Liverpool FC are playing Debrecen tonight in the Champions League, and unfortunately, with our fate not anymore in our hands, we are unable to decide who goes through, and who goes out. Liverpool need a miracle to qualify, just like they needed a miracle against Olympiakos, but this is alot less ’simpler’. If we beat Debrecen tonight, Lyon have the fate to decide who will qualify. If Lyon lose against Fioreinta, then that’s it for Liverpool. We only have the UEFA Cup to play for. On the other hand, If Lyon win in Italy, there is still a chance of qualifying if we beat Fiorienta at Anfield.

With Liverpool struggling also in the Premier League, this may be a season to forget for all Liverpool fans.

“Man City are way better than Liverpool”

“Liverpool are rubbish.”

“Liverpool won’t even make the Champions League”

These are things we have to turn around, and quick. Liverpool FC are one of the most successful teams  in the world, and if you told that to someone who only started to watch football from the start of the season right now, they would laugh.

Liverpool F.C vs Debrecen

Kick Off 19:45 (UK)

Home/Away

Sky Sports 1 (HD)/ ITV/ Sky Sports 2 (HD)

Last meeting: Liverpool 1 (Kuyt) – 0 Debrecen

Be sure to follow www.twitter.com/Lfc_Fan_club for match updates and updates on the Fiorienta – Lyon match.

Fulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London, usually considered to have been founded in 1879 (though the semi-professional Cray Wanderers F.C. are the oldest team in London still in existence).

The club spent much time in the old First Division through the 1960s but never gained any major honours. In 1975, as a Second Division team, they contested the FA Cup final for the only time in their history, losing 2–0 to West Ham United, the Fulham side that day containing former Hammers great Bobby Moore. Fulham qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2002 by winning the Intertoto Cup, beating Bologna 5–3 in the final over two legs. In the UEFA Cup, they won through two rounds before being defeated by Hertha Berlin. In the mid-1990s they had a brief spell in the former Fourth Division, but within less than a decade, they advanced into the top flight. No doubt their new millionaire chairman, Mohamed Al-Fayed played a crucial role. In 2009, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the top-flight, coming 7th to qualify for Europe once again.

The club has produced many British greats including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and Alan Mullery. They play at the historic Craven Cottage, their home since 1896, a riverside ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham, having spent two years at Loftus Road while Craven Cottage was undergoing renovations to bring it up to Premier League standards. The club’s training ground is located near Motspur Park (and was where Chariots of Fire among others was filmed), where Fulham’s Academy is also situated, including a mini-stadium where the reserves play. Fulham currently have a partnership agreement with the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

If Fulham FC would only ever play at Craven Cottage they would probably be one of the leading teams in England, since they usually perform outstandingly when playing at home. During the 2005-2006 season however, their performance away was the worst in the league. Perhaps this has to do with the warm support Fulham FC experiences when not leaving their cosy cottage, but it seems they could definitely use some more fervent support on their away games. If you support Fulham Football club, you should help Fulham become the surprise of the season by not just getting Premier league tickets for Fulham at home, but by also getting Fulham tickets to their away games. Make Fulham football club feel more at home when away, and order your Fulham football tickets at ticketfootball.com!

I had a formative cultural experience in London last night.

No, it didn’t entail that controversial new Damien Hirst exhibit over at the Wallace Collection. Nor did I catch that hot new production at the Donmar Warehouse. Nope. My cultural immersion was much more authentically British: I attended my first professional soccer game.

Today, I’m over at PoliticsDaily.com talking about the seminal role soccer plays in European life and how living here has changed my attitude towards the sport. Read it here…

Image: Soccer Dude by Brit. via Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Så tæt på…..

I sæsonerne 2006/07 og 2007/08 havde Fulham det med at lukke mål ind i de døende sekunder, og i de to sæsoner svævede vi lige over nedrykningsstregen.

I går lukkede vi, ligesom mod West Ham for et par uger siden, igen et mål ind i allersidste sekund! Forskellen fra for to år siden har så været, at vi har modtaget en udvisning imod både Hammers og gårsdagens modstander, Roma.

Vi kunne dog godt have tabt det hele på gulvet, da Jeremy Menez brændte et straffespark på Mark Schwarzer, efter Stephen Kelly var blevet smidt ud for forseelsen forinden.

I det første kvarter var det hjemmeholdet, der fastsatte tempoet, og Bobby Zamora kunne notere kampens første store chance, da angriberen var tæt på at dirigere en løs bold ind bag målmand Doni i Roma-målet.

Få minutter senere måtte Doni begive sig ud i en decideret redning, da Jonathan Greening sendte et godt forsøg afsted fra distancen uden dog at komme på scoringstavlen.

Fulhams pres udmøntede i det 22. minut i en scoring, da Brede Hangeland steg til vejrs på et Bjørn Helge Riise hjørne, og headede den ind bag italienernes ankermand.

Fulham levede nu for alvor i Europa League og fortsatte deres pres mod de italienske storfavoritter, men det var Bjørn Helges bror, John Arne Riise, der havde næste store tilbud, da han med et kurvet skud testede Mark Schwarzer, som dog hev en fantastisk redning ud af ærmet.

Roma kom ud til anden halvleg med mere tro på tingene, og lagde straks pres på værterne, der dog forsvarede formidabelt med Kong Hangeland af Fulham som episk frontfigur.

Romas franske islæt, Jeremy Menez, havde halvlegens første par chancer, men skarpheden svigtede den stærke franskmand, mens Bobby Zamora stod for Fulhams bedste forsøg, da den store angribers skarpe indlæg var tæt på at blive snittet i mål.

