rd birthday. He recently appeared on The Weakest Link in the UK, but he was voted off as the weakest link in the first round.

On 31 August 2007, an investor group including Schmeichel announced their intention to invest 250 million DKK (33.5 million €) in the football club Brøndby IF and make Peter Schmeichel sports director. This was announced in a press conference in Danish at a hotel in Copenhagen. This decision is a result of the major crisis that the club Schmeichel made his breakthrough with is in. The offer fell through when Brøndby failed to accept the offer within the group’s deadline.

In February 2007 he became the host in a new quiz, on TV3 named 1 mod 100 (the Danish version of 1 vs. 100). In 2008, he became the host of the European version of the Discovery Channel programme, Dirty Jobs. He is also a presenter for TV3 Denmark’s coverage of UEFA Champions League football together with his former national team-mates Preben Elkjær and Brian Laudrup.

Honours
Danish Superliga: 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991

Danish Cup: 1989

Manchester United
Premier League: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99
FA Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99
FA Charity Shield: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
Football League Cup: 1991–92
UEFA Super Cup: 1991
UEFA Champions League: 1998–99

Sporting CP
Portuguese Superliga: 2000

Aston Villa
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001

International
UEFA European Championship: 1992

Individual
UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year: 1992, 1993, 1998
IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper: 1992, 1993
UEFA Club Football Awards: 1997–98
Danish Football Player of the Year: 1990, 1993, 1999
English Football Hall of Fame: 2003
Det Gyldne Bur (Danish Goalkeeper of the Year): 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992

From Look at Vietnam:

Peter Schmeichel, a former famous goalkeeper of Manchester United, and teammates of his from the Danish squad that won the Euro 1992 championship like Brian Laudrup and Larsen, may come to Vietnam to play two friendly matches this October.

The team is scheduled to come to Hanoi on October 24 to play against a team of former Vietnamese stars, including Huynh Duc, Hong Son, Van Sy and Hoang Buu, in Hanoi and HCM City. The Danish footballs stars would also meet with some Vietnamese football clubs to exchange training experience.

Thủ môn nổi tiếng một thời của MU, Peter Schmeichel cùng các đồng đội ở tuyển Đan Mạch từng vô địch Euro 1992 như anh em nhà Laudrup có thể tới Việt Nam, đấu giao hữu hai trận vào cuối tháng 10 năm nay.

Tháng 10/2008, Nữ hoàng Đan Mạch, Margrethe II có chuyến thăm cấp nhà nước tới Việt Nam trong dịp kỷ niệm 47 năm ngày thiết lập quan hệ ngoại giao giữa hai nước. Nhân sự kiện này, Đại sứ Đan Mạch tại Việt Nam đã đề xuất ý tưởng cùng Liên đoàn bóng đá Việt Nam tổ chức một chuyến du đấu cho đội cựu các ngôi sao Đan Mạch tại Việt Nam.

Peter Schmeichel có thể là danh thủ ở đẳng cấp thế giới tiếp theo sang Việt Nam. Ảnh: GK.PL.

Theo đó, đội cựu ngôi sao Đan Mạch tới du đấu chủ yếu là các cầu thủ từng vô địch Euro 1992. Nổi tiếng nhất trong số này là thủ môn Schmeichel – nhân tố quan trọng làm nên cú ăn ba ngoạn mục của CLB MU mùa giải 1999-2000. Các cựu ngôi sao khác của bóng đá Đan Mạch như anh em Michael và Brian Laudrup, Larsen cũng sẽ tới Việt Nam.

Dự kiến, đội cựu các ngôi sao Đan Mạch sẽ tới Hà Nội ngày 24/10. Tại đây phía bạn sẽ đấu một trận với các ngôi sao một thời của bóng đá Việt Nam như Huỳnh Đức, Hồng Sơn, Văn Sỹ, Hoàng Bửu. Một tuần sau đó, đội sẽ vào TP HCM đá trận “lượt về” với đội cựu danh thủ Việt Nam. Bên cạnh hai trận giao hữu, Schmeichel, Brian và Michael Laudrup… sẽ cùng những HLV tại hạng Nhất, V.League trao đổi về kinh nghiệm huấn luyện.

Thu Hường

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Peter Schmeichel:
Edwin van der Sar has solved the club’s goalkeeping problems, but Schmeichel is still the benchmark by which all United’s number ones are judged. The best in the world for almost a decade.

Gary Neville:
Injuries have blighted his career recently, but the youth-team graduate is approaching 600 appearances and few opponents have got the better of the right-back.

