Ahead of TheGame: Drogba slams 'weak' Benitez
The news in 60 seconds
DROGBA SLAMS 'WEAK' BENITEZ
The Chelsea striker is upset at the Liverpool manager's suggestions he is a diver. "His words demonstrate a weakness," Drogba said. "A top manager would never go so low to attack a player. Maybe he should concentrate on his own team's game and if he wants me to stay on my feet, maybe he should tell his defenders to stop hitting me." Miaow.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3845724.ece
LIVE COMMENTARY: CHELSEA V LIVERPOOL
Will the result see Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr hugging in the director's box? Or will Avram Grant crack his second smile of the year? Follow the big game with us tonight from 7.45pm. The coverage is also available free on your mobile phone, by texting Times to 86626.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/sports_commentary/football/index.html
ROONEY ON COURSE FOR RUSSIA
Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, has dismissed fears that the striker could miss the Champions League final through injury and insisted the England international could come into contention against West Ham at the weekend. "We just cancelled him out yesterday, he was in a lot of pain," he said. "It was his hip joint, he was never close to playing. It was out of the question. He will be a lot better in a few days and involved on Saturday somewhere along the line."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3847344.ece
VISA PROCESS SIMPLIFIED
With more than 50,000 English supporters expected to descend on Moscow for the Champions League final, Uefa say they have struck a deal with Russian authorities to ease the process of applying for a visa to enter the country. The governing body say the new system will link entry to match tickets (the finalists will expect to receive 23,500 seats each).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3846080.ece
ERIKSSON TO LEAD SUMMER TOUR
The son of Thaksin Shinawatra, Manchester City's controversial owner, says the Swede will accompany the team on their end of season trip to Asia. "He will lead the squad to Thailand," Panthongtae Shinawatra said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3845864.ece
ALKMAAR WANT ALVES CASH
The Dutch club are demanding that the Middlesbrough forward pays them £5.9 million after claiming the Brazilian broke an agreement to join them. Alkmaar say Alves had agreed to move during the January transfer window, but after the club failed to reach a deal with Heerenveen by December 31 he moved to Teeside instead. Eric Vile, Alkmaar's lawyer, said: "We are claiming this amount of money on the basis of Fifa's rules."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3847176.ece
VALENCIA IN DEMAND
Diego Herrera, the Wigan winger's agent, insists Manchester United and Liverpool would like to sign the 22-year-old Ecuador international. "They have been following him for the past months," he said. "There are also two more teams interested. But he will not come cheap. Last week, [Steve] Bruce commented £5 million was not enough for the player."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3847464.ece
PURSE BACK IN WEMBLEY FRAME
The Cardiff City defender has thanked the Welsh FA after they overturned a suspension that would have kept him out of the FA Cup Final. He was shown a straight red for a foul on Burnley's Andrew Cole, which left the veteran striker needing ten stitches. "I was disappointed with the post-match comments made by the Burnley player to the media as it was never a malicious tackle," Purse said. "It's just something that can happen in a football match."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article3848206.ece
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If you've got another couple of minutes
Should we pray for Chelsea to beat Liverpool?
Manchester United will find out tonight who their opponents will be in the Champions League final. Chelsea hold all the cards after the 1-1 draw at Anfield in the first leg but Liverpool will have Fernando Torres to take with them to Stamford Bridge.
Most Russians will be keeping their fingers crossed that John Terry doesn't give the Spanish star a sniff and not only because of Roman Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea. The prospect of thousands of United and Liverpool fans descending upon Moscow for a late-night kick-off doesn't bear thinking about. The clubs have one of the fiercest rivalries in the game.
With so much drinking time on the day of the final, the Russian police are going to have their work cut out keeping the peace in the city centre. Should all neutrals be getting behind Chelsea tonight if only to avert the potential danger? Or does the big stage deserve a United-Liverpool final, since both teams have such history? Should we have more faith in the fans and just hope the best team wins tonight? Or are we destined for trouble whatever the outcome?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/should-we-all-b.html
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>>>>>THE TABLOID TALES<<<<<
No 1. Sam: You've DESTROYED my Bolton - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Sam Allardyce has marked the first anniversary of his departure from the Reebok Stadium with a stinging attack on his former club. 2) "To see the demise of a team put together over a long period of time and then virtually all pulled apart is quite sad and upsetting for me," he said.
No 2. Mowbray's the new Fergie - Daily Mirror
What you need to know: 1) Jonathan Greening, the West Brom captain, says his manager reminds him of the Manchester United boss. 2) "He has an aura about him, you listen to what he says and he always makes sense," the hairy midfielder said. "He likes to play the right way like Ferguson and I think he has every chance of being a top manager with West Brom and then going on and being a top manager in the Champions League."
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A quickie before you go, sir?