En snu Diomansy Kamara snød offside fælden få minutter senere, men Doni i Roma-målet fornemmede faren og var hurtigt ude af sit mål for at blokere.

Chancer til Menez og dødsensfarlige Mirko Vucinic fulgte, men det største drama udspillede sig i det 76. minut, da Brede Hangeland modtog det røde kort for en forseelse i straffesparksfeltet begået af Stephen Kelly!

Efter store protester fra Fulhams spillere fik den forvirrede belgiske dommer rettet sin fejl, og Stephen Kelly måtte gå den tunge vej mod The Cottage i hjørnet af stadion, mens Menez, som skrevet før, brændte det efterfølgende straffespark.

Det røde kort til Hangeland blev givet på foranledning af den famøse måldommer bag målet, hvilket er en smule besynderligt, da han, af alle dommerne, burde have spottet, hvilken spiller der rent faktisk begik forseelsen!

Det farce-agtige optrin blev dog hurtigt lagt bag de to mandskaber, da Fulham havde travlt med at forsvare sig, mens Roma for alvor satte pres på hjemmeholdets bagerste kæde.

Og med omkring 30 sekunder igen fyrede en ellers svag Marco Andreolli kanonen af og passerede australske Schwarzer i Fulham-målet.

SUK!

Fulham havde en matchbold, men forspildte den til allersidst!

1-1 ville jeg med glæde have solgt den for inden kampen, men når man fører med 30 sekunder igen, er det højst irriterende at stå tilbage med et enkelt point (igen).

En frustreret Roy Hodgson havde følgende kommentarer til kampen og situationen omkring straffesparket:

“They bought their best players on, and we were short of numbers and we were short for a corner – which led to them equalising with the very last kick of the game,

We had a marvellous first half – I thought we played very well. At half-time, we made some changes. But they bought on Mirko Vucinic and David Pizarro, two of their better players.

The sending off I can’t really understand. Hangeland was coming across to try and get a block in. The penalty was awarded so I can’t understand why the referee felt it necessary for us to play the last 15 minutes with 10 men.

Referees make wrong decisions. We already know that. He selected the wrong man. I would like to have seen the assistant referee make it clear to the referee it wasn’t a foul in the first instance.

I’ve got my grave doubts as to whether it was a penalty, but they get given in those situations when a player drives into the box.

It’s very difficult to play with 10 men. But I thought the effort was magnificent, and it was cruel.

After conceding a 92nd-minute goal with 10 men against West Ham, this is very hard to take.”

Kamp Fakta

Fulham Schwarzer, Kelly, Hangeland, Hughes,Konchesky (Pantsil 46), Riise (Duff 75), Greening, Baird, Gera,Zamora (Nevland 61), Kamara.
Bænk: Stockdale, Dempsey, Smalling, Anderson.

Udvisning: Kelly (76).

Mål: Hangeland 24.

Roma Doni, Burdisso, Mexes, Andreolli, Riise,Taddei (Vucinic 63), Brighi (Pizarro 47), De Rossi, Guberti,Okaka Chuka (Perrotta 47), Menez.
Bænk: Lobont, Julio Baptista, Greco, Cassetti.

Kort: Vucinic.

Mål: Andreolli 90+3.

Tilskuertal: 23,561

Dommer: Paul Allaerts (Belgien)

ESPN reviewed our win over Benfica in the Europa League here.

UEFA published not one, but two seperate articles on the match.  You can read them here and here.

PortuGOAL’s coverage here.

Sky Sports covered the game as well; article posted here.

Article on the entire Group I by Extra Footie here.

And, in other news, it looks like Nemeth might have picked up a bit of an ankle sprain.

Sursa : violamania

A resurgent AEK overcame a depressing 4-0 thrashing to Everton two weeks ago to grind out a surprising but deserved 1-0 victory over Portugeuese powerhouse club Benfica FC.

The night started dismally for AEK.  Playing what I believe was a 4-2-3-1 with Saja in goal and Juanfran, Arce, Marjstorovic, and Gorgeas in the back, Kafes and Jahic in defensive midfield roles, Manduca, Scocco and Hersi forming a three-man attacking line and Blanco playing lone goal-poacher up top, AEK struggled for possession early on.  Worse, Benfica’s attack cut through our midfield over and over again like a hot knife through butter with surging run on the left by Di Maria a particular problem.

Benfica, employing a 4-1-3-2 with Cezar in goal, Peixoto, Luiz, Luisao, Pereioa in the back, Garcia shielding the back four, Di Maria and Ramires on the wings, Animar in the hole and Saviola and Cardoza up top, immediatly asserted control of the match with quick passes and well-timed runs.

AEK’s weak start, which the English commentators on GolTV derided as reminiscent of the match against Everton, almost reached a disastrous climax in the 13th minute.  AEK had conceded their first corner, and readers will remember that corner kicks were the occassion for Everton’s first two goals.  This time, the marking at the back post was tight and competent.  The zonal marking at the top of the 18-yard box, however, was missing this time, allowing Benfica to fire off a searing volley that mercifully hit the post.  Disaster averted, but just barely.  Note to Bajevic: please spend more time training this team how to defend corners.

I did not lose hope in those first, harrowing 15 minutes though, because two things were happening.  First, Hersi, seemingly single-handed, was  trying to assert some control over the match for AEK.  He was making fantastically quick runs, controlling the balls well, taking on and beating defenders and distributing brilliant passes including the 20th minute delivery of an absolutely perfect cross to Blanco, which the lone striker somehow managed to head just wide of the far post.