Rio Ferdinand:
Took time to settle after his £30m transfer from Leeds in 2002, but the England defender has grown in stature in recent years and has become a huge figure in the current team.

Jaap Stam:
At his best, the Dutch defender was a rock at the heart of United’s defence and he was a key factor in the 1999 Treble triumph. Just edges out Nemanja Vidic and Steve Bruce.

Denis Irwin:
A £625,000 buy from Oldham in 1990, Irwin won everything but the Uefa Cup during his 12 years at Old Trafford. In terms of value for money, arguably Ferguson’s best signing.

David Beckham:
Goldenballs’ might have left under a cloud in 2003 following the deterioration of his relationship with Ferguson, but don’t forget those free-kicks, the wonder goals and the part he played in the Treble.

Roy Keane:
United’s driving force for more than ten years, the Irishman’s performance in the Champions League semi-final against Juventus in 1999 is viewed as one of the greatest-ever in a United shirt.

Bryan Robson:
Captain Marvel’ carried United on his own during Ferguson’s dark days in the 1980s. Without Robson, Ferguson might never have survived to win his first trophy in 1990.

Ryan Giggs:
Recently broke the 800-appearance mark for United, the Welshman has gone from boy wonder to senior statesmen during his trophy-laden career at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo:
Love him or loathe him, the Portuguese winger is United’s most potent attacking outlet. Strong, quick, brave and with an unmatched eye for goal, he has to be in Fergie’s best-ever team.

Eric Cantona:
The Frenchman failed to translate his Premier League performances onto the European stage, but Cantona was the catalyst for United’s dominance and a lethal finisher.

I was working at Singapore Post in early 2002 as a festival card sorter when a girl, who was waiting for her O’ level results, spoke to me about the possible CCAs we might pick up should we enter polytechnic.

She listed floorball as one of the sports she might pick up besides her other shortlisted activities. I gave a thought and asked if it is a fun sport. “Ya! You should try it! It is like hockey!” She claimed. My eyes widened.

After the big exams in late 2001, I had nothing to do and I constantly visit NHL’s website to keep track of Anaheim Ducks. When Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, I was not that interested. What I was interested more were the clips of goaltenders making saves. Not just saves but incredible saves. That is when goalies like Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Patrick Roy always pop in my mind.

Then, once I was admitted to Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), I made sure I volunteer and work hard to be the goaltender of the team. Last time, my personal computer was broken, so I had to rely on the notice board for weekly training. My goalie equipment were all temporarily loaned as I strived in the crease competing against two other rookies. At first, the chinese rookie dropped out of the club, leaving another malay boy vying for the spot. We both trained hard and suddenly, he too faltered. I was the freshman competing for the starter position against a sophomore and  a senior.

My senior, Rizal, took me under his wings and he emphasized most on handling. Time and again he tried to make me a catcher goalie but I ended up deflecting shots. Our captain looked at me and told me not to change my aggressive nature following the footsteps of Peter Schmeichel, Oliver Kahn, Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur.

I observed the sophomore goalie in action. Fadli is a small but agile goaltender who has great long-range distribution. Something I adopt as part of my arsenal.

They both have quick reflexes and excellent handling. I am altogether a hybrid package whose playing style is anything but floorball. Knowing that I have alot of catching up to be on par with them, I decided to do my homework by studying the four names mentioned above.

Quick advice, know what style suits you best and adjust accordingly to overcome your weakness. Learn the techniques from both male and female goaltenders.

To be continued…

I always want to be the 'Schmeichel of Floorball'

In 2002, Oliver Kahn proved that he can contribute alot by aggresively command his box

He was one of the first goalie whom I observed in the NHL

It takes alot of mental strength to be calm under tensed situation

Here’s Mark Tinklin’s Ultimate XI. Let him know what you think of it!

‘You’ve got red on you’ was my first reaction to seeing Mark’s Ultimate Eleven and, as a Manchester United fan, it’s no surprise to see the core of his team consisting of a vast array of Red Devils, both past and present. With a hard-working midfield, and a solid defence, it is very difficult to see this lot conceding many goals, and when you’ve got the ability of Kaka and Rooney up front, they’d be sure to score a fair few too. My only comment would be that, with no real aerial threat in attack, Beckham’s greatest strength (his crossing) may not be capitalised on as much as it could be. I feel I may well be nitpicking though, as it’s a fantastic team.

Mark explains his selections below. Make sure you tell him what you think of his team by commenting below and, if you feel you have a better Ultimate Eleven up your sleeve, send it to me at eddiesfootballblog@hotmail.co.uk. I will put as many of them up on the site as possible. Before you do though, please read the criteria here.

