2008 Orioles Fan Fest: The State of the Orioles With Andy MacPhail and Dave Trembley

The 2008 Fan Fest opened up with the 'State of the Orioles' conference/pseudo town-hall meeting held near the Orioles dugout in the crazy cold of Saturday.

They talked about various topics, and they are highlighted below.

MASN's Jim Hunter emceed the event.

• MacPhail said point blank that the Orioles had to rebuild and start by rebuilding the farm system, develop their own players, and start building up their international scouting.
• The Orioles need to start exploring all corners of the globe for talent, much like the Yankees and Red Sox are doing.
• MacPhail's focus in the! off-season was spent rebuilding the farm system.
• Said the same 25 guys who start off on the Orioles during the season, may not necessarily be the same 25 who end the season with the team.
• Dave Trembley wants fans to "stay the course"; and said that Spring Training was a time to set a new direction as well as set and identity -- wants players to play hard from game one to game one-hundred and sixty-two.
• Dave put a lot of focus on the pitching staff; and for a team to be competitive, they have to get the fundamentals down.
• Both men stressed the importance of getting the major and minor league teams together, and it's a organizational weakness at the moment.
• Someone asked if Andy MacPhail had full reign over the Orioles -- i.e., the meddling of Angelos -- and he more or less said he's charge by mentioning the change of baseball philosophy, the moves made and accomplishments done.
• Someone asked if Luis Hernandez will be the start! ing shortstop -- Trembley says. "nothing etched in stone"...
• T rembley noted that he hopes a lot of the veterans stay -- "they help us win, and help in the clubhouse"...
• Andy MacPhail believes that the team should be built via development, trades and "from the ground up" --- he wants to work on rebuilding the infrastructure and wants to steer away from free agency.
• A fan asked about minor league players, specifically Matt Wieters, and MacPhail said "players will determine where they play..."
• For the record, Andy MacPhail has no objection to having 'Baltimore' on the road jersey.
• Someone asks about the weakness in the middle infield and MacPhail says that he'll try to rebuild via the draft & trades.
• A fan asks if the Orioles tried to unload veterans by acquiring others (ala Beckett/Lowell in the Ramirez trade) -- MacPhail said no.
• A fan asks in Roberts will be traded -- MacPhail said, "highly unlikely."
• Finally someone asks about Gibbons status (this was on Saturday, and we know! he was released), but Trembley said, "we have to make a decision -- we need guys who play more than one position and are versatile". That was the nail in the coffin...

Baltimore Sweeps Houston; Now Vs. Then, A Year Later

I didn't know what to think when the season started, I figured we would be lucky to see .500 this season at any point and it would be more of the same in terms of losing.

Last night, the amazing Orioles swept the Houston Astronauts by defeating them 7-5 in a exciting game at Camden Yards. Baltimore had yet another come-from-behind win, their 22nd; however, they managed to score in the middle of the game, as opposed to in late innings and cause a cardiac arrest. Alex Cintron lead the way with three hits including a home run that sparked the offensive barrage -- alas, he nearly served as the goat as he committed an error and misplayed a ball in ninth inning that alomost sparked a Houston comeback.

A six-run fifth inning helped out the Orioles and helped Brian Burres -- who had been struggling as of later -- ea! rn his sixth win. Although he was far from dominant, he was serviceable, as he pitched a little over five innings and earned his sixth victory -- a team high.

George Sherrill earned his 24th save.

***
At this point last year, Dave Trembley became manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

Needless to say at that juncture, although the Orioles had played well when he came to the helm, they were still a sub .500 team with little hope of getting better.

We still had Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada as our "stars", but yet they could not get us out of a fourth place finish as well the butt of a national joke.

Also, one year ago, Andy MacPhail became the Chief Operating Officer of the Baltimore Orioles -- more or less, the man in charge.

MacPhail, highly regarded as a baseball man from a family with a rich legacy in the game, fans knew they were getting someone who knew the game -- however, we were skep! tical as to how things would actually come about.

A! s well, who knew what Dave Trembley would be like as manager of the Baltimore Orioles?

Let's fast forward one year later.

The Orioles, much to the surprise of the nation, much less their own base, are over .500, seventy-one games into the season.

Andy MacPhail, through long hours of work with his staff has perhaps done the impossible -- that is making the Baltimore Orioles into a viable franchise again.

So far, MacPhail has looked like a genius and perhaps foresaw the future by sending Bedard to Seattle (see how that worked out!) and our big ticket, Miguel Tejada to Houston where they can't buy a win and are sinking like the Titanic. The deals he made in the off season have been proven invaluable, as we now have fan favorites in Luke, Adam Jones, & George Sherill; as well, youngsters who have made quite a contribution like Matt Albers and Dennise Sarfate.

I'm sure more guys will be on their way up to the big leagues, for example! the amazing Matt Wieters, with Jake Arrieta in tow along with Billy Rowell and Nolan Reimold.

Meanwhile, in Charm City and in Oriole Nation, we have a team that doesn't give up until the very last out, and although we don't have any superstars -- we have a team that's likable, personable, plus one the region can identify with.

Young guys are getting their shot and making that most of it, and they are being embraced by the fans.

You can't say enough about Adam Jones, but let's also not forget Garrett Olson, Radhames Liz, Jeremy Guthrie, but also Brian Burres -- who may be struggling, but through guts and determination is showing why he deserves a shot at this level.

But all the recent success starts at the top, and you cannot give enough credit to Dave Trembley. He's instilled a sense of professionalism and pride within this team that seemed to be missing with Perlozzo, Mazzilli, Regan, et. al.

Yes, a big component of h! ow I feel is that we are winning; however, it looks like the t! eam resp ects Trembley and is buying into his philosophy.

We as fans can't be more grateful, and some who have not been to Camden Yards are coming back for not only the promotions, but to see winning and inspired baseball. Instead of knowing the game is over the by third inning, fans know they will get their money's worth and each game can provide that magical moments which makes following the Orioles worthwhile.

The Milwaukee series may have exposed some of the Orioles' weaknesses -- young pitchers who are still learning to be consistent on this level (item: Garrett Olson and Daniel Cabrera), not being able to do much with hitters in scoring position and a bullpen that has had a lot of pressure put on them.

Needless to say, the Orioles have been playing well; however, their weaknesses may undo the success they have had so far.

I realize Baltimore may not contend for the pennant (then again, I have been wrong on just about everything this s! eason), but we have more hope than we ever had in a decade and we should be thankful.

However, the mission is far from accomplished. More deals and time will be needed to make the Orioles into a competitive franchise again. Some moves will be lauded, and there will be a few that will be scrutinized and ripped apart; alas, you have to take some risks – not only in sports, but in all facets of life – to become successful.

Reality Check: Mark Teixiera & Other Free Agents; Our Shortstop

Not that anyone knows or can predict what is going on Mark Teixiera, or any free agent -- but there has been huge talk in these parts (the Washington and Baltimore area) about brighter days ahead.

From the Washington Post: It took two days, but the Nationals and Orioles finally seem to be entering the transactional white noise emanating from the GM meetings in Dana Point, Calif.

According to both SI.com's Jon Heyman and MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the Nationals hope to surprise this offseason by signing legitimate stars. Both writers say the Nats are focusing on a clean-up hitter, with Mark Teixeira their top choice. Naturally, Teixeira's price tag may eventually prove prohibitive, but that may just push them down to the next tier of big sticks, with Prince Fielder and Adam Dunn serious possibilities.

Just as tantalizing for Nationals fans is the prospect of Matt! Holliday, whom the Nats have reportedly discussed with the Rockies more than once. The Rockies are likely to look for middle infield help -- that's one area where the Nats have plenty of prospects -- and pitching. Hard to think of which pitchers Washington could cobble together to make an offer come together, but if they could come up with any that would be a fit for Coors Field, that'd seem like a deal to pull the trigger on immediately, right? Or would the Nats require a window for contract extension talks? Funny how having Scott Boras as an agent complicates things, isn't it.

The Orioles are starting to make some noise as well, with the San Diego Union Tribune reporting that they're still interested in Padres shortstop Khalil Greene. So are the Reds Tigers and, as of last night, the Blue Jays, though both the Red Sox and Padres put the kaibash on the rumored "Coco Crisp for Khalil Greene" talk from Monday.

O! k, first let's start with Teixiera.

You all know ho! w I feel about him -- he's like the girl who says she will consider going out with you and thus gives her phone number hoping she'll call or text you; however, you know she's out of your league -- so, you'll never get the magic call no matter how hard you wish.

I like positivity, but I am also a realist.

I've been there, and Oriole fans will feel that way once you find out he'll go to where the big money is and for only a winner -- which means the Red Sox, Angels, or Yankees.

The Orioles and Nationals should throw out an offer to him and ugh, Scott Boras -- something astronomical -- to see they'll bite.

I think the end result will be "don't call us, we'll call you..."