Hersi was not completely alone in trying to rally the troops.  Gorgeas too played with a lot of heart, though a little less brains and finesse.  His play was decidedly mixed, decisive and well-time slide tackles followed immediately by clumsy, rash, studs up challenges that earned him an early yellow in the 10th minute (that would almost cost us dearly later).  Still, his passion was evident and he is earning the respect of the fans through such fearless play.  But the best defenders are often successful at their jobs more for the stuff we don’t see than for what we do see.  Successful slide tackles look great, but the best defenders know their job is all about positioning and closing off opportunities.  And that is precisely not what was happening on our right side (Benfica’s left).  Gorgeas was not protecting his patch of the pitch and Di Maria was having his way with that flank, sliding perfect passes in front of our goal and lobbing crosses into dangerous territory.  Arguably, one of the things that started to turn this match after the first fifteen minutes was Gorgeas focusing less on pushing upfield and more on his defensive duties (besides, Gorgeas’s offensive forays were feckless; as just one example he had a fantastic chance on goal in the 16th minutes which he softly delivered right into the waiting arms of Benfica’s keeper).  But, to Gorgeas’s credit, DiMario was largely neutralized in the second half.  I am not currently a huge fan of Gorgeas but I am starting to recognize tremendous potential in this player.

Juanfran, in the other full-back role, also started the match shakily.  Indeed, a horrible pass in our backfield in the 11th minute almost cost us the match, but he turned his game around quickly, started making some excellent tackles and some even better runs down the flank that troubled Benfica’s defense enough to pull them thin at a few points.

But the game took a dramatic turn in the 20th minute.  First, Hersi sent a perfect cross to Blanco, as I mentioned above.  Mere moments later, Hersi again.  He received the ball in the midfield, controlled, looked around, played the ball out to the left to Juanfran’s feet, Juanfran drove down the flank and sent a brilliant cross right into the box that was barely headed away by a Benfica defender.  But Benfica were starting to look rattled, and AEK, led by Hersi, was starting to find their sea-legs.  Even the commentators had taken a break from moaning about what crap competition AEK were to note that “wait a second, we might have a game here.”

As Hersi continued to call for the ball, beat defenders and lay off nice passes, Scocco had taken it on himself to hustle back and help defend.  Scocco has taken some flak from fans for not always contributing enough on the attack, but this guy was plenty busy running the length of the pitch, firing off a laser one minute (his strike from outside the box in the 16th minute was barely controlled by the keeper) and hustling back to make a tackle outside our 18-yard box the very next moment.  Blanco too contributed well in defense.  In fact, every aspect of Blanco’s game was perfect, except of course for his finishing, which is what we need him for the most.  But his positioning, his tackling and his passing were all nearly flawless for the entire match.

From the 20th minute on, we looked the better team, but our old finishing problem returned, and not just for Blanco.  Although Blanco missed some great chances, Gorgeas (16th minute), Scocco (17th) and even Hersi (who took one too many touches in the 34th minute) blew great opportunities as well.

But the lads kept attacking, and as the pressure on Benfica mounted, their defense got stretched and their midfield got pushed back and our side gained more momentum.  Meanwhile in our half, Majstorivic has seized control of a large slice of the pitch as was assertively clearing the ball anytime it came anywhere near him and sticking his head out at any ball delivered in the air.  In other words, even when Benfica had glimmers of an attack building, it didn’t last, and our midfield was finally able to focus collectively on building an attack.

Which brings us to Manduca.  I can’t figure this guy out.  He has a terrific season in 2006/07 only to look like surplus to requirements last season.  But last night, he was starting to look like a valuable asset again.  But perhaps whatever shortcoming may have been on display have been erased from my mind by one absolutely perfectly delivered corner in the 43rd minute that found the bald head of a certain #5 Majstorovic.  Case settled, right lads?  No more complaining about Majstorovic.  Arguably, last night, he once and for all established himself as the back bone of this team.

So was it Hersi?  Or was it Majstorovic that proved the game changer for us?  Or was it the defensive contributions of Scocco?  Or was in our fullbacks finally playing some decent football.  For the first half, it was all of these things.  It was tewenty-five minutes of finally seeing this team gel and show how they can play together.

For the second half — and this is both good news and bad — it was all Saja.

50th minute – fantasic, game-saving fingertip save by Saja

50th minute – moments later, rushed off his line for a dangerous air ball

52nd – another quality, game-saving fingertip save

67th – denied searing free kick

74th – fantastic reflex save

And there was more in between and after, but you get the idea.  He easily earned himself the man of the match, but the team must ask themselves in the days ahead, why he was so busy for a thirty minute stretch of the second half?  We easily could have lost the match here.

In the 68th minute, Kafes went off with a leg cramp, replaced by Greek NT U-19 player Savvas Gentsoglou.

We had our own chances too in the second half, but we still could not finsih.  In the 76th minute, for example, Scocco delivered a brilliant chip cross to Manduca right in front of the goal, but somehow Manuca hit it with the top of his head rather than his forehead.  Frustrating stuff.

In the 77th minute Leonardo came in for Hersi.  The crowd showed their appreciation for our #3, a hero today.

In the 85th minute, we had our biggest scare of the match.  Gorgeas, who overall had a fine match but who, as I mentioned, had recklessly and needlessly earned a yellow in the 10th minute, was back to his old ways, committing ill-timed tackles.  He got caught on the second of these in rapid succession and was booked.  Sent off, AEK had to play what turned out to be 9 minutes a man down against one of the best teams in Europe while holding onto the slimmest possible lead.