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel – Peter Schmeichel – The best keeper there has ever been. Made some ridiculous reaction saves and dominated his penalty area. He had a unique style and the way he spread himself owed much to his handball heritage. Strikers must have been terrified at the sight of the giant Dane charging down on them. A hero that defied logic with his agility and even scored the odd goal.

Right Back: Micah Richards – When he burst onto the scene a couple of years ago I thought he’d be the best full-back there is, but after declaring he wants to be centre-back he’s struggled to make the same impact this season. At his best he is a mix of power, energy, pace and talent and if he can rediscover his best form then he will be England’s first choice right-back for years to come.

Centre Half: Pepe – I didn’t really know much about the Real Madrid centre-back before the Euros but was very impressed with what I saw. Another who, like Ferdinand, is comfortable on the ball making him the natural successor to Jorge Andrade in the Portugal team.

Centre Half: Rio Ferdinand – Another world great. I can’t thing of a better defender in the world than Rio at the moment. Seems to get places faster with less effort than anyone else because his positioning is so good. He’s very confident too and often doesn’t mark very tight because he knows that whatever the attacker does, he’ll be there to make the tackle.

Left Back: Dennis Irwin – Gets in the team ahead of Patrice Evra which is praise in its self. Very reliable and a fantastic striker of the ball. I saw him play in a Masters match at Craven Cottage (great pies) and waited all game for him to have a shot at goal or a freekick. Eventually he took a penalty in a shoot-out at the end of the game and didn’t disappoint, smashing the ball into the top corner with consummate ease and class.

Right Wing: David Beckham – Underrated by the British public because of all his off field activities Beckham was my favourite player as a kid. Hardworking but with great technique he has shown his quality by starring at Real Madrid and AC Milan. He came second in the European Player of the Year stakes when Manchester United won the treble and scored some great goals, including a screamer against Derby County. Becks did the best thing on a football pitch I have ever seen when he curled a pass down the touchline against Sheffield Wednesday at Old Trafford.

Centre Midfield: Patrick Vieira – For my obligatory defensive midfielder I have gone for the frighteningly good Patrick Vieria. Much, much better than that Makalele character could ever be. He could do it all and would boss the midfield for Arsenal. Strong in the tackle, but also very good running with the ball the Gunners still haven’t been able to replace him since he left. Saying that when I saw him play he was marked out of the game by Phil Neville.

Centre Midfield: Paul Scholes – Almost every player who plays with Paul Scholes rates him as the best. Technically superb, intelligent and capable of scoring wonderful goals – see Barcelona last year and that volley against Bradford. In one Charity Shield game a couple of years back he turned Gilberto Silva with such speed and agility that the Brazilian fell over. Then he did it again. Scholes sees passes that other players don’t and is good enough to make them.

Left Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo – The best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo is the ultimate example of the modern footballer. Tall, powerful, and strong but blessed with amazing ability. His step overs are well known but he has improved as a player immeasurably since learning that he can use his pace to simply run past people. Scored a supreme number of goals last season and can only get better.

Attacking Midfield: Kaka – While his Brazilian team-mates enjoy showing off their skills and tricks Kaka is simply better than almost everyone else. He scored the greatest goal I’ve been fortunate to watch in the flesh when, in a friendly against Argentina at the Emirates, he took the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and ran the length of the pitch to score. Made the right decision in turning down Manchester City but should stop giving God all the credit for his success.

Striker: Wayne Rooney – I first became aware of Rooney when he scored a sensational goal for the Everton youth team in the FA Youth Cup. He hit the wall from a freekick 40 yards out and promptly volleyed home the rebound. Wazza scored what is probably my favourite ever goal when he smashed in a flying volley against Newcastle.

Let Mark know what you think of his team, by commenting below. If you can think of your own ‘Ultimate XI’, send it to me at eddiesfootballblog@hotmail.co.uk. I will put as many of them up on the site as possible. Before you do though, please read the criteria here.

Συνεχόμενος χρόνος σε διαδοχικά επίσημα παιχνίδια της κορυφαίας εθνικής κατηγορίας πρωταθλήματος, κατά τον οποίο ένας τερματοφύλακας δεν δέχτηκε γκολ (στα ματς προσμετρώνται αυτό στα οποίο ξεκίνησε το σερί, και αυτό με το /στο οποίο έληξε):