Folks, he ain't coming to the Mid-Altantic to play ball full time, no matter how he wants to play near home or he says it will be a dream. Money and prestige will steer him, not sentimentality.

I have a very strange feeling that the Red Sox will end up w! ith him...

As for our shortstop situation, as you know -- we need one for sure. It was a revolving door of guys last year and we ended up with Juan Castro to finish off the season.

Naturally, he filed for free agency this week. Now, we need someone to fill in that position.

Below are our free agents available at shortstop, courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors:

Willie Bloomquist (31)
Orlando Cabrera (34) - Type A
Alex Cintron (30)
Alex Cora (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
David Eckstein (34)
Adam Everett (32)
Rafael Furcal (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Chris Gomez (38)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Cesar Izturis (29)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Tomohiro Nioka (33)
Nick Punto (31)
Edgar Renteria (33) - Type A
Luis Rivas (29)
Juan Uribe (30) - Type B
Ramon Vazquez (32)
Omar Vizquel (42) - $5.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout

Who do you think fills the! bill? None of these guys fits what I'd be happy with, but Orl! ando Cab rera would be a decent place holder until we get someone younger in the fold.

ed note: As someone reminded me who left me a post -- he'd cost Baltimore two draft picks -- so maybe signing him wouldn't be smart unless it was a last resort move.

Khalil Greene might a be good candidate to play shortstop for us -- he's young and has power -- but his career numbers are nothing to be happy about, and the question is what would the Padres want in return?

Edgar Renteria might be a good choice -- if it was 2005 -- but he's seriously regressed at the plate, and always been subpar in the field. I'd pass on him for now, unless you really cannot find anyone else.

Perhaps we can sign him -- if we have to -- to a low-level deal with incentives, and hope he can find the magic again at the plate. Baltimore isn't going upwards in the AL East , so maybe it might be a goo! d place for him to get back on his feet after a putrid year with Detroit.

Felipe Lopez had a nice little comeback after being exiled from the Nationals when he was released and found new life in St. Louis; however, he's got one hell of a rep as a bad seed, and also a grouse, despite the potential he showed years ago. He might come affordable, and we can hope his ability might finally be manifested after nearly dying in Washington; alas, it's really buyer beware with him.

At this point, I'd be kicking tires and hoping for the best, or see what can be acquired via trades.

But right now, looking at the list, Orlando Cabrera may be the most attractive option for us -- for the moment.

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Yankee Nation to Descend On Oriole Park For Opening Day & ESPN Will Witness It All...

As most any season ticket holder to the Baltimore Orioles knows -- the Evil Empire will be coming to Charm City for Opening Day at Camden Yards on April 6th. There will be hardcore Oriole fans who will be there, but of course there will also be a throng of Yankee fans -- local and not -- coming to see their team embark on their manifest destiny to the World Series (or not).

The big question now on many minds will be how many Oriole fans will actually dare show up on that day?

I just checked out Jay Trucker's blog on the Examiner website and apparently ESPN will be here chronicling the Yankees on the Opening Day telecast -- more specifically C.C. Sabathia's first start; thus, more or less, the Orioles will just be part of the supporting cast (or just maybe the extras).

One could think! that there will be incessant talk on how Tex was signed by the Yankees and how the Red Sox lost him, the Steinbrenners, will Burnett become Carl Pavano II and a litany of other topics all related to New York.

>>> Read More

The Steroid Saga Hits Baltimore -- Again; Roundup

As if we didn't need any more from baseball and the involvement of the drug world, it looks like an individual from Baltimore may played a key role in the investigations during the past few years.

The Smoking Gun' website, in an extremely detailed and lengthy report site claims Baltimore area native Andrew Michael Bogdan -- a friend of former Orioles outfielder Larry Bigbie -- acted as key FBI informant that helped to nail Kirk Radomski (known as now an infamous drug suppiler to prominent MLB players).Basically, he decided to come clean about his involvement, only after he scored a deal to get out of his own mess.

There's also good article in the Baltimore Sun profiling Mr. Bodgan as well.

It's worth reading both pieces this morning, and although I consider this all ancient history, you cannot discount how prevalent drug use was or could still be today. The Baltimore organization was especially hard by drug use allegations, as highlighted notably by Rafael Palmiero, Jay Gibbons and David Segui; however, I don't think this case may come back and haunt the Orioles any more.

At this point, I think most people want to move on and enjoy baseball for what it is -- a game.

>>> Read More

!

O's Defeated by Twins; Quick Hits

The Minnesota Twins downed the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon in Grapefruit League action, 4-3, in Fort Lauderdale this afternoon. Ty Wigginton had three hits, and drove in a run, Gregg Zaun had two hits, and Luke Scott drove in a run; however, Matt Albers gave up two runs in the seventh inning off a Matt Macri two-run double that made the difference on Wednesday.

David Pauley -- who might have now lost his shot at the rotation -- went three innings and gave up two runs on eight hits. Minnesota's Michael Cuddyer plated two runs -- both Denard Span and Alexi Casilla got on base and scored -- with a double in the first inning.

>>> Read! More

Matt Wieters Debut Overshadowed by the Efforts of Luke Scott & Brad Bergesen (With Photos)

Matt Wieters made his long-awaited major league debut on Friday; however, it was overshadowed by Luke Scott's two home runs and 5 RBIs, as well as eight innings of work by Brad Bergesen. When all was said and done, their efforts helped the Orioles to their fifth straight win as they defeated the Detroit Tigers, 7-2.

Luke Scott, perhaps one of the streakiest hitters in baseball, had his second two-run homer night in as many days. He hit a grand slam homer in the third inning, and then followed up with a solo shot in the fifth inning. Since the left-handed slugger has come back to Baltimore, he's had seven hits -- five of them home runs to bolster an offense which had been sputtering for a while.

Nick Markakis drove in a run with an RBI single in the third inning, and Roberts had a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Meanwhile, Brad Bergesen had his best showing in the majors so far by going eight innings and giving up two runs on Friday night. He was efficien! t -- only throwing 105 pitches -- threw strikes, pitched to contact, and used his defense to get outs. He gave up two runs -- all in the seventh inning -- thanks to an RBI-single by Curtis Granderson and an RBI-groundout by Brandon Inge.

>>> Read More

Eight in a Row and Melvin Mora's Tenure in Baltimore Coming to an End?

The Orioles lost their eighth consecutive game last night, as the Cleveland Indians -- who has lost 11-in-a-row going into Friday night -- pulled out a victory, 4-2. David Hernandez looked solid, but he took the loss as he gave up three runs in six innings of work.

Hernandez was cruising along until the fifth inning, but Cleveland would score three times in that period and decide the game. Luis Valbena homered to start the frame, then Lou Marson drove in a run with an RBI double, and then third baseman Melvin Mora let another run in for the Indians with a critical throwing error that allowed Marson to score.

The bullpen -- a source of consternation for fans ! theses days -- didn't help out Baltimore's cause as they allowed Cleveland to score again in the eighth inning thanks to a bases loaded walk by Matt Albers. The Orioles scored twice in the game -- once in the 2nd off a Michael Aubrey double, and then other in the sixth off Nick Marakakis' 17th homer -- but their offense has gone anemic in the final weeks of the season and could not do much with numerous opportunities given to them.

>>> Read More

Rangers News & the Rest of The NHL

• Congratulations to Rangers coach John Tortorella who won his 245th game last night in Montreal, moving him into first place ahead of Peter Laviolette, for most NHL wins by an American-born coach. [Link]
  
  
• PuckDaddy takes a few jabs at NHL Commish Gary Bettman, wondering why the NHL waited until the last few days to market the game around Martin Brodeur, one of (if not the best) goalies of all-time. [Link]
  
  
• Fire & Ice with great coverage of Brodeur's record-breaking night and also plenty of quotes. Plus, Patrik Elias broke a record of his own last night. [Link]
  
  
• Nik Antropov discusses the difference between the ! Leafs & the Rangers to the Toronto media. [Link]
  
  
• Evgeni Malkin with 5 points last night against the Thrashers, widens his lead over Sidney Crosby for the NHL points lead to 10 points. [Link]
  
  
• Brian McGrattan made his return to the NHL an interesting one, he was in a very entertaining fight [Link]
  

Don't Like a Goal your goalie let in? Take His Head Off!

[H/T to Puck Daddy]

Zherdev Wants $4.5M

Remember about two weeks ago when it was reported that Nik Antropov was asking for a contract in the range of $4M+? It appears that Nik Zherdev has more in common with Mr. Antropov than just a first name. Zherdev according to today's NY Post is asking for a contract in the $4.5M per season range. I know that Glen Sather's generosity when it comes to handing out contracts is probably going to continue to come back to burn him, because every player from now until God knows when is going to ask for way more than they are ! actually worth.

According to the NY Post:

As it was, there was debate within the organization whether to qualify Zherdev at the required $3.25 million price tag after his uneven season that frustrated both Tom Renney and John Tortorella.