But we did just that.  In Gorgeas’s absence, the young Gentsoglou covering the right back spot, got stuck in with some hard challenges that were unquestionably late but which were intended to show Benfica the back line was no weaker with the loss of Gorgeas.  The lad got himself a yellow but the look on his face showed he knew what he was doing.  Good boy.  The gaffer took Scocco off in the 88th and put Karabelas in.  In the 89th Juanfran headed clear a very dangerous Benfica cross into our box.  And then we waited.  And then, unbelievably after losing two Athens derbies and an earlier Europa League fixture to Everton, we were victors, our season and our Europa League Campaign renascent.

sursa : adevarul

While Rangers endure what has been a very difficult and disappointing month of football, many journalists and fans will question the lack of transfer funds this summer resulting in just one new addition to the squad with Jerome Rothen joining on a one year loan deal from PSG. The Glasgow side has managed to record just 1 win in their last 6 games, which arguably was an unacceptable 2-1 away win against 1st division side Queen of the South. They this week suffered a slightly humiliating Champions’s League defeat at home to Seville. With the game finishing 4-1, the quality of the referee did come in to question, but more so, the home team’s lacklustre defending in the second half was more damaging.

The point is though, is this poor period of football and results down to lack of investment, or is the Manager simply unable to cope with the ever decreasing amount of financial backing. This isn’t a new problem for Rangers, with previous managers McLeish and LeGuen hardly getting a war chest to splash cash on Europe’s finest, while Smith has been fortunate enough to have freedom to spend on highly rated players such as; Lafferty, Edu and Mendes coming at by current standards fairly hefty transfer fees. Their main domestic competitors are in a similarly precarious position in the transfer market, with new manager Tony Mowbray being handed a smaller transfer budget than most of his most recent predecessors, while having to re-invent a faltering Celtic side.

In Walter’s first period as manager of Rangers, things were obviously very different. Then big spending Chairman David Murray had provided him with the freedom to bring in some of the stars of Europe who opted to do something which is currently virtually unheard of; choose the SPL over the Premiership. Their Old Firm rivals were lacking the ability to even come close to competing on and off the pitch, struggling to finish in the top two. So basically, did Walter Smith have it easy back then? Many of the more cynical journalists, pundits or supporters would question Smith’s true ability as a manager. He did manage to take his team to 7 titles, adding to the two previously won by his then boss Graeme Souness, equalling the Scottish record set by Jock Stein’s Celtic, of 9 in a row. Although his biggest underachievement was in European competition, only once managing to impress with a run to the semi-finals. Could this have been achieved without the huge amount of spending and the acquisition of superstars such as Laudrup and Gascoigne?

Smith’s final season, and possibly the true indicator of his ability under the pressure of high expectations, showed maybe at the time he lacked the experience to cope with the biggest of challenges. Celtic were to halt their long run of championships, and stop a tenth successive title. While Celtic had managed to hire an experienced new coach in Wim Jansen, they were still without financial stability and significant squad investment, and also still lacked quality and consistency on the pitch, especially in comparison to their most recent seasons.  Making the point that if Smith had been as good a manager as some would proclaim, winning the league for a that elusive tenth time should have been fairly easily achievable, although credit is certainly due for a battling Celtic team who heroically defended the record set by their most celebrated manager and squad of players.

While this so far seems to be a ‘dig’ at Smith’s ability, the main point is still to come. After his career at Rangers came to an end, he decided to embark on a spell in the Premiership with Everton. While failing to achieve any great success, although that is mainly in comparison to his successor David Moyes, he was able to learn from his experience in a very different scenario in charge of a team who are unable to compete financially with some of the larger sides in England. And after that, he was to enjoy a short spell as assistant manager to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United from which he was able to learn from the experience and successes of the man who lead Aberdeen to two European trophies, the only Scottish team to do so. In addition to this Ferguson was able to lead a struggling Manchester United side to eventual English and European domination.

The skills, knowledge and experience taking from his spell down south landed him the opportunity to manage the Scottish national team, a side left in utter disarray by previous manager Berti Vogts. He was to make an immediate impact, during his short spell he pulled Scotland back up from the depths of the FIFA rankings, and even achieve a shock 1-0 victory at home to France. He brought stability, passion, determination and most importantly positive results under the greatest pressure of them all in football, at international level.

His short and outstanding spell introducing stability to the stuttering national side was to earn him a return to Rangers, who were also suffering one of the most baron spells in their History. Alex McLeish’s final season included; a winless period of 10 games, and a third place finish behind an unstable Hearts side. Then highly sought-after coach Paul Le Guen took charge for the shortest ever period and Rangers history, a reign which would finish with a defeat at home to first division side St. Johnstone and languishing along way behind title rivals Celtic. Walter Smith would again use the experience he used with the Scotland team to stabilise the turbulence for the Ibrox side. With the introduction of experienced players like; Dailly, McCulloch and Weir, and the appointment of club legend Ally McCoist as Assistant Manager, the team showed rapid improvement. While having very little financial investment during a period when Ranger’s continuing operation was even coming into question, Walter was able to lead his side to the UEFA cup final matching the successful run of Celtic in 2003, while similarly failing to come away victorious in the final. The following season Rangers were able to battle to victory on the final day and regain the SPL title after three years of success for Gordon Strachan’s Celtic.