1.390 λεπτά, Dany Verlinden, Club Brugge KV, 16 ματς, 03/03/90 – 26/09/90
1.302 λεπτά, Edwin Van Der Sar, Manchester United, 15 ματς, 08/11/08 – 18/02/09
1.275 λεπτά, Abel Resino González, Atlético de Madrid, 16 ματς, 25/11/90 – 17/03/91
1.196 λεπτά, Chris Woods, Rangers FC, 15 (;) ματς, 22/11/86 – 31/01/87*
1.191 λεπτά, Vítor Baía, FC Porto, 15 ματς, 15/09/91-05/01/92**
1.190 λεπτά, Димитър Иванков, ПФК Левски (София), 15 ματς, 03/99 – 10/99, ή 09/05/98-15/08/99, ποιος ξέρει…**
1.176 λεπτά, Gaëtan Huard, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, 14 ματς, 04/12/92 – 10/04/93
1.155 λεπτά, Bobby Clark, Aberdeen F.C., 14 ματς, 24/10/70 – 16/01/71
1.112 λεπτά, Şenol Güneş, Trabzonspor, 14 ματς, 17/09/78 – 18/02/79
1.082 λεπτά, Heinz Stuy, AFC Ajax, 14 ματς, 07/02/71 – 27/05/71
1.079 ή 1065 (;) λεπτά, Manuel Bento, S.L. Benfica , 13 ματς, σεζόν 1980 – 81 ή 29/09/85-12/01/86, ποιος ξέρει…**
1.025 λεπτά, Petr Čech, Chelsea FC, 13 ματς, 18/12/04 – 05/03/05

 
Μετά από 15 συνεχόμενα ματς πρωταθλήματος, στα 14 τελευταία από τα οποία δεν δέχθηκε γκολ, ο Φαν Ντερ Σαρ ξεκουράζεται σήμερα ενόψει του αγώνα του Μιλάνου. Όχι ότι χρειάστηκε να ζοριστεί ιδιαιτέρως, έχοντας μπροστά του τον Βίντιτς και την παρέα του. Χρειάστηκαν λιγότερες από 15 αποκρούσεις συνολικά σε αυτό το σερί. Και η γνώμη ενός ειδικού και αθεράπευτα κόκκινου:

 
* η καταγραφή είναι«πέτσινη» αφού δεν περιλαμβάνει παιχνίδια πρωταθλήματος αποκλειστικά, και κακώς συμπεριλαμβάνεται σε σχετικές σελίδες, ακόμη και της UEFA. Έχει μόνο 11 διαδοχικά ματς πρωταθλήματος με μηδενικό παθητικό για την ομάδα του, οπότε ο χρόνος το πολύ να ανέρχεται σε 89+11×90+89=1.168 λεπτά (στην ακραία περίπτωση που έφαγε στο πρώτο λεπτό το γκολ στο 0-1 με την Αμπερντίν στις 22/11/86, και στο ενενηκοστό το πρώτο από τα δυο γκολ στο 5-2 με την Χαρτς στις 07/02/87).

** ελλειπή στοιχεία

 
Προς ειδήμονες και μη, επαγγελματίες, ή όχι : Ο πίνακας αυτός της FIFA φέρει έναν παραπλανητικό τίτλο· αναφέρεται μεν σε τερματοφύλακες ομάδων των κορυφαίων εθνικών διοργανώσεων, όμως δεν αφορά σερί που έγιναν αποκλειστικά σε αγώνες των τελευταίων. Πρόκειται για «αχταρμά», αφού διασταυρωμένα αφορά σερί από επίσημα ματς, ανεξαρτήτου διοργάνωσης, κάτι που σημαίνει ότι περιλαμβάνονται και ένα σωρό ματσάκια κυπέλλων, ή ακόμη και επισήμων φιλικών, χωρίς αξιόλογο συναγωνισμό… Σεβαστή η λίστα, αλλά αφορά κάτι υποδεέστερο.

It seems that the closest thing football blogs get to a chain letter is circulating through the ether at the moment – a challenge to name the best eleven players in the world. So the witty writers at Off the Post have passed that challenge on to me. And this is what I’ve come up with, based on current form rather than reputation:

Goalkeeper: Edwin van der Sar, Manchester United and Holland

Since joining Manchester United in 2005, the 38-year-old Van der Sar has recaptured the form that helped him win the Champions League and the title of Europe’s best goalkeeper in 1995. Has strung together a record breaking 13 clean sheets for Manchester United this season. Has filled Peter Schmeichel’s enormous boots.

Also ran: Petr Čech, Chelsea; Iker Casillas, Real Madrid

Right back: Dani Alves, Barcelona and Brazil

The world’s most expensive right back made his name in Juande Ramos‘ double-UEFA Cup winning Sevilla side, and Alves has done his reputation no harm by joining a Barcelona team rejuvenated under Josep Guardiola. A rampaging right wing back in the true Brazilian mode, he would make it into most teams.