Now, with Zherdev seeking a contract believed in the neighborhood of $4.5M, there's little doubt the Blueshirts would walk away from an arbitration award that's even a nickel more than $3.25M, and thus make the 24-year-old winger an unrestricted free agent.

Antropov hit the UFA market and as I predicted got signed by one of the smaller market teams that typically has a problem signing UFAs. That is probably what Nik Zherdev and his agent are hoping for, another guy that is all about the "Benjamins". If that's his mentality, then let him walk.

There isn't much out there on the free agent market as! far as top-6 forwards go, but hopefully if the Rangers and Zherdev don't get something worked out the Rangers can replace Zherdev with a forward who can put the puck in the back of the net. The scary thing is I envision a replacement along the lines of a Maxim Afinogenov.

Rangers Make First Round of Cuts

As was expected, the Rangers made their first round of cuts today reducing the original training camp roster of 59 players down to 34. In my opinion, there were no surprise cuts.

The official release from the Rangers website:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has assigned the following 15 players to Hartford (AHL): goaltender Miika Wiikman; defensemen Trevor Glass, Brent Henley, Sam Klassen, Mike Sauer, David Urquhart, and Nigel Williams; and forwards Andres Ambuhl, Daniel Bartek, Devin DiDiomete, Brodie Dupont, Dan LaCouture, Matt Maccarone, Justin Soryal, and Dale Weise.

In addition, the Rangers returned five players to their respective junior club: goaltender Scott Stajcer (Owen Sound, OHL); defenseman Tomas Kundratek (Medicine Hat, WHL); and forwards Ryan Bourque (Quebec, QMJHL), R! oman Horak (Chilliwack, WHL) and Ethan Werek (Kingston, OHL).

Forwards Tyler Arnason, Dane Byers, Corey Locke, Jordan Owens, and Patrick Rissmiller will continue training camp with Hartford. Including these five players, the Rangers now have 34 players remaining in training camp, including four goaltenders, 10 defensemen and 20 forwards.

Picture of the day.

Slow Saturday night.

Question of the day.

Big blowouts garner big ratings.

NFL overnights: CBS the big winner.

Quote of the day.

NBA ratings up 20% on ABC.

NFL, Comcast, still working on deal.

Earlier start for World Series games?

Weekend ratings predictions.

Idle notes.

Oklahoma/Miami draws 5.5 overnight on ABC

Strong start for Monday Night Football

Info Sepakbola | Pengertian Sepakbola

Apa sih yang terlintas dalam fikiran kita ketika mendengar kata sepakbola? Mungkin secara pribadi setiap orang punya pengertian sendir-sendiri. Nah secara pribadi juga, penulis Info Sepakbola coba mendefinisikan pengertian sepakbola sebagai berikut :

Sepak bola adalah suatu permainan kolektif atua kerja sama tim. Artinya kita harus bekerja sama dengan teman satu tim untuk mencapai hasil yang maksimal. Kita tidak akan bis! a bermain sepak bola seorang diri tanpa adanya teman, meski sehebat apapun kita. Dalam permainan sepak bola dikenal istilah..... strategi, yaitu bertahan dan menyerang.

Bertahan : Adalah suatu usaha untuk menggagalkan serangan lawan agar tidak bisa memasuki daerah pertahanan sendiri untuk mencetak gol. Dalam melakukan strategi bertahan dibutuhkan konsentrasi dan tidak harus bergantung hanya pada pemain bertahan saja, tetapi semua pemain mempunyai kewajiban untuk bertahan, hanya saja setiap pemain mempunyai porsi yang berbeda-beda dalam bertahan, tergantung posisi asli si pemain.

Menyerang : Adalah suatu usaha membawa bola k! e daerah pertahanan lawan untuk membuat gol. Untuk melakukan s! erangan , dibutuhkan kerjasama, konsentrasi dan kejelian membaca peluang.

Secara umum ada 3 faktor yang menjadi dasar jika kita ingin menjadi pemain sepak bola.

1. Fisik
Fisik yang kuat adalah syarat dasar yang harus dimiliki seorang pemain sepak bola. Karena dalam permainan sepak bola kita dituntut untuk berlari setiap saat untuk mengejar, menggiring atau merebut bola dari lawan. Dengan demikian, akan sangat banyak tenaga yang dikeluarkan.

2. Teknik
Teknik sangat penting dalam permainan sepak bola, kerena dengan tehnik kita akan lebih mudah dalam mengolah atau memainkan bola. Kita ambil contoh Lionel Messi, dia adalah salah satu dari sekian banyak pemain sepak bola yang mempunyai teknik tinggi. Karena itu dia bisa dengan mudah mengolah atau memainkan bola sesuai dengan apa yang dia inginkan.

3. Fisi
Adalah suatu kemampuan membaca situasi dalam suatu permainan. Dalam hal ini seorang pemain harus faham situasi, kondisi dan apa yang harus dilakukan dalam suatu pertandingan. Salah satu contohnya adalah : dalam suatu pertandingan minimal seorang pemain harus bisa menentukan kapan dia harus menahan, mengolah, menendang atau mengumpan bola kepada teman bermain, dan masih banyak contoh lainnya.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...

Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2009/2010 | Lippi Lega Kasus Cannavaro Rampung

Marcello Lippi bisa bernafas lega karena masalah Fabio Cannavaro yang gagal tes doping akhirnya ada jalan keluar. Kapten tim Italia akan segera bergabung dengan rekan setimnya.

Bek Juventus gagal melewati tes doping setelah tubuh Cannavaro terdeksi ada kandungan cortisone. Namun mereka menyebut cortisone tersebut ada di dalam tubuh Cannavaro akibat dari obat untuk ant! i sengatan lebah.

Sementara staff Juventus telah memberikan laporan yang memperkuat mengenai pengobatan darurat sehingga memerlukan sebuah suntikan. Itu dikirimkan ke staf medis Italia, tetapi tidak kepada CONI (Komite Olimpiade Italia).

"Saya tidak mendengarkan hal itu dari Fabio. Itu sama sekali tidak diperlukan. Segalanya dapat dibersihkan dalam waktu dua jam," ungkap Lippi seperti dilansir Reuters.

Cannavarro mungkin absen saat Azzurri menghadapi Irlandia Sabtu ini. Namun Lippi memastikan bahwa kaptennya tersebut akan bergabung dengan skuadnya Minggu ini menjelang menghadapi Siprus Rabu nanti. "Ya tentu," tegas Lippi.

Sementara media Italia mengatakan bahwa Cannavaro kemungkinan akan lolos dari sanksi doping. Sedangkan klub Juventus kemungkinan akan mendapatkan denda karena masalah tersebut.

"Akan sangat buruk jika ada kasus doping padahal tidak. Saya di sana saat Fabio disengat Tawon. Tangannya bengkak, dia tetap ! tenang begitu juga kami," kata Giorgio Chiellini, rekan Cannav! arro di Juve dan juga timnas Italia.

Caso "recupero"

Vi allego i risultati del turno di recupero dopo Roma-Samp e vi comunico che il caso che riguardava la partita tra me e paolo è stato risolto.

Ricorderete che in quella occasione schierai 10 e non 11 calciatori, consultato il manuale insieme a Celestino abbiamo scoperto che la regola dice che il calciatore va sostituito con la riserva che ha il voto peggiore.
Nel mio caso avevo schierato un 3-3-3, il sostituo andava scelto tra difesa e centrocampo (non potendo chiaramente schierare 4 attaccanti). Avendo già effettuato tutti i cambi a centrocampo, il sostituto che entra a formare l'11 e' Cordoba con voto 6.

Questa è la regola, sulla destra troverete i risultati:

Federazione Ufficiale Fantacalcio
REGOLA 10: LA FORMAZIONE

"Se una squadra schiera meno di 11 titolari ma la scelta sulla riserva da promuovere titolare può ricadere su più reparti, verrà preferita qu! ella che ha ottenuto il peggiore totale calciatore" (l'unica mia riserva disponibile è Cordoba, con voto 6)


il presidente

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MOTO GP QATAR 2008: GREAT START FOR SPANISH RIDERS

REAL MADRID 3 - VILLAREAL 2 - ROUND 21/ 2008 - VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

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REAL MADRID: FRANCK RIBERY´S 1ºST OPTION & RAUL´S SUPER OFFER.

CRISTIANO RONALDO BECOMES THE FOOTBALL WORLD RECORD TRANSFER ( 94M)

ATLETICO DE MADRID PRESENTS OFFICIALLY SERGIO ASENJO

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009-2010 - ROUND 1 RESULTS

Calderón: Barça's Man Utd Draw Shows Spanish League Is Strong

Paulo Assunção Leaves Porto

Ronaldo's Girlfriend To Prevent Madrid Move?

Top Twenty Transfers Of The Summer (Aug 25)

Madrid Seek Defensive Depth - Report

Aguirre Defends Agüero Substitute Role

Real Madrid To Hook Portsmouth's Diarra?