While Rangers currently stumble through a tricky spell, is their really another man who can achieve anything close to what Walter Smith has managed to? The incredible turnaround of fortunes during his spell is a credit to the current ability of a manager who maybe 15 years ago would have been incapable of dealing with a challenge of this magnitude. Maybe if this Rangers team had the quality of players similar to Laudrup and Gascoigne, even Champion’s League glory would be a realistic objective. But now he will have to make-do with the challenge of retaining the SPL, aiming to win it twice in a row for the first time since Dick Advocaat managed in the two seasons following on from the end of Smith’s first term.

Vor über 80.000 Zuschauern im ausverkauften Valley unterlagen unsere Addicks den Gästen aus Glasgow mit 0:1. In einem chancenarmen Spiel wählte Wilki wohl die falsche Taktik aus. Sehr defensiv agierte man von Beginn an gegen einen nicht sehr spielstarken Gegner, ließ sich dann aber zu tief in die eigene Hälfte drücken. Dabei blieben die gefährlichen Konter Mangelware. So war es nur eine Frage der Zeit bis Celtic sich eine der sich ergebenden Chancen nutzen würde.

Durch die vermeidbare Niederlage im Hinspiel stehen die Chancen auf das Halbfinale sehr schlecht. Im Rückspiel in einer Woche brauch man mindestens zwei Tore, ob die der Mannschaft gelingen wird?

[UEFA] FC Zurich 0-1 MILAN

Tanggal : Kamis, 2 Oktober 2008
Stadion :
Penonton :
Wasit : Damir Skomina
Pencetak Gol : Shevchenko 70

Susunan Pemain :
FC Zurich: Leoni; Stahel, Tihinen, Barmettler, Stuckl (Lampi 78); Djuric (Nicki 78), Abdi, Aegerter, Okonkwo; Alphonse (Tahirovic 82), Hassli

Milan: Dida; Zambrotta, Bonera, Kaladze (Maldini 30), Antonini; Flamini, Emerson, Ambrosini (Kaka 61), Seedorf (Gattuso 76); Ronaldinho, Shevchenko

Statistik :
Kartu Kuning :
Kartu Merah : -
Tendangan Ke Gawang : 20-11
Tendangan Melebar : 2-4
Tendangan Pojok : 4-3
Offside : 2-5
Possession : 42% – 58%

=========================================================

[UEFA] Milan 3-1 FC Zurich

Tanggal : Kamis, 18 September 2008
Stadion : Giuseppe Meazza
Penonton : 14.500
Wasit : Gonzalez
Pencetak Gol : Jankulovski 45, Pato 56, Boriello 74; Djuric 78

Susunan Pemain :
MILAN: Dida 5.5; Antonini 6.5, Bonera 6.5, Kaladze 6, Jankulovski 7; Ambrosini 6,5 / Emerson 6 (68), Flamini 6, Seedorf 6; Kaka 6 ; Pato 6.5 / Borriello 7 (65), Shevchenko 6.5 / Ronaldinho (75)
Pelatih : Carlo Ancelotti

FC Zurich : Leoni; Stahel, Barmenttler, Tihinen, Stuckl; Djuric, Aegerter, Okonkwo, Abdi/Mehmed, Hassli/Nickl, Alphonse.
Pelatih : Challendes

Statistik :
Kartu Kuning : Emerson; Djuric
Tendangan Ke Gawang : 9-4
Tendangan Melebar : 8-3
Tendangan Pojok : 5-1
Offside : 2-3

Glücksfee Jaleel griff tief in die Lostrommel und am Ende stand die Partie Charlton Athletic vs. Celtic Glasgow auf dem Programm. Schaut man sich die anderen verbliebenen Gegner an, ein Los mit dem man zufrieden sein kann. Dennoch ist Celtic favourisiert. Allein das Charlton das Viertelfinale der Europa League erreicht hat, ist für Wilki ein Erfolg: “Wenn mir jemand vor der Saison gesagt hätte, dass wir das Viertelfinale erreichen, hätte ich Ihn für dumm erklärt. Doch meine Mannschaft hat sich als richtige Turniermannschaft gezeigt und auch den einen oder anderen Brocken aus dem Weg geräumt. Gegen Celtic wird es für uns ein emotionales Spiel – the Battle of Britain gegen die Schotten ist immer etwas besonderes.” Der Tabellenzweite der schottischen Liga geht selbstbewußt in die Partie und nahm die Favouritenrolle locker an. Manager galatto bezeichnete Charlton als leichten Gegner und dass es hätte schwerer kommen konnen. Die Stimmung beim ersten Spiel im Valley dürfte damit genügend angeheizt sein.

Nach dem 1:0 Auswärtssieg in Thun genügte unseren Addicks bereits ein Unentschieden um das Viertelfinale der Europa League zu erreichen. Vor ausverkauftem Haus leistete sich der Gast jedoch einen Faux Pas von ungehörem Ausmaß. Die Mannschaft trat nicht zum zweiten Achtelfinale an und so erreichte Charlton kampflos durch ein 3:0 kräftesparend das Viertelfinale. Wilki zeigte sich auf eine Weise aber auch erleichtert: “Vielleicht war es gut das Thun keine Lust mehr hatte. Die unterirdischen Vorstellungen der letzten Wochen gerade in der Liga haben mir schon zu denken gegeben, ob wir trotz des Hinspielsieges das Viertelfinale erreicht hätten. So ist es zwar nicht schön für die Fans aber aus finanzieller Sicht tut dem Verein das Erreichen der letzten Acht enorm gut.”

Well after an excellent night last night in the Paltalk room where there were many happy traders we are back in there tonight for a couple of games. Feel free to come and join us.

For details of how to join the room please click here

So on to tonight.