Also ran: Maicon, Inter Milan; Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid

Left back: Philipp Lahm, Bayern Munich and Germany

Lahm kicked off the 2006 World Cup with the tournament’s opening goal, and despite competition from compatriot and fellow international Marcell Jansen for the left back berth at Bayern Munich has retained his place. Not since Roberto Carlos has the game seen such a consistent performer at left back.

Also ran: Ashley Cole, Chelsea; Gianluca Zambrotta, AC Milan

Centre back: Nemanja Vidić, Manchester United and Serbia

The easiest pick in this eleven, Vidić has been the bedrock of Manchester United’s unparalleled success in the Premiership and in Europe over the past two seasons. Arguably the Premiership’s best ever centre half, the Serbian is big and strong but surprisingly agile and is an obvious choice for a brawny centre half.

Also ran: John Terry, Chelsea; Lúcio, Bayern Munich

Centre back: Fabio Cannavaro, Real Madrid and Italy

Another golden oldie and the first and only defender to win the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2006. Cannavaro is one of the most gifted footballers of his generation, relying on technique and impeccable timing to steer Real Madrid and Italy to success. At 35, he still has time to eclipse Paola Maldini as his country’s most capped player.

Also ran: Alessandro Nesta, AC Milan; Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United

Right wing: Franck Ribéry, Bayern Munich and France

Ribéry edges out Cristiano Ronaldo because the Manchester United man has failed to rediscover the form of last season. The Frenchman, on the other hand, has become a global superstar at Bayern Munich with nearly a goal every other game for the club. Is likely to be the summer transfer window’s most hotly contested trinket.

Also ran: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United; Maxi Rodríguez, Atlético Madrid

Left wing: Lionel Messi, Barcelona and Argentina

If football be the food of love, Messi is a really orgasmic dessert. The man who lends Barcelona their attacking verve, he is a playmaker who is capable of dictating the pace of the game and a South American capable of giving former team mate Ronaldinho a crisis of confidence. Were it not for Ronaldo’s goals, would be FIFA World Player of the Year.

Also ran: Samir Nasri, Arsenal; Ángel Di María, Benfica

Centre midfield: Gareth Barry, Aston Villa and England

On form, the best midfielder in the Premeirship after lifting Aston Villa into third in the league. Reminds me of the great rugby union player Neil Back, who would often be invisible for the course of a match, but whenever you watched the replay you realised just how often he touched the ball.

Also ran: Jérémy Toulalan, Lyon; Lassana Diarra, Real Madrid

Attacking midfield: Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona and Spain

After injuring his leg in November, Iniesta needed just ten minutes to score on his return for Barcelona. Combines creativity, a fantastic passing range and genuine humility to make one of the most popular players in the sport. Behind his youthful looks and pleasant demeanor, however, lies the heart of a winner.

Also ran: Xavier Hernández, Barcelona; Frank Lampard, Chelsea

Striker: Fernando Torres, Liverpool and Spain

With three goal in total and one apiece in injury time in his last two matches for Liverpool, Torres has underlined his importance at club level. On the international scene, he has to vie for attention with compatriot David Villa, who narrowly loses out on selection for this eleven despite his showing at the European Championship.

Also ran: David Villa, Valencia; Nicolas Anelka, Chelsea

Striker: Karim Benzema, Lyon and France

At 21 the youngest player in this eleven, Benzema has already notched up 71 goals in 119 performances for Olympique Lyonnais. Nominated the best player in France last year, it won’t be long before he is pipping Messi and Ronaldo for world titles – and that little trio could be inspiring European football for the next ten years.

Also ran: Zlatan Ibrahimović, Inter Milan; Robinho, Manchester City

More Best XIs here

• Off the Post
• twofootedtackle

Up for the challenge

• On the Pitch
• Dirty Tackle
• Unprofessional Foul
• Some People are on the Pitch
• Premiership Talk
• The Offside

TRES PORTEROS HAN SIDO CAPACES DE MARCAR UN GOL EN LA PREMIER LEAGUE

El mítico danés Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United, Aston Villa y Manchester City) anotó para los ‘Villanos’ ante el Everton en 2001.

El actual portero del conjunto de Birmingham, Brad Friedel, que en la primer ha pasado también por Newcastle, Liverpool y Blackburn, marcó para los ‘Rovers’ contra el Charlton Athletic en 2004.

El último en lograrlo ha sido Paul Robinson que logró perforar la portería del Watford en 2007, con la camiseta del Tottenham. El tanto del actual portero del Blackburn es también el gol logrado desde mayor distancia en toda la historia de la Premier League. Concretamente 88 metros tras un saque de falta.