Guy Ritchie's video for Nike includes vomiting, pretty girls and Marco Materazzi's gamesmanship but thankfully no hit men, rhyming slang or Vinnie Jones cameo. It's the director's finest piece of work by a country mile.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x58zj1_pub-nike-football-par-guy-ritchie_sport
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3
The number of Champions League semi-finals won on the away goals rule. On each occasion a current Chelsea player scored in winning teams. Michael Ballack for Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 and Andriy Shevchenko for AC Milan in 2003 and 2005.
5
The number of times Liverpool and Chelsea have met each other in each of the previous three seasons. Liverpool have won the fifth meeting in each campaign. Tonight's game between the two is, you've guessed it, their fifth encounter this season.
23
The number of years since Liverpool last scored an away goal in a European Cup semi-final. Mark Lawrenson was the last player to do so in a 1-0 win over Panathinaikos in 1985.
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In TheGame
Martin Samuel has responded to your comments on his debate asking which nit-picking rules you would like to see scrapped. He agrees that players should not be cup-tied now that we have the transfer window and chastises a reader for trying to start his own debate. He's right, that's what Joe Blogg's Soapbox is for.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/martin-samuel-4.html
In Fanzine Fanzone, our Chelsea expert is remaining studiously quiet in response to the hot air and bluster he is hearing from Anfield. He is offering no lengthy preamble, shouting or tub-thumping: "Enough talk. Let's play football, please."
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/04/in-the-interest.html
Our Man City specialist says the decision by Thaksin Shinawatra to sack Sven-Goran Eriksson defies all logic considering that at the beginning of the season a three-year plan was outlined with the objective for this season being a top ten finish - a task comfortably achieved. He's hurt, but not surprised.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/04/anticipation-ha.html
Unsurprisingly, 98.4 per cent of you think Shinawatra is making a big mistake in wanting rid of the amiable Swede. Have your say, register your vote.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/is-thaksin-righ.html
In Non-League Central, Walter Gammie meets Joe Arif, Fisher Athletic's programme/website editor and press officer, who outlines the club's ambition to move to a 7,000-seat multisports arena and gain promotion to the Football Conference.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/fisher-have-ari.html
Bill Edgar has posted his daily trivia question: which two English league clubs met in five different competitions between October 1984 and September 1985?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/bill-edgars-w-6.html
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>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<
We all off to Moscho - The Sun
Moschow here we come - Daily Mirror
Grant hits back at Benitez over 'diver' Drogba - The Daily Telegraph
Finally - The Independent
Flash of vintage Scholes sends United back into dreamland - The Guardian
Bilic ready to step into Sven shoes - Daily Express
Redemption - Daily Mail
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Joe Bloggs' Soapbox
"Hmmmmmm, Scolari to replace Eriksson. I have a strong sense of deja vu. This scenario assumes that Scolari is going to show up this time and not just use the press to get a better contract from Portugal."
WJB in Brussels seems to forget how startled Big Phil was during his brush with the British media, when the FA tried to tempt him with the England job. One season at Eastlands would be a eternity for the Brazilian.
"I have been a sceptic about Shinawatra all along but I very much appreciated him employing Sven and what he brought to the club, as well as much of the football. In fact, the best argument for giving Thaksin a chance is that he brought in Sven. Now, the club looks like it's going to implode - who is going to want to work for this man, either as a manager or a player? I thought Thaksin would be a little more clever than this. Some of the other reports indicating that he wants control over transfers and team selection are even more disturbing. Or perhaps it's that he can't tolerate someone having more influence, power, and reputation than himself. If that's the case, forget about getting Mourinho or anyone else of that calibre."
Thad W sums up a crucial point about Shinawatra's decision. Sven's hiring smoothed Thaksin's arrival and his impending departure has eradicated any good faith the Thai garnered with fans.
"Paul Scholes deserves a place in the team on merit - without question. He was Manchester United's best midfielder last night and still their most effective player when it matters. He is the best English footballer of the last 25 years. The fact that he has had so few personal accolades is a sad reflection of our game's obsession with flash celebrities. For the perfect illustration of this, look at the reaction to his retirement from international football, compared to that of his less talented former colleague, David Beckham."
Beckham's second place finish in the 1999 Ballon d'Or voting must still rankle with Neil, but he makes a very good point. Even if Scholes can engineer a victory in the Champions League final how loud would the clamour for his international return be?
"Respect? I don't think a top manager questioning a referee's integrity is a great example of showing it."
James in Burnley is not impressed with Rafa Benitez suggesting referee Roberto Rossetti favours home teams [yesterday's AOTG]. If the Italian official didn't before, then there's a very good chance he will now. Anyway, it gives the Liverpool manager a ready-made excuse should it all go belly up tonight.
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Tomorrow's news today
- It's time to give Scholes the medal he deserves, says Carrick
- Moscow prepares for the English invasion
- Rijkaard: the English are sending Europe to sleep
And expect...
A self-fulfilling prophecy: Drogba to fall over and the referee to award a penalty.
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