Jimenez Pleased With Sevilla's Win Over Numancia

Sporting Gijon Take 0-0 Draw From Athletic Bilbao

Valencia reveal stadium halt

Hughes - No new Villa interest

Wimbledon selling Centre Court seats

Van Bommel claims misquote

Boro linked with Gomez

Sevilla on Huseklepp trail

Barca tracking Suarez

Juande Ramos on Real Madrid

Juande Ramos on Real Madrid

Tottenham linked with Barcelona star

The 26-year-old has disappointed at the Camp Nou since moving from Valencia for 14 million Euros's in the summer of 2000, and he will be off on a Bosman free transfer as his contract expires next month.

It looks as though Gerard could end up in England with Spurs as close sources in Spain suggest Tottenham are about to enter the chase along with Monaco and another unamed Spanish club.

A number of Spanish players have made the move to England in the past couple of seasons, and with Spurs tipped to challenge for a Champions League place next season, Gerard could well be tempted to the Premiership.

Why oh why are we going after more central midfielders? We have the most central midfielders in the Premiership.

I believe that Mendes is a better player than Gerard, and I would be deeply dissapointed if Mendes left the club.

Another Defensive Midfielder Linked

By ManicSpur

For THBN

24-year-old Ghanaian Captain Stephen Appiah has apparently told BBC Sport that he will leave Italian giants Juventus and move to a Premiership club.

Appiah said: "I hear Tottenham are the latest side to be interested in me and playing in London would be great but let's wait and see."

Another day and yet another player has been linked with us. The BBC holds some credibility and so I do believe that Appiah actually said the above.

But do we need another central defensive midfielder? We were crying out for one a few season ago, but now, we have more than enough players to fill that position. Sean Davis, Michael Carrick, Pedro Mendes and even Tom Huddlestone can play in the defensive midfield role quite comfortably.

What we don't have is an attacking midfielder. Not just a player with! flair and panache, but a box-to-box player that can score at least around 8 goals a season in open play from midfield. I know some of you think Tainio is that player, but he isn't. This, you will see in the coming months.

Are there any box-to-box players out there that would be interested in coming to Spurs? We have had many of you comment on who we should buy. I would love us to go in for Dortmund's attacking midfield maestro Tomasz Rosicky. With Dortmund bankrupt, a cheap transfer could be on the cards.

Other news doing the rounds is that Manchester City's manager Stuart Pearce now has the cash available to make a bid for Fredi Kanoute. With Shaun Wright-Philips off to Chelsea in a £21 million move, Pearce will have around £10 million made available to him.

If this story does hold some substance and Kanoute does leave, then we can almost definitely expect another striker to be joining us.

My personal opinion is that we do not! need anymore strikers. Jol should give Mouney (Mounir el Hamd! aoui) a chance to see what he can do.

If Keane doesn't sign a contract, then expect him to go also.

If we hear of anymore rumours doing the rounds, we'll let you know.

COYS!!!

Article by Chris Rowning

I, along with a numerous amount of away Spurs fans watched the debacle at the Riverside.

"What's Ramos doing?" shouted a gentleman called Tom who sat behind me.

"I can't believe that we're playing this rubbish?", screamed another.

To be honest, yesterdays performance was anything but what any of us had come to expect.

Pre-season always takes our hopes to levels that are just not comparable with Premier League standards.

I read reports and also witnessed our captain, Ledley King, on Spurs TV state, that "this squad of players is capable of Champions League qualification".

Oh I wish these players didn't say such things! Don't they realise that talk like that only propels expectation? Expectation that they cannot achieve just yet?!

I honestly expect us to finish 6th and I have done even before our first defeat of the season, as have many other fans, according! to what was discussed between us at Boro yesterday.

If anyone has dreams of us finishing in 4th, then I hope you don't get too disillusioned when we don't.

Tottenham Hotspur is a work in progress. For us to even contemplate finishing fourth, we'll need a good two seasons at least of hard work and a few more quality signings over that period.

Ramos & co are not magicians. The clubs' management realise what needs to be done and they are making the changes needed. These changes won't happen over night though.

I couldn't believe it when I read some of the comments on THBN. Comments like;

-"Relegation form since the cup win"

-"Sack Ramos now"

And so the comments went on and on.

What we all need to do is calm down.

If we keep changing managers, what does that actually achieve? Absolutely nothing!

The new foreign players need time to adjust to the pace of the leag! ue. And by the look of things, so does the entire team.
!
I am sure Ramos & co have seen the need of a better defensive midfield player and a better centre-back than Dawson. Unfortunately, these players don't grow on trees!

All of us need to settle down a notch and get behind the team, your team, your Tottenham Hotspur!

COYS!!!

End of season woes as Spurs win again

As I watched today's game against City from a pub in sunny Cyprus, I was pretty sure that our players were on holiday to.

Defoe opened the scoring with a cheeky back-heeled half-volley, but other than that, we were entirely flat. Tottenham's timing was all over the place. Mislaid passes, no concentration, and whoever is impersonating Robbie Keane should be shot; for Keane was on the pitch, but I assure you, only in body. His spirit is laying on a beach somewhere not too far from me, although his Romario/Bebeto goal-scoring celebration brought some laughs out of two gooner scum sitting in the corner.

We did have some excitement put our way when Defoe thrashed out at the linesman; knocking him to the ground. Whether Jermain thought the linesman was a City player is anyone's guess?

City came out with all their guns blazing in the second half, only for ex-England international turned Mohichan, Richards, to tumble over Ma! nchester United loanee, Campbell in the box, which in turn led to the Keane impersonator scoring from the spot.

Final score: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Manchester City.

A few Geordies where in the other corner, swearing and hitting their heads against the oak-finished wall. "Newcastle will go down", they bellowed. You heart has to go out to them, or not.

Milan Bajak D'Agostino?

MILAN - Juventus dipastikan gagal menggaet gelandang Udinese Gaetano D'Agostino. Mendengar berita tersebut manajemen AC Milan langsung bereaksi. Ya, seperti dilaporkan Channel4, Sabtu (27/6/2009) Rossoneri mengambil kesempatan dalam kesempitan.
Mereka yang tadinya tidak sedikitpun tertarik kepada D'Agostino, kini malah berbalik mengejarnya. Milan mengingginkan jasa mantan punggawa AS Roma tersebut untuk menggantikan Ricardo Kaka yang hijrah ke Real Madrid. Nantinya, dia akan diduetkan dengan ! playmaker elegan Andrea Pirlo di lini tengah.
Juve sendiri mundur dari peburuan D'Agostino karena tidak menyanggupi tuntutan kompensasi transfer. Diketahui Udinese meminta uang tunai sejumlah 16 juta euro plus status kepemilikan bersama Sebastian Giovinco atau Claudio Marchisio. Sudah lepas tangan, Bianconeri pun mengarahkan sasaran tembaknya ke beberapa pemain. Diantaranya adalah Mahamadou Diarra dari Real Madrid dan Cristian Ledesma dari Lazio.

Diet Khusus untuk Dinho

MILAN - Sepeninggal Kaka, Ronaldinho akan jadi andalan AC Milan dan sebagai andalan yang ideal, Dinho pun tentu mesti bugar. Untuk itulah dia dikabarkan harus menjalani diet khusus. Masalah bobot tubuh menjadi pekerjaan rumah buat Dinho.
Dia disebut Il Corriere Dello Sport harus menurunkan sampai empat kilogram untuk mencapai berat badan ideal, sebelum kompetisi dimulai bulan Agustus mendatang. Saat liburan musim panas pemain asal Brasil itu konon sudah menambah beberapa kilogram ke berat badannya.
Padahal musim la! lu pun banyak kalangan yang menilai dia masih kegemukan. Saat ini Dinho sudah kembali ke Milanello untuk menjalani sesi latihan pra-musim. Untuk mengembalikan si pemain ke berat badan ideal, pelatih Milan Leonardo dan pelatih fisik Daniele Tognaccini pun membuatkan program latihan spesial untuknya.
"Sepanjang pra-musim ini Ronaldinho sedang bekerja keras," beber Tognaccini kepada Sky Sport Italia yang dikutip Goal. "Dia sedang melakukan latihan spesifik yang berhubungan dengan kondisi fisiknya. Saya pikir bermain dengan bola lebih bisa memberinya stimulasi," lanjut dia.