Esa campaña 2006-2007 ‘Robbo’ fue el tercer guardameta capaz de perforar la meta rival tras Gavin Ward del Tranmere Rovers y Mark Crossley del Sheffield United.

El gol de Paul Robinson ante el Watford desde 88 metros

Bei mir sind einige interessante Artikel aufgelaufen, die ich verlinken wollte. Statt vieler kleiner Einträge jetzt ein großer Eintrag.

1. Lothar Matthäus gab der ZEIT ein Interview. Ist er immer noch der alte Dampfplauderer von früher? Schwer zu beurteilen. Aber nicht ohne Stolz verweist er darauf, dass er in der Vergangenheit bei Eintracht Frankfurt und dem 1. FC Nürnberg als Trainer im Gespräch war – und auch als Nachfolger Rudi Völlers als Nationaltrainer soll Franz Beckenbauer ein gutes Wort für ihn eingelegt haben.
2. Noch einmal Lothar Matthäus: In der taz erschien ein hübscher Bericht von Torsten Haselbauer über Maccabi Netanja. Was die wenigsten wissen: Der Verein gehört Daniel Jammer, einem deutschen Geschäftsmann. Fünf Jahre lang will er Netanja vorstehen, dann weiterziehen (2010 ist dies der Fall). Und bis dahin spielt er «sein eigenes kleines Managerspiel», wie er selbst zugibt.
3. Im Primera-División-Blog gab es vor einiger Zeit eine interessante Geschichte: CD Numancia, gerade in die höchste spanische Liga aufgestiegen, scheint sich zu einer kleinen Kopie von Athletic Bilbao zu entwickeln. In dieser Saison besteht der Spielerkader ausschließlich aus spanischen Spielern; der Franzose Grégory Béranger (Linksverteidiger, wechselte zu Espanyol Barcelona), der Uruguayo Álvaro Núñez (Torwart, wechselte zu CD Guadalajara) und der Venezolaner Julio Álvarez (zentrales Mittelfeld, wechselte zum spanischen Zweitligisten UD Almeria) wurden verkauft. Der einzige Ausländer ist der kroatische Trainer Sergio Kresic, der allerdings auch schon seit zwanzig Jahren im spanischen Fußball heimisch ist.
4. Die Süddeutsche Zeitung führt ein interessantes mit René Adler.
   

   SZ: Bei wem haben Sie sich am meisten abgeschaut?
   Adler: Eindeutig bei Peter Schmeichel. (…) Schmeichel hat mir am meisten imponiert. Ich habe immer genau hingeschaut: Wann kommt er raus? Wie fängt er die Bälle ab? Seine Präsenz und Dominanz in der Strafraumbeherrschung war unglaublich. (…) Ich beobachte die Szene natürlich genau. Es gibt ja so viele gute Torhüter, bei denen man sich was abschauen kann. Von Pepe Reina zum Beispiel die Abschlagtechnik: Wie er die Bälle spielt und zum Mann bringt! Ich beobachte auch Petr Cechs Spiel oder die Gelassenheit von Gianluigi Buffon. Und bei Jens Lehmann ist immer noch beeindruckend zu sehen, wie er das Spiel einleitet und schnell macht. Sowas probiert man dann auch mal im Training, und so entwickelt man sich immer weiter.

   Adler ist sehr überlegt, legt Wert auf Details und wirkt sehr abgeklärt. Man hat den Eindruck, dass da ein Guter heranwächst.

   SZ: Von der Tribüne aus sieht das aus, als würden Sie komplett in sich ruhen.
   Adler: Das ist Konzentrationsarbeit. Ich analysiere das Spiel in jeder Sekunde.

   Interessant ist vor allem die dritte Seite, auf der Adler auf seine Zeit in den Jugendmannschaften von Bayer 04 Leverkusen und seinen Kontakt mit Torwarttrainer Rüdiger Vollborn zu sprechen kommt.