CSKA v Fulham 6pm

Fulham are to make 9 changes from the side that beat Everton on Sunday. Their away form is pretty poor this season and we cannot see them getting much in this game so our advice is to back 2-0 and 2-1 with a view to laying off when goals go in as per usual.

Some Bonus Nuggets

While waiting anxiously with a large livener in one hand and your mouse in the other for that goal which will put you on the way towards easy street we will show you a few tricks to lessen some of that current  red liability.

Good luck.

Post match round up

A night of mixed fortunes. The first half saw plenty of opportunity for scalping 0-0/1-0/0-1 thus reducing the red on those scorelines. Patience was advised at HT with the score remaining at 0-0 as one early goal would have enabled us to lay the  2-1 & 2-0 should the home side taken the lead. Sofia duly obliged in the 61`but Fulham`s ultra rapid equaliser put the scuppers on the best laid of plans. Shit happens and very often two goals scored within minutes of each other complicates matters enormously.

It was also advised at HT to back 1-0 & 0-1 and some even laid 2-1 at prices of 20.0 and upwards. Having suggested that the second half wasn`t going to produce a deluge of goals it was a mistake on our part not to have backed 1-1.

We took a loss of £19.20, others less or more than that depending on what the earlier scalping moves had produced

This, courtesy of GolTV, is the sweetest sight I’ve seen in a while:

3:00 pm UEFA – Europa League – Everton vs AEK Athens

Greek Americans rejoice!  GolTV seems to have successfully bid for the US broadcasting rights of at least some Europa League Group Stage Matches.  But best of all, they are showing Everton vs. AEK Athens live, Thursday at 3 PM east coast time.  You can view the full schedule here.

As you can see they are also showing the Panathinaikos vs. Galatasaray game later that day at 8 PM on tape delay.  I’m no fan of PAO but both of these games will be massive and it will be a welcome change of pace for US-based fans of AEK, PAO and Galata to being able to sit back and watch these matches on regular television rather than hunched over laptops switching between jumpy illegal internet streams that seem to always freeze right before a goal is scored.  I envision drinking games organized around the number of times the English commentators misidentify our players.  Well, I’m sure they’ll get Nemeth right, but beyond that…

As for our match, we march into Goodison Park full of confidence after two straight league wins.  Everton, for their part, will see their home advantage tempered by the horrible start to their league campaign, culminating two days ago in a 2-1 thumping at Craven Cottage.

Adding to Everton’s woes it now appears that their captain, Phil Neville, picked up a serious knee ligament injury during Sunday’s loss to Fulham.  Making matters worse, right back Tony Hibbert is suspended and John Heitinga is cup-tied.

Still, though Everton appear the wounded duck at the moment, let’s not forget that they finished fifth in the Premiership last year and have never lost to a Greek team in European competition.  They are among the very best teams in the world, and though they may have a bit of a selection headache, that’s all it is, a headache.  They are not to be trifled with.  Most betting sites have Everton as slight favorites.  Like I said, this game will be massive.  I can’t wait.

In other AEK news, it appears our start striker, Ismael Blanco, is generating a fair bit of interest from other clubs, including Palermo, Genoa and now Roma watching the goal poacher.  No way to tell if any of this true, but one thing is true:  Blanco better be hoping that none of these teams were watching his woeful display against Iraklis over the weekend.  Here’s hoping he does better against Everton Thursday.

Nachdem Charlton holprig in die Rückrunde gestartet war, konnte kurz nach der Auslosung zur Europa League bereits der erste Erfolg gefeiert werden. Die Glücksfee zog neben den vielen Hochkarätern mit dem FC Thun eine machbare Aufgabe aus dem Lostopf für das Achtelfinale. Im Hinspiel im schweizerischen Thun konnte Charlton durch ein Tor von David Cotteril (30. Minute) bei strömendem Regen triumphieren. Beide Mannschaften witterten bei dem vergleichsweise machbaren Gegner die große Chance auf das Viertelfinale und zeigten so eine abwartende Partie. Vor gut 18.000 Zuschauern reichte es in 90 Minuten gerade einmal für je eine Torchance auf jeder Seite. Es war eine zähe Partie in der die Gastgeber zwar die kämpferisch bessere Einstellung zeigten doch gerade spielerisch und beim Ballbesitz zeigte Charlton eine hervorragende Leistung. Das Glück stand diesmal auf der Seite unserer Addicks als der Schuss von Cotteril den Weg vorbei an Alain Portmann fand und am Ende der 1:0 Auswärtserfolg zu Buche stand.

Im Rückspiel am 14.09.2009 im Valley winkt nun bereits einem Unentschieden das Erreichen der nächsten Runde.

By Alexander Lawrie

SUPPORTERS of a Scottish football team have been hailed as heroes after helping to raise thousands of pounds for some of the world’s poorest children.

A charitable appeal was set up by fans of Hibernian after they were moved by the plight of Ukrainian orphans.

Now the Edinburgh club’s followers have been visited by Ira Polyashova, who is funded by the Dnipro Appeal to promote the welfare of children in the Ukraine, and who has come to the Capital to thank the generous supporters in person.

The fans’ appeal has helped to improve the lives of kids in three orphanages, a TB sanatorium and a baby centre for young mothers.

The green and white army, headed by lifelong Hibbee Jim Devine, has raised enough money to supply the Ukrainian orphans with boots, winter coats and new bed sheets.

Orphanage visit

And even though their team was thrashed 5-1 by the Ukrainian team, the travelling Hibs fans took time out to visit orphanages and help cheer up the local kids by handing out strips and scarves.