Bendtner Dalam Bidikan Milan

MILAN - Arsenal kembali terancam kehilangan seorang striker. Bomber muda asal Denmark Nicklas Bendtner kabarnya tengah menjadi incaran raksasa Italia AC Milan.
Benarkah? Setelah gagal memboyong Luis Fabiano dari Sevilla, Milan kini siap mengincar pemain lain yang bisa mempertajam lini depan. Nama Bendtner disinyalir masuk dalam daftar teratas incaran Rossoneri. Sejumlah media Italia seperti Tuttosport serta Channel 4 bahkan berspekulasi jika kubu Milan bakal memberikan dua opsi kepada The Gunn! ers.
Pertama, memboyong Bendtner ke San Siro sebagai pemain pinjaman selama satu musim, seperti juga bek asal Swiss Philippe Senderos, musim lalu. Namun, jika opsi itu ditolak, Milan kabarnya bakal menawarkan sekira 10 juta poundsterling agar pelatih Arsene Wenger bersedia melepas striker 21 tahun itu.
Wenger baru saja kehilangan bomber andalannya Emmanuel Adebayor yang memutuskan hijrah ke Manchester City. Sangat diragukan jika pelatih asal Prancis itu rela melepas Bendtner yang memiliki potensi besar di Emirates.
Kendati demikian, sudah menjadi rahasia umum bahwa peringkat empat Premier League itu tengah mengalami kesulitan finansial. Penjualan Bendtner ke kubu Il Diavolo diharapkan mampu mengurangi beban itu. Jadi, akankah Wenger melepas salah satu bintang mudanya itu?

Luis Fabiano: Saya Peduli Sevilla, Bukan Milan

MILAN - Striker Sevilla Luis Fabiano menegaskan ia ingin fokus bersama tim asal Spanyol selatan, setelah negosiasi kepindahannya ke AC Milan terhenti di tengah jalan. Milan sempat dikabarkan akan menjadi klub baru pemain internasional Brasil itu.
Itu ditandai dengan upaya keras kubu Rossoneri melobi Sevilla agar mau melepas Fabiano. Tetapi sayang, sampai saat ini, negosiasi itu tidak pernah menemukan kata sepakat. Milan yang merasa tak mungkin menggapai Luis Fabiano, akhirnya berpaling dan mendatangkan striker asal Belanda Klaas-Jan Huntelaar dari Real Madrid.
Kep! astian itulah yang membuat Luis Fabiano semakin menebalkan tekadnya untuk menggapai prestasi lebih tinggi lagi bersama Sevilla. "Saya tidak berpikir Milan. Mereka memang memberikan tawaran, tetapi saya tidak menanggapinya karena saya selalu berpikir tentang Sevilla," ujar Fabiano kepada GOAL.com Spanyol.
"Dan sekarang saya benar-benar konsentrasi agar berada dalam kondisi prima saat memulai kompetisi nanti." Fabiano juga mengaku syok dengan meninggalnya kapten Espanyol Daniel Jarque, yang terkena serangan jantung pada usia 27 tahun.
"Kami sangat sedih, sebab ia sama seperti kami sehingga kami harus selalu mengingatnya. Kami juga harus waspada karena pemain muda juga bisa meninggal," tandas Fabiano.

Leonardo: Inter Kuat, tapi Tidak Bagus

MILAN - Pelatih AC Milan, Leonardo menilai Inter Milan adalah tim yang kuat secara fisik namun tidak punya permainan bagus. Itu memungkinkan Inter meraih kemenangan, walau bermain jelek. Menurutnya, itu adalah sesuatu yang sulit dilakukan oleh Milan.
"Milan selalu mendasarkan sukses mereka kepada talenta, sementara Inter mendominasi Serie-A dalam beberapa tahun terakhir dengan kekuatan fisik belaka dan itu berarti, tak perlu memainkan sepak bola yang bagus," paparnya. Itu kenapa secara tradisional, 'I Rossoneri' berbuat lebih baik di Erop! a, di mana tim-tim lebih terbuka.
Apa yang harus kami pelajari adalah bagaimana meraih kemenangan sekalipun bermain jelek," lanjutnya. Leonardo yakin, anak-anak didiknya bisa mengatasi permainan keras Inter dan meraih kemenangan dalam "Derby della Madonnina".
Satu-satunya hal yang dikhawatirkan Leonardo adalah perubahan taktik tiba-tiba yang biasa dilakukan pelatih Inter, Jose Mourinho. Apalagi, Inter kini memiliki banyak amunisi baru. "Derbi kali ini terlalu cepat terjadi. Namun, level konsentrasi kami tak akan berubah," tegasnya.
"Hal yang paling mengkhawatirkanku adalah sistem karena Jose Mourinho sering melakukan pergantian selama pertandingan dan memiliki banyak pilihan. Mereka adalah tim yang sulit diduga," tambahnya.

Tassotti: Milan Belum Bangkit

MARSEILLE — Asisten Pelatih AC Milan Mauro Tassotti mengaku puas dengan kemenangan 2-1 atas Olympique Marseille dalam babak penyisihan grup Liga Champions, di Stadion Velodrome, Selasa (15/9) atau Rabu dini hari WIB.
Namun, menurutnya, terlalu dini untuk mengatakan Milan telah bangkit. Performa Milan di Serie A memang naik turun. Mengawal musim dengan kemenangan 2-1 atas AC Siena, mereka menyerah 0-4 dari Inter Milan. Di pekan berikutnya, mereka ditahan imbang Livorno ! 0-0.
Rentetan hasil itu membuat Milan diragukan bisa sukses di Liga Champions. Namun, faktanya, mereka bisa mengawali kampanye mereka di Eropa dengan kemenangan 2-1 di kandang Marseille. "Kami sangat gembira malam ini, terutama karena di babak pertama, kami bermain sangat baik.
Tidaklah mudah untuk bermain di lapangan seperti ini dan kami kalah oleh lawan dalam soal peluang (gol)," paparnya. "Apakah ini titik balik? Tentunya bukan. Kami harus memiliki serangkaian kemenangan (untuk disebut bangkit) untuk menemukan kepercayaan diri dan moral merupakan syarat untuk mengubah musim kami," lanjutnya.
Melihat statistik, harus diakui bahwa performa Milan memang belum memuaskan. Satu-satunya perbedaan adalah sempurnanya eksekusi akhir yang sempurna. Sepanjang 90 menit melawan Marseille, mereka hanya membuat tiga tembakan tepat ke gawang dari tujuh usaha. Bandingkan dengan tuan rumah yang mampu melepaskan empat tembakan akurat dari 21 percobaan.

sumber : kompas.com

Gol Pacu Motivasi Ronaldinho

MILAN - Ronaldinho mencetak gol pertamanya musim ini setelah menyelamatkan AC Milan dari kekalahan melawan Atalanta Bergamo, Minggu (4/10/2009). Gol itu diakui Dinho sebagai pelecut semangat demi memperbaiki performa Rossoneri yang belum juga membaik.
Milan belum berhasil menuai kemenangan setelah meraih hasil mengecewakan dalam empat laga terakhir. Kemarahan Milanisti atas performa negatif tim kesayangan mereka belum cukup membuat skuad asuhan Leonardo merebut angka sempurna di stadion Atleti! Azzurri d'Italia.
Menghadapi Atalanta yang kehilangan Ivan Radovanovic di babak pertama, Rossoneri tidak mampu memaksimalkan keuntungan jumlah pemain. Tertiniggal 1-0 berkat gol striker Simone Tribocchi (21'), Milan baru berhasil menyamakan kedudukan di penghujung laga melalui tendangan voli Dinho (84').
Il Diavolo jelas belum keluar dari lubang jarum. Namun, Dinho masih optimistis dengan peluang timnya musim ini. Playmaker asal Brasil itu mengimbau rekan-rekan setimnya agar memanfaatkan libur dua pekan (kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2010) untuk memperbaiki kinerja tim. "Sebagai tim, sulit merasa gembira ketika terus gagal meraih kemenangan," cetus mantan punggawa Barcelona itu sebagaimana dikutip Datasport, Senin (5/10/2009).
"Kini kami memiliki banyak waktu untuk memperbaiki kinerja. Libur ini tiba setelah kami melakoni sejumlah pertandingan sulit. Kini, kami bisa fokus untuk kembali ke performa terbaik," lanjut Dinho.
"Saya gembira dengan gol pertama saya ! musim ini. Gol itu memberi saya kepercayaan diri di masa menda! tang. Ki ni, saya harus mempertahankan performa demi hasil yang lebih baik," tandas mantan pemain terbaik dunia itu.
Lanjutan Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2010 pada 10 dan 14 Oktober memberikan kesempatan bagi Milan untuk mengevaluasi performa serta mencari solusi atas rangkaian hasil buruk ini. Namun, tugas berat sudah menanti Dinho dkk saat kompetisi Serie A kembali bergulir. Rossoneri bakal menjamu AS Roma yang mulai bangkit dari keterpurukan, 18 Oktober 2009.

sumber :okezone .com

INSUA JOY AT MARADONA CALL

The Reds full-back has been named in his country's squad ahead of qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay and now hopes to make a good impression on what is his first ever call-up at senior level.

"It is very special," Insua told Liverpoolfc.tv following the 6-1 hammering of Hull. "Argentina are fighting for their place in the World Cup and I want to help my country get there. I am very happy.

"Everyone knows how good Maradona was as a player, so it will be fantastic for me to play under him as a coach. I hope we can make it to South Africa and would love to play my part."

Insua capped news of his call-up by producing another superb display against Hull as Fernando Torres inspired the Reds to victory.