5. Kürzlich geisterte die Meldung durch die Medien, das UEFA-Cup-Halbfinale im letzten Jahr zwischen dem FC Bayern München und Zenit St. Petersburg sei zu Gunsten des russischen Klubs (und späteren Finalsiegers) verschoben worden. Nun berichtet Johannes Aumüller für die Süddeutsche Zeitung aus der russischen Liga: Wladimir Kosogow (einst bei Arsenal Tuala aktiv, inzwischen Trainer eines Drittligisten), erklärte in einer Pressekonferenz, dass sich die beiden Vereine Tom Tomsk und Terek Grosny den Aufstieg in die erste Liga erkauft hätten. Kosogow beschuldigt den Ex-Schiedsrichter und Terek-Manager Lom-Ali Ibragimow, der Tuala-Mannschaft 60.000 Dollar für eine Niederlage angeboten haben, die die Tabellenführung von Terek Grosny stabilisiert hätte. Als Arsenal Tuala ablehnte, erklärte Ibragimow, das Geld dem Schiedsrichter zukommen zu lassen. Terek Grosny gilt als Lieblingsverein des Kreml, der tschetschenische Verein wird in Russland oft als «Retortenklub» beschimpft. 2004 stieg Grosny mit einem vermuteten Jahresbudget von 30 Millionen Dollar mit großem Vorsprung in die erste Liga auf und gewann zusätzlich den russischen Pokal. In der Folgesaison stieg der Verein direkt wieder ab, 2007 kam Grosny zurück in die erste Liga.
   Laut den Aussagen von Kosogow hätte allein Tom Tomsk 16 Partien manipuliert.
6. Im deutschen Länderspiel standen drei ehemalige Bayern-Amateure auf dem Feld: Torschütze Piotr Trochowski, dazu Bastian Schweinsteiger und Philipp Lahm. Grund genug für die Süddeutsche Zeitung, Hermann Gerland, den inzwischen schon fast legendären Trainer der Amateur-Elf, zu interviewen. Er erzählt Christof Kneef von diesen drei Nationalspielern und ihrer Zeit damals in der Bayern-Mannschaft – und macht gegen Ende eine interessante Prognose:
   

   SZ: Haben Sie für die Zukunft noch ein paar Große in petto?
   Gerland: Bei Bayern II gibt’s einige, die auf jeden Fall gute Bundesligaspieler werden, aber auf einen freue ich mich jetzt schon: David Alaba heißt der, ein Spieler für die linke Seite, der ist noch im letzten Jahr B-Jugend, spielt aber schon in der A-Jugend. Den werde ich nächstes Jahr mal mit dazu nehmen, der macht mir jetzt schon gute Laune.
   SZ: Und Löw irgendwann dann auch.
   Gerland: Ich glaube nicht. David hat verschiedene Wurzeln: nigerianische, philippinische und österreichische.

7. Wechselt Torsten Frings zu Manchester City? Der kürzlich vom Königshaus von Abu Dhabi übernommene Premier-League-Klub will sich in der Winterpause vor allem mit erfahrenen Spielern verstärken. Trainer Mark Hughes ist laut Informationen des «Daily Star» vor allem interessiert an Roque Santa Cruz (27, Blackburn Rovers), Torsten Frings (31, Werder Bremen) und Wayne Bridge (28, FC Chelsea) (meldet die Gerüchteküche der BBC).
8. Meine Vorliebe für den britischen Fußball habe ich nie versteckt und auch der folgende Artikel beschäftigt sich mit dem Phänomen England. Genauer gesagt geht es um Roy Keane, der vom österreichischen Fußballmagazin nullacht in der Rubrik «Verhaltenskreativ» charakterisiert wird. (kennt jemand die Zeitung oder kann sie empfehlen? Es gibt erst ein paar Ausgaben, aber interessant sieht sie schon aus.) Sehr lesenswert: Roy Keane. Denn die Grätsche lügt nie.
9. Bei Schwatzgelb gibt es einen Rückblick auf die ersten hundert Tage der Amtszeit Jürgen Klopps (der interessanterweise von Oliver Bierhoffs umstrittener Agentur «projekt b» vermarktet wird). Durchweg positiv und außerdem interessant zu lesen.

One of the most important positions in a soccer team, as with many team sports, is that of the goalkeeper. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to prevent the opposition team from scoring any goals. As the only player to be allowed to use their hands, the goalkeeper is also responsible for organising the defence and often beginning team attacks.

Goalkeepers, as the last line of defence, have a lot of responsibility and therefore must have specific abilities and skills. There have been numerous great goalkeepers in history, all offering different reasons why they are so effective in this position. Here we will examine what skills are required to make the best goalkeeper the soccer world has ever seen.

If you ask soccer fans who they think the best goalkeeper ever is, they will all come back with varied responses based on their nationality, club loyalties, age and football knowledge. This article will focus on the three best goalkeepers that I have seen in the last thirty years of football. Obviously, opinions will differ as I attempt to reason why these goalkeepers are the greatest.

Currently 26 years old, Czech Republic international Petr Cech is know as being one of the greatest goalies currently playing. For his club, Chelsea, Cech helped them to their first league title in fifty years in his first season. He followed this with another league title as well as taking Chelsea to their first Champions League Final in 2008.