Jim, a former-Scottish international 400 meter runner, said: “It was through the UEFA Cup in September 2005, when Tony Mowbray took his Hibs side to the Ukraine to face Dnepropetrovsk, a group of Hibernian supporters took time out to visit a local orphanage and pass on the best wishes of all Scottish football fans.

“The delight shown by the kids, and the clear pleasure that the visit from the Hibernian supporters brought, warmed the hearts of everyone involved. And so was born, The Dnipro Appeal.”

The Appeal has now expanded to relieve poverty, advance the educational opportunities and promote the welfare of the orphans throughout the poverty-ridden area.

Ukrainian Director in the Field, Ira Polyashova, who is also assisted by her two daughters Natalia and Masha, arrived in Edinburgh this week to give thanks to the Hibs fans changing lives in her homeland.

Ira said: “Through the kindness of these football supporters we have been able to make a real difference to the lives of some of my countries most needy.

“Thanks is too small a word for the way we all feel towards these generous people who have been taken into all our hearts.”

The Dnipro Appeal’s website can be found at www.dniprokids.com.

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Noteringen: Nederland ook na groepsfase ruim vertegenwoordigd

Bookmaker: Ajax, PSV, Twente makkelijk door in Europa League, Heerenveen twijfelgeval

Malta, 28 augustus 2009 – Nederland zal ook na de groepsfase nog ruim vertegenwoordigd zijn in de Europa League. Volgens de noteringen op Unibet op basis van de vanmiddag gehouden loting zullen Ajax en PSV als eerste eindigen in hun poule. Noteringen zijn respectievelijk 1,90:1 en 1,85:1. FC Twente (2,75:1) hoeft in zijn groep alleen Fenerbahçe (2,25:1) voor zich te dulden. Heerenveen is een twijfelgeval (4,25:1) en dat is niet zo vreemd gezien de sterke tegenstanders als Hertha BSC en Sporting Lissabon.

Als uiteindelijke winnaar van de voormalige UEFA Cup wordt het Spaanse Villareal getipt. De club die gisteren NAC Breda met 6-1 versloeg, staat 12,50:1 genoteerd. Gevolgd door Hamburger SV (13,00:1) en AS Roma en Valencia (15,00:1). Aardig is de confrontatie tussen Panathinaikos (Ten Cate) en Galatasary (Rijkaard) in Groep F. Zij staan gelijk met 2,75:1. Wat verder opvalt, is dat drie van de Nederlandse clubs op bezoek mogen in Roemenië. Wie overigens een leuk extraatje wil verdienen, moet zijn geld zetten op FC Ventspils. Dat levert 250 maal de inzet op als deze ploeg de Europa League wint.

De volledige lijst met alle weddenschappen en noteringen is te vinden op Unibet

Pedro Fires Super Barca.

Barcelona substitute Pedro Rodriguez scored the only goal deep into extra time to lead the European Cup champions to a 1-0 victory over UEFA Cup winner Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine in the European Super Cup on Friday.

Rodriguez pounced onto a pass from Lionel Messi with five minutes of extra time remaining and prodded the ball into the bottom corner of the goal.

Barcelona last won the Super Cup in 1997 and also in 1992, but lost in 2006 to UEFA Cup winner Sevilla. Coach Pep Guardiola guided Barcelona to three titles last season, adding La Liga and Copa del Rey in Spain to the Champions League crown.

Messi, Barca’s star in the Champions League final win over Manchester United, rolled the ball from his right foot to his left and sent a reverse pass into Rodriguez’s path as he ran around the back of a defender.

Tempers flared at the end of regulation when Messi dashed into the penalty area and complained that he had been impeded as he was about to shoot.

Shakhtar didn’t threaten Barcelona’s goal until extra time when substitute Julius Aghahowa ran through and forced goalkeeper Victor Valdes into a low save in the 97th minute. Barcelona replacement Bojan Krkic’s angled shot was saved by goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov a minute later as the game finally came to life.

Hoy día 28 de agosto se va a jugar la Supercopa de Europa en el estadio Stade Louis II entre el FC Barcelona y el FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Mónaco es un estadio del que el Barça no tiene buenos recuerdos después de la derrota ante el Sevilla del mismo título que se disputará esta noche.

De once veces que se ha disputado la Supercopa de Europa tan solo 4 veces ha ganado el equipo ganador de la Champions League y 7 veces el ganador de la Copa de la UEFA, por lo que el Barcelona lo tendrá difícil para alzar este título. Además, en la fase de grupos de la temporada pasada de la Champions League, el Shakhtar no le puso las cosas nada fáciles al Barça.

EL PARTIDO:

Empieza la primera parte con un toma y daca de ocasiones para el Shakhtar y el Barça durante los primeros cinco o diez minutos de partido. El Barcelona comienza a imponer su ley de juego y toques para dominar la posesión, pero sigue sin tener una ocasión clara de gol. Una primera parte realmente aburrida sin demasiadas oportunidades para marcar por parte de ninguno de los dos equipos.

Se retoma el partido después de un descanso de 15 minutos. El Barcelona sigue con su dominio de posesión del balón pero sin crear ocasiones claras, y el Shakhtar da algunos latigazos de peligro con algún que otro contraataque. En el minuto 73 llegan las dos mejores ocasiones del partido para el Barça, con un tiro de Messi des de la frontal del área que rechaza el portero y que después recoge Henry y hace intervenir al portero de nuevo con un tiro lejano y colocado. Sigue sin decantarse de parte de nadie el partido cuando llega otro tiro de Messi y justo después un ataque peligroso del Shakhtar. Si el partido acaba así iremos a la prórroga, pero aun no hay nada decidido. Se le añaden 3 minutos más al partido y justo después de ver el tiempo añadido se pita una falta peligrosa a favor del Shakhtar. Nada importante. Messi se va de cinco jugadores pero no ha podido finalizar la jugada. Final de la segunda parte del partido, nos vamos a la prórroga del encuentro.