The Spaniard has been in irrepressible form of late and Insua admits he has run out of superlatives to describe the forward's goalscoring exploits.

"He is one of the best strikers in the world," he said. "It is i! ncredible to play with him. He is a great player but he is also a great person too. I enjoy playing alongside him - I wouldn't want to play against him."

He added: "In the first-half it was more difficult for us because they (Hull) tried to press high. It was easier in the second-half, we played more freely and scored a lot of goals."

The Bigfour Borong Tiga Poin Penuh

The Bigfour pada pekan ke enam kompak untuk meraih 3 poin penuh. Masing-masing tim mencetak 3 sampai 4 gol.

Arsenal mencoba melupakan kekalahan beruntun mereka atas duo Manchester selama 2 pekan berturut-turut dengan melibas habis Wigan Atletic 4-0 tanpa ampun. Malam itu, Vermalen yang dibeli dari Ajax menjadi bintang dengan menjaringkan 2 gol ke gawang Wigan. Gol lain disumbangkan oleh Eduardo dan kapten mereka, Cesc Fabregas. Squad muda Wenger mulai menunjukan eksistensi dan keserius! an mereka di musim ini walaupun sempat diragukan akan terdepak dari The Big Four setelah Manchester City menggila dalam bursa transfer musim panas kemarin. Dalam 5 pertandingan saja, meriam-meriam muda ini sudah menghajar gawang lawan sebanyak 17 gol.


Chelsea berhasil melanjutkan rekor kemenangan beruntun mereka selama 6 pertandingan berutut-turut setelah mengalahkan rekan se London mereka, Tottenham Hotspur di Stamford Bridge. Ternyata kedatangan Carlo Ancelotti membawa banyak hal positif untuk peningkatan stamina dan mental para! pejuang The Blues. Hal ini terlihat dari rekor belum terkalah! kan mere ka sejak dipegang pelatih asal Italia ini. Dalam laga kontra Tottenham, Chelsea bahkan berhasil mempermalukan Carlo Cudicini sebanyak 3 kali lewat Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack dan Didier Drogba. Dari enal laga premier league, Chelsea sudah membobol gawang lawan sebanyak 15 kali dan baru kebobolan 3 gol. Tim milik milyuner Russia, Abrahamovic ini pun menjadi tim satu-satunya yang belum terkalahkan sampai pekan ke-enam. Apakah rekor tersebut akan terus berlanjut dan tim manakah yang dapat mematahkan rekor tersebut?

Manchester United akhirnya berhasil membungkam kakak kandungnya, Manchester City yang musim ini berbelanja banyak bintang demi mambisi mereka membombardir The Big Four. Manchester City yang datang ke Old Trafford tanpa sejumlah bintang seperti Emmanuel Adebayor yang mendapat hukuman dari FA akibat perbuatannya saat kontra Arsenal, Roque Santa Cruz yang masih cedera. Namun tim asuhan Mark Hughes sempat merepotkan United dengan membalas setiap gol yang disarangkan squad asuhan Sir Alex Ferguson tersebut. Perjuangan mereka pun terhenti setelah di detik-detik akhir Michael Owen membuktikan kapasitasnya sebagai striker dengan mencetak gol kemenangan. Skor berkahir dengan 4-3. Wayne Rooney berhasil menyumbangkan 1 gol, sedangkan Darrent Fletcher berhasil membobol gawang Citizen dua kali. Gol balasan datang dari Gareth Barry dan dua gol Craig Bellamy. Kemenangan ini tentunya sangat penting untuk membangkitkan semangat The Red Devil dan juga mematahkan kemenang! an beruntun The Citizen.

Tim asuhan Rafa Benitez, L! iverpool pun tidak mau kalah dibandingkan 3 tim lainnya dengan menang atas West Ham United 3-2. Meskipun menang, Steven Gerard cs harus berjuang habis-habisan menghadapi tim asuhan Zola tersebut. Gol Liverpool sendiri berhasil diciptakan oleh striker haus gol mereka, Fernando Torres sebanyak 2 gol dan Dirk Kuyt. Gol balasan West Ham datang dari pemain asal Italia, Diaminati lewat titik putih dan oleh striker asal Inggris, Charlton Cole. Kemenangan ini tentunya sangat berarti buat tim yang bermarkas di Anfield tersebut sebab 2 kekalahan merek! a diawal sempat merusak semangat mereka. Dan beberapa pilar mereka seperti Skertl dan Mascherano pun telah sembuh dari cedera. Pada pekan keenam, The Reds bercokol di peringkat 3 dibawah Chelsea dan Manchester United.

LA FIORENTINA ESCE INDENNE DA GLASGOW

Finisce 0-0 la partita tra Rangers e Glasgow,clamoroso 1-1 tra Bayern Monaco e Zenit.

AUSTRIA-POLONIA, PAREGGIO FRIZZANTE

(ANSA) - VIENNA, 12 GIU - L'Austria pareggia 1-1 con la Polonia nella seconda giornata del Gruppo B di Euro 2008. A segno Guerreiro (30') e Vastic (rig. 92'). Gli austriaci sciupano almeno due buone occasioni da gol e al 30' arriva la rete polacca: Guerreiro sfrutta un rimpallo e la mette dentro a porta vuota. Nel secondo tempo l'Austria non sembra riuscire a reagire ed il pareggio arriva solo con un rigore concesso al 92' per una spinta in area: lo realizza Vastic

TREZEGUET,VOGLIA DI CATALOGNA

La Juve che sorride ha la faccia di Amauri, quella pensierosa ha i tratti David Trezeguet. L'arrivo del brasiliano, subito convincente, ha messo in disparte il francese. Nella sfida con il Brondby, Ranieri ha schierato dall'inizio la coppia Amauri-Iaquinta, dando spazio solo nella ripresa a Trezegol. Che ora potrebbe davvero farsi attrarre dalla sirene del Barcellona. Un suo cenno di assenso darebbe il via alle trattative.

Certo bisogna chiarire subito una cosa: il club bianconero non ha mai messo sul mercato Trezeguet e nemmeno ci ha mai pensato. Dal canto suo l'attaccante transalpino h! a ribadito a gran voce di voler restare a Torino per tornare a vincere con una squadra a cui è legato da otto ani.
C'è un però. Perché David non ha nessuna intenzione di cominciare a frequentare la panchina e i primi segnali non sono davvero incoraggianti per lui, con l'arrivo di un Amauri che ha subito conquistato allenatore, compagni e tifosi.
E allora se Trezegol dovesse capire di essere "di troppo", potrebbe davvero rispondere alla chiamata del Barça. Che è sempre alla ricerca di un attaccante di livello, ma finora non è riuscito a chiudere nessun colpo.
In Spagna sono convinti che al momento opportuno Begiristain presenterà l'offerta giusta: venti milioni di euro. A quel punto toccherà a Trezeguet decidere. Se la sua risposta dovesse essere "ok", la Juve non potrebbe andare contro la volontà del giocatore e sarebbe in un certo senso costretta a cederlo.
Insomma, quel gesto inquivocabile fatto dal campo due anni fa e diretto alla dirigenza bianconera! alla fine del campionato di serie B, potrebbe essere ripetuto! ...

RONALDINHO DI BRONZO

Ancora ferito dopo la bruciante lezione subita dall'Argentina, il Brasile del calcio si consola con la medaglia di bronzo. La Seleçao ha battuto il Belgio nella "finalina" con il punteggio di 3-0. Le reti sono state segnate da Diego al 27' e da Jo, autore di una doppietta al 44' e al 91'. Ronaldinho è stato protagonista di una buona prova, mentre Pato non è stato utilizzato nemmeno per un minuto dal c.t. Dunga.


La 'scoppola' rimediata in semifinale contro l'Argentina ha lasciato un segno profondo tra i verdeoro, che contro il Belgio ('giustiziere' dell'Italia nei quarti di finale) scendono in campo con altro piglio, aggiudicandosi la sfida che va! le il terzo posto olimpico senza grosse difficoltà.

Lo stesso Ronaldinho è decisamente più brillante e più mobile rispetto al match contro Messi e compagni. Il neo milanista si fa vedere soprattutto nella ripresa, quando il risultato è già al sicuro grazie alle reti di Diego e di Jo, che poi concede il bis nel finale. Un bronzo che è soltanto una magra consolazione per una Nazionale arrivata a Pechino per conquistare l'oro. Sabato è in programma la finalissima fra l'Argentina e la Nigeria.

SARANNO VISIBILI DURANTE IL CORSO DELLA GIORNATA LE SINTESI DELLE 2 FINALI.