Cech, at six foot five, is an intimidating presence in goal. As an important aspect of goalkeeping, his height is used to his advantage as he dominates the penalty area, while also being agile and an excellent shot-stopper. At 26, Cech is still yet to reach his prime as goalkeepers play well into their 30s and can even become better with age, as demonstrated by England international David James (38).

The most expensive goalkeeper ever, also one of the most expensive players, Gianluigi Buffon has represented Italy almost one hundred times. Signed by Juventus in 2001 for a record-fee of fifty-two million euros, Buffon has won four Serie A league titles as well as the FIFA World Cup for his country.

Buffon is fast approaching the best years of his career, and so people will expect to see some of his best performances for both club and country in the future. Some of his most impressive appearances have come in big games, including a dramatic late penalty save to deny Adrian Mutu in a Euro 2008 group match against Romania.

During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which Buffon’s Italy went on to win, he only conceded two goals to a Zinedine Zidane penalty and an own-goal by team-mate Cristian Zaccardo. With five clean sheets, and a 453 minute consecutive scoreless streak, Buffon was later names goalkeeper of the tournament.

At 44 years old, the finest goalkeeper of the last thirty years is the great Dane Peter Schmeichel. A relatively late-starter to achieve greatness, Schmeichel would be 27 by the time he joined Manchester United for a ridiculously small fee of half a million pounds. In the next ten years Schmeichel would cement his place as the greatest goalkeeper United would ever have.

Schmeichel represents all the aspects that make the perfect goalkeeper. Tall, intimidating and vocal, Schmeichel would berate his defenders if he felt they were risking yet another clean-sheet for him and his team. He played 129 times for his country, the most for any Dane in history, even scoring a goal. His heroics at the 1992 European Championships, turned long-shots Denmark into eventual champions and showed Schmeichel’s off to the viewing world.

This was his international highlight, although he would go on to appear in the World Cup Finals in France, 1998. However, Schmeichel’s Manchester United career would coincide with the launch of the Premier League and United’s dominance over the competition. In the eight seasons that Schmeichel played, the club would win the league title five times and finish runners-up the other three.

These achievements would not be his greatest as Schmeichel would go on to lift the UEFA Champions League title in 1999. Manchester United’s greatest ever season would be capped in Barcelona with a dramatic Champions League victory over Bayern Munich, with United clinching the treble of Premier League title, FA Cup winners and European champions (for which Schmeichel was named captain).

After leaving United in 1999, Schmeichel would go on to play top-flight football in Portugal and then after a return to England. Schmeichel retired at the end of the 2002-03 season as the greatest Premier League goalkeepers after keeping clean-sheets in almost half of his appearances.

Great goalkeepers are often the difference between a good team and a championship-winning team. These three goalkeepers are among the best ever and all have won titles to show that the goalkeeper is one of the key positions to fill to make a truly great soccer team.

Over the seasons we hear many ideas about improving the game of football. These usually cover subjects such as goalline technology, third referees and sinbinning of players rugby-league style.

In my opinion these ideas miss the point slightly, they are all far too serious and boring subjects for any sane football fan to get involved in. If you consider for too long the injustices and unfairness of football you’ll soon be put off the sport forever. Instead of these improvements I’d like to suggest some of my own.

Wembley singles

It is a travesty that there has never been an official game of Wembley singles at Wembley stadium. Therefore every year as a curtain raiser to the FA Cup Final there should be a “Wembley singles” competition.

For those that don’t know Wembley singles is a popular schoolboy game (or at least it was in my youth) that features one goal and a number of outfield players. The game is started by the goalkeeper clearing the ball upfield. The “strikers” all then have to compete against each other to score. If they score they make it to the next round. This process continues until there is one player left, he is eliminated from the competition.

The selection of players to play in this event will be the top goalscorers in that year’s FA Cup competition. This is likely to include a quite diverse bunch from those players who play in non-league whose sides came through a few qualifying rounds as well as a few more well known faces for the larger clubs. The only players who will be precluded from competing would obviously be anyone who was playing in the day’s cup final or those involved in league playoff matches for their club.

In goal for the game will be a recently retired goalkeeper, someone such as David Seaman or Peter Schmeichel would be an ideal choice. Obviously this policy may have to change year by year and it may be worth employing a keeper who performed heroics in that year’s competition. For example Barnsley’s Luke Steele last year would have been a good selection.

The trophy will be presented at half time of the main event.

Dependent on the success of the Wembley singles event a game of Wembley doubles will be played before an England international.