Se retoma el partido. El Barcelona sigue dominando, pero no acaba de llegar el gol y el Shakhtar puede acabar marcando para llevarse la victoria también. Va a saltar al terreno de juego Bojan para intentar revolucionar el partido a favor del equipo catalán. Pedro a podido acabar con una jugada de peligro en el minuto 95 y entra Bojan por Henry. Empieza a llegar el Shakhtar a la portería del Victor Valdés pero sin peligro claro. En el minuto 98 Valdés para un tiro que pudo ser claramente el 0-1 para el Shakhtar. Bojan protagoniza una nueva ocasión para el Barcelona pero el portero la para y la manda a córner. Finaliza la primera parte de la prórroga.

Sigue 0-0 en el marcador del estadio Louis II. Dos posibles penaltis, uno a favor del Shakhtar y otro para el Barcelona pero ninguno pitado por el colegiado. Sigue sin poder el Barça y se llegará a los penaltis de seguir el partido empatado. Minuto 110 y seguimos 0-0, no me gustan los penaltis. Casi marca Leo Messi des de fuera del área, pero el balón a salido por la parte izquierda de la portería rival. Otro tiro de Messi pero que acaba parando el portero del Shakhtar Pyatov. Minuto 114 y por fín llega el gol del FC Barcelona de las botas de Pedro con una combinación impresionante entre él y Messi. Pedro ha marcado un gol que puede valer una copa, pero aun faltan 5 minutos para acabar el partido. El público del campo enloquece con el gol del canterano Pedro Rodríguez. Ahora solo se tiene que esperar para poder gozar de este quinto título del año 2009, la Supercopa de Europa. Ahora saca Valdés un tiro peligrosísimo del delantero del Shakhtar, que tensión.

El FC Barcelona sigue sumando títulos con esta supercopa de Europa que ha conseguido ganar hoy día 28 de agosto en el estadio de Mónaco y así se consolida como el campeón indiscutible de Europa. Con el gol de Pedro Rodríguez el Barça se lleva a casa este título tan preciado y seguimos sumando triumfos.

Pocos cambios habrá en el once del Barça respecto al que conquistó la Supercopa de España.

Como ya sucedió frente al Athletic Club en la Supercopa de España, el Barça no piensa hacer concesión alguna al Shakhtar Donetsk esta noche en el Louis II. Josep Guardiola presentará el mejor equipo del que dispone con el objetivo de sumar el segundo trofeo de la campaña, el cuarto del 2009.
Y presentar el mejor once posible, supone mucho cuando uno se refiere al campeón de la Liga de Campeones, aunque Rafa Márquez y Andrés Iniesta todavía no estén a punto.

Quizás una de las pocas novedades en la alineación pueda ser la del regreso de Eric Abidal al lateral izquierdo. Si el titular contra el Athletic Club fue el brasileño Maxwell, ahora el internacional francés podría tener la opción de disputar la final de la Supercopa. Un premio excelente para un jugador que por culpa de las sanciones se perdió las de Copa del Rey y la Champions en la recta final de la carrera por el tricampeonato. Dani Alves por la derecha y Carles Puyol y Gerard Piqué en el eje central completarán la línea defensiva por delante de Víctor Valdés.

En el centro del campo es donde quizás pueda existir alguna incógnita sobre lo que puede decidir Guardiola. En principio, la tripleta Touré-Xavi-Keita rindió a un magnífico nivel el pasado domingo. En la recámara está Sergio Busquets y el joven canterano tiene muchas opciones de entrar en el once si los técnicos quieren repartir esfuerzos entre los jugadores disponibles. Otras opciones en esta posición pasan por Eidur Gudjohnsen, aunque el islandés cuenta poco y en los próximos días puede cerrar su marcha al West Ham.

En la delantera existen pocas dudas pues Messi, Ibrahimovic y Henry, que ha superado las molestias en la rodilla y los tendones, aparecen como indiscutibles a estas alturas. En la recámara, el talento de los jóvenes del plantel Bojan y Pedro.

Se trata de un conjunto de las máximas garantías para enfrentarse a un Shakhtar Donetsk al que ya conocen muy bien pues fueron rivales en la fase de grupos de la pasada Liga de Campeones. Y el campeón de la desaparecida UEFA Cup no fue, ni mucho menos, un rival fácil.

El Barça sufrió para ganar en Ucrania y perdió el intrascendente duelo del Camp Nou. Se trata de un equipo que también apuesta por el buen trato del balón y que llegará a la final sin bajas y con la ambición intacta.

AEK have been drawn in group I for the Europa League Group Stage along with Benfica, Everton, and BATE. Not a bad group I must say. We could have gotten a much more difficult but I believe we have a pretty good chance of advancing to the next round.

Benfica should be a tough opponent but they have not been at their best in recent years. I also see Everton giving us a hard time but I think if we continue with the form we have now plus a few more experienced signings, we could get past Everton as well. It will be no easy task though.

Panathinaikos will be playing Dinamo Bucuresti, Sturm, and Galatasaray. The Galatasaray against Pao fixture will definately be one of the highlights of the Group Stages.