HLTS 6^GIORNATA

Cagliari-Milan


Juventus-Palermo


Siena-Roma


Chievo-Fiorentina


Atalanta-Sampdoria


Genoa-Napoli


Reggina-Catania


Udinese-Torino

ECCO LE PROBABILI FORMAZIONI DELLA 13^GIORNATA

Fiorentina-Udinese sabato ore 18.00Fiorentina (4-3-3): Frey; Comotto, Gamberini, Dainelli, Vargas; Kuzmanovic, Felipe Melo, Montolivo; Semioli, Gilardino, Mutu. A disposizione: Storari, Zauri, Gobbi, Donadel, Santana, Da Costa, Pazzini. All. Prandelli Indisponibili: Jorgensen, Jovetic, KroldrupUdinese (4-3-3): Handanovic; Ferronetti, Coda, Domizzi, Lukovic; Inler, D'Agostino, Isla; Pepe, Floro Flores, Di Natale. A disposizione: Belardi, Sala, Motta, Felipe, Pasquale, Sanchez, Quagliarella. All. Marino Indisponibili: Tissone, Zapata, Asamoah
LE ULTIME Prandelli recupera Kuzmanovic, ma! perde Jovetic, tornato con una botta al polpaccio dal match con la nazionale del Montenegro. Sempre dubbio tra Santana e Semioli per il ruolo di terzo attaccante insieme a Gilardino e Mutu. Marino ritrova Di Natale, cerca di recuperare Quagliarella almeno per la panchina, dove si dovrebbe finalmente sedere anche l'ex-lungodegente Felipe. Sempre fuori, invece, Zapata.Inter-Juventus sabato ore 20.30Inter (4-1-4-1): Julio Cesar; Zanetti, Burdisso, Samuel, Maxwell; Cambiasso; Maicon, Vieira, Muntari, Balotelli; Ibrahimovic. A disposizione: Toldo, Materazzi, Stankovic, Figo, Quaresma, Cruz, Adriano. All. MourinhoIndisponibili: Chivu, Rivas, Cordoba (squalificato, 1)Juventus (4-4-2): Manninger; Grygera, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Sissoko, Tiago, Nedved; Amauri, Del Piero. A disposizione: Chimenti, Mellberg, De Ceglie, Marchisio, Marchionni, Giovinco, Iaquinta. All. RanieriIndisponibili: Andrade, Zanetti, Zebina, Trezeguet, Buffon, Salihamidzic, Knezevic, Poul! sen
LE ULTIME Tiago è il vero dubbio di Ranieri: se il po! rtoghese va in campo, Camoranesi e Nedved regolarmente sulle rispettive fasce. Se rimane fuori, inserimento di Marchionni a sinistra con Nedved spostato al centro. Nell'Inter, Mourinho potrebbe affidarsi al 4-1-4-1 con Ibra unica punta e Balotelli schierato come esterno sinistro. Zanetti potrebbe essere schierato terzino sinistro con Maicon davanti. Bologna-Palermo domenica ore 15Bologna (4-4-1-1): Antonioli; Zenoni, Terzi, Moras, Lanna; Marchini, Volpi, Mudingayi, Cesar; Bombardini; Di Vaio. A disposizione: Colombo, Castellini, Coelho, Valiani, Mingazzini, Marazzina, Bernacci. All. MihajlovicIndisponibili: LavecchiaPalermo (4-3-1-2): Amelia; Cassani, Carrozzieri, Kjaer, Capuano; Nocerino, Liverani, Bresciano; Simplicio; Miccoli, Cavani. A disposizione: Fontana, Dellafiore, Migliaccio, Guana, Ciaramitaro, Lanzafame, Budan. All. BallardiniIndisponibili: Raggi, Bovo (squalificato, 1), Balzaretti (squalificato, 1)
LE ULTIME Terzi recupera dall'influenza e torna a disposizione di M! ihajlovic. Immediato l'inserimento di Cesar a sinistra, con Bombardini che verrà riproposto dopo molto tempo come trequartista alle spalle di Di Vaio. Nocerino si è visto ridurre la squalifica e Ballardini potrà dunque riproporlo: Migliaccio in panchina. Chievo-Siena domenica ore 15Chievo (4-4-2): Sorrentino; Frey, Mandelli, Yepes, Mantovani; Luciano, Italiano, Bentivoglio, Marcolini; Esposito, Pellissier. A disposizione: Squizzi, Malagò, Cesar, Pinzi, Langella, Iunco, Bogdani. All. Di Carlo Indisponibili: KerlonSiena (4-3-1-2): Curci; Rossettini, Moti, Portanova, Del Grosso; Vergassola, Codrea, Galloppa; Kharja; Ghezzal, Maccarone. A disposizione: Manitta, A. Rossi, Zuniga, Jarolim, M. Coppola, Frick, Calaiò. All. Giampaolo Indisponibili: Ficagna, Eleftheropoulos, Del PreteLE ULTIME Di Carlo sta valutando un cambio di modulo, un Chievo schierato col 4-4-2 che preveda Luciano e Marcolini sulle fasce (o Esposito), Italiano e Bentivoglio come centrali (oppure Marcolini se sli! tta al centro), davanti Bogdani con Pellissier. A rimetterci i! n tutto questo 'scivolamento' sarebbe Bentivoglio che finirebbe così in panchina. Giampaolo pronto a inserire Moti al centro della difesa con conseguente spostamento di Rossettini a destra. Conferme in centrocampo e in attacco.Lazio-Genoa domenica ore 15Lazio (4-3-3): Carrizo; Lichtsteiner, Cribari, Rozehnal, Kolarov; Mauri, Dabo, Brocchi; Foggia, Rocchi, Zarate. A disposizione: Muslera, De Silvestri, Siviglia, Manfredini, Meghni, Pandev, S. Inzaghi. All. D. Rossi Indisponibili: Firmani, Matuzalem, Ledesma (squalificato, 1), Radu (squalificato, 1)Genoa (3-4-3): Rubinho; Papastathopoulos, Ferrari, Criscito; Mesto, Thiago Motta, Juric, Rossi; Sculli, Milito, Palladino. A disposizione: Scarpi, Biava, Potenza, Vanden Borre, Gasbarroni, Jankovic, Olivera. All. Gasperini.Indisponibili: Paro, Milanetto, ModestoLE ULTIME Pandev è un po' appannato e Delio Rossi medita di concedergli un turno di riposo schierando Foggia nel tridente con Rocchi e Zarate. Cribari favorito su Siviglia al centro ! della difesa. Gasperini ritrova Mesto e ripropone il tridente Sculli-Milito-Palladino.Lecce-Roma domenica ore 15
Lecce (4-4-2): Benussi; Polenghi, Stendardo, Fabiano, Antunes; Munari, Giacomazzi, Zanchetta, Ariatti; Cacìa, Tiribocchi. A disposizione: Rosati; Diamoutene, Esposito, Ardito, Caserta, Konan, Castillo. All. BerettaIndisponibili: Petrachi, Angelo, MihoubiRoma (4-1-3-2): Doni; Cassetti, Mexes, Juan, Tonetto; De Rossi; Baptista, Brighi, Pizarro; Vucinic, Totti. A disposizione: Artur, Loria, Riise, Cicinho, Aquilani, Menez, Taddei. All. SpallettiIndisponibili: Panucci, Perrotta (squalificato, 1)
LE ULTIME Beretta, nell'amichevole di Nardò, ha provato un centrocampo a 4 con Caserta a sinistra e Ariatti a destra. Ma alla fine potrebbe giocare Munari a destra e Ariatti a sinistra. Ballottaggio Cacia-Castillo. In casa Roma, tengono banco i problemi ai tendini di Christian Panucci che salta la trasferta. Possibile l'inserimento di Taddei con Baptista spostato ne! l ruolo di punta vicino a Totti al posto di Vucinic.Napoli-Cag! liari do menica ore 15
Napoli (3-5-2): Iezzo; Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini; Maggio, Gargano, Hamsik, Blasi, Mannini; Denis, Lavezzi. A disposizione: Navarro, Aronica, Vitale, Pazienza, Bogliacino, Russotto, Pià. All. Reja Indisponibili: Zalayeta (squalificato, 1)Cagliari (4-3-1-2): Marchetti; Matheu, Lopez, Bianco, Agostini; Fini, Conti, Biondini; Cossu; Jeda, Larrivey. A disposizione: Lupatelli, Astori, Ferri, Lazzari, Acquafresca, Parola, Matri. All. Allegri Indisponibili: Canini, F. Pisano
LE ULTIME Nel Napoli novità... in panchina, dove si dovrebbero risedere Pazienza e Bogliacino. Ancora dubbi per Acquafresca, frenato da problemi muscolari. L'attaccante ha ripreso a correre, ma sulla sua presenza in campo regna la massima incertezza. In caso il forfait del bomber venga confermato, spazio a Larrivey con Jeda. In difesa rientra Bianco.Reggina-Atalanta domenica ore 15
Reggina (4-4-2): Campagnolo; Cirillo, Valdez, Santos, Alvarez; Barreto, Carmona, Barillà, Costa; C! ozza, Brienza. A disposizione: Marino, Cosenza, Hallfredsson, Tognozzi, Di Gennaro, Rakic, Corradi. All. Orlandi Indisponibili: Puggioni, Vigiani, Giosa, Lanzaro, CascioneAtalanta (4-4-1-1): F. Coppola; Garics, Talamonti, Manfredini, Bellini; Ferreira Pinto, Guarente, De Ascentis, Padoin; Doni; Floccari. A disposizione: Consigli, Capelli, Rivalta, Cerci, Valdes, Marconi, Vieri. All. Delneri Indisponibili: Cigarini, A. D'Agostino, Costinha
LE ULTIME Il dubbio di Nevio Orlandi si chiama sempre Vigiani: corsa contro il tempo per recuperare il centrocampista, per sostituirlo è pronto Alvarez con Costa alzato sulla linea dei centrocampisti. Conferma per la coppia dei "non-attaccanti" Brienza e Cozza. Nell'Atalanta Vieri ritorna in panchina a causa del rientro di Guarente a centrocampo: Del Neri torna dunque al 4-4-1-1.Sampdoria-Catania domenica ore 15
Sampdoria (3-5-2): Castellazzi; Campagnaro, Gastaldello, Accardi; Stankevicius, Delvecchio, Dessena, Franceschini, Pier! i; Cassano, Bellucci. A disposizione: Mirante, Lucchini, Ziegl! er, Stan kevicius, Bonanni, Fornaroli, Bonazzoli. All. Mazzarri Indisponibili: Palombo, Padalino, Sammarco (squalificato, 1)Catania (4-3-3): Bizzarri; Sardo, Silvestre, Stovini, Llama; Carboni, Biagianti, P. Ledesma; Mascara, Paolucci, Izco. A disposizione: Kosicky, Silvestri, Terlizzi, Morimoto, Tedesco, Baiocco, Plasmati. All. Zenga Indisponibili: Martinez
LE ULTIME Padalino sta recuperando, ma Mazzarri tende a non volerlo rischiare: a destra Stankevicius, Dessena al posto dello squalificato Sammarco. "Solito" tourbillon di Zenga nel Catania: a sinistra, in difesa, si candida Llama. A centrocampo Carboni con Ledesma e Biagianti. Davanti, Izco in vantaggio su Morimoto.Torino-Milan domenica ore 20.30
Torino (4-4-2): Sereni; Diana, Natali, Pratali, Pisano; Colombo, Dzemaili, Barone, Rubin; Stellone, Amoruso. A disposizione: Calderoni, Rosina, Ogbonna, Zanetti, Saumel, Abbruscato, Bianchi. All.: De BiasiIndisponibili: Malonga, Abate, Corini, Di Loreto (squalificato, 1)Milan (! 4-3-2-1): Abbiati; Zambrotta, Bonera, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Flamini, Gattuso, Seedorf; Kakà, Ronaldinho; Pato. A disposizione: Dida; Favalli, Maldini, Pirlo, Emerson, F.Inzaghi, Shevchenko. All.: Ancelotti.Indisponibili: Nesta, BorrielloLE ULTIME Ancelotti ritrova Pirlo, ma il regista rossonero comincerà dalla panchina, pronto a entrare nella ripresa. Tra le riserve si rivede anche Maldini. Ma il nodo è su Kakà: se il tecnico decide di farlo riposare, potrebbe esserci finalmente una chance con Shevchenko. Nel Torino, Natali in difesa e Rosina ancora in panchina. Probabile conferma per la coppia di attacco Stellone-Amoruso.

IL MILAN DICE NO AL CITY PER KAKA'

Le ragioni di un "no". Perché sono molte, quelle che hanno respinto anche l'assalto del Manchester City a Kakà. In primo luogo, giusto il fatto che si tratti del Manchester City, in lotta per non retrocedere dalla Premiership. Per quale ragione il brasiliano dovrebbe accettare la seconda squadra di Manchester - già rifiutata in estate da Ronaldinho, il quale preferendo il Milan ha rinunciato a 30 milioni di euro netti nella sua busta paga dei prossimi 5 anni - dopo aver messo alla porta Real Madrid e Chelsea? Proprio il club londinese pochi! mesi fa, in quel famoso incontro sul panfilo di Abramovich a Portofino tra il magnate russo, offrì le stesse cifre che ora offre il "Man C". Più o meno.

Perché stando ai titoli sulle prime pagine dei tre quotidiani sportivi italiani, ballano una ventina di milioni: per la "Gazzetta" l'offerta dello sceicco Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan è di 100 milioni di euro, per "Tuttosport" 110, il "Corriere dello sport" parla di 120. Bazzecole, comunque, per Mansour e il suo scudiero Khaldoon Al Mubarak che comprarono il club inglese dalla mattina alla sera buttando sul tavolo 200 milioni e aggiungendo in poche ore 32 milioni per acquistare Robinho dal Real. Del resto, al signor Mansour è accreditato un patrimonio di 30 miliardi di euro, cosa volete che sia un Kakà qualsiasi...

La storia dell'incontro di martedì è singolare e non parte affatto da Kakà, ma dalla necessità degli sceicchi di trovare un portiere. Per questo hanno contattato l'uomo-mercato rossonero Ern! esto Bronzetti, il quale da molti mesi fa la spola con l'Inghi! lterra ( prima la vicenda Ronaldinho, poi Ivanovic, poi i sondaggi su Alex, Drogba e ora Agger). Dida era il tema di martedì. Poi, una volta in sede, come una signora capricciosa al supermercato Mansour ha incominciato a chiedere il prezzo di tutti. Giunti al punto Kakà, Adriano Galliani ha risposto che non ha prezzo e non ha mercato perché non è e non sarà mai in vendita. A quel punto la cannonata degli arabi di Manchester, cui Galliani ha risposto con una stretta di mano, un sorriso e un doppio "no".

Il dovere di un vicepresidente-amministratore delegato come Galliani, rispetto a un'offerta stratosferica al club e a un giocatore, è quello di informare la proprietà e il giocatore stesso. E Galliani sapeva perfettamente quali sarebbero state le risposte sia di Berlusconi - aldilà delle battute in pubblico - sia di Riky (non si capisce perché qualcuno scriva "Ricky" che andrebbe letto "Ricchi" e non "Richi", tra le altre cose). E queste sono state infatti le risposte del pr! esidente e del numero 22: "no" e "no". Grazie.

Un'altra ragione del no: l'immagine del suo amico Sheva stranito a Londra e affannato a Milanello, buttati 2 anni e mezzo di carriera, fa molto riflettere Kakà prima di cambiare aria. Ora semmai le considerazioni da fare, sventato un altro attacco al Bambino d'oro, sono altre. Sono di campo. Con la dolce, spregiudicata serenità di un ragazzo leale e un uomo sincero, Kakà ha parlato poche settimane fa di un ruolo che non gli si addice. Bisogna fare in modi che torni ad avere gli spazi che ora non ha più, essendo parso anche domenica sera ingabbiato dalla sua stessa squadra.

Il problema non è la gelosia per Ronaldinho, a questo ha risposto chiaramente a Dubai durante la conferenza stampa Adidas in cui, presenti anche Ancelotti, Seedorf e Beckham, le attenzioni e le domande dei giornalisti erano riservate solo ed esclusivamente all'inglese: "Ma lei, Kakà, era la stella, poi il Milan ha preso Beckham, ha preso! Ronaldinho, e ora lei è solo una delle stelle e qui nessuno l! e fa dom ande". Sorridendo, Riky ha risposto: "Al Milan le invidie e le gelosie non fanno parte della cultura e del modo di pensare, chi ne soffre è meglio che non venga qui o se già c'è, che se ne vada. Quanto a me, sono 2 giorni che mi intervistano italiani e arabi, se oggi tocca a David per me è un sollievo". Il giorno prima, al campo del Al Nasr Club, aveva infatti ribadito: "Fino a quando i miei obiettivi coincideranno con quelli del Milan, non mi muoverò da qui".

La moglie vive da reginetta a Milano, i suoi genitori e suo fratello Digao - lautamente stipendiato dal Milan, attualmente in Brasile a curarsi - pure. Alla colonia brasiliana si è aggiunto anche Thiago Silva e non è escluso che dal San Paolo la prossima estate arrivi il centrocampista Hernanes che è un pupillo del Bambino. Servirà tra poco un altro ritocchino al contratto (già modificato 3 volte in poco più di 2 anni), bisognerà rinforzare la trincea dal prossimo assalto (Real Madrid? Chelsea? Manchester Ci! ty? Emirates Football Team? F.C.Dubai?), si potrà organizzare un'amichevole a San Paolo tra qualche mese, insomma il Milan dovrà fare altre coccole e moine a Kakà.

Ma la catena anche questa volta non si è spezzata. Se possibile, casomai, sembra essersi rinforzata.

GALLERY SERIE A 24a GIORNATA

Inter-Milan 2-1



Juventus-Sampdoria 1-1



Genoa-Fiorentina 3-3



Atalanta-Roma 3-0



Cagliari-Lecce 2-0



Chievo-Catania 1-1



Reggina-Palermo 0-0



Siena-Udinese 1-1