Ahead of TheGame: Lampard: hardest week of my life
The news in 60 seconds
LAMPARD: HARDEST WEEK OF MY LIFE
The Chelsea midfielder says that an improvement in the condition of his mother, who is seriously ill with pneumonia, convinced him to play against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final first leg. "I have been in better shape for games both mentally and physically but it has been a very difficult week," he said. "Things have brightened up a little bit in the last few days but without that happening back home I wouldn't have been playing. It has been a positive few days from what was a very desperate situation last week."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3800504.ece
GERRARD: TORRES CAN MAKE DIFFERENCE
Despite Liverpool's woeful record at Stamford Bridge, the team captain says they have the players and the belief to turn around their semi-final. "This team never knows when it is beaten," Gerrard said. "We may not have scored or won at Chelsea in four years, but we haven't been there with Fernando [Torres] in the team before."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3801958.ece
CECH CONFIDENT OF PROGRESS
The Chelsea goalkeeper believes his team were worth their late equaliser at Anfield and fancies them to make the Champions League final. "Away goals can be crucial," he said. "We have been unlucky at Anfield twice but this time we got a little bit of luck. I was positive we would get something from the game. We were strong in our minds and kept going until the last seconds. We got a lucky goal but we were really searching for it." And there it was: on John Arne Riise's forehead.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article3801974.ece
LIVE COMMENTARY: BARCELONA V MANCHESTER UNITED
Sir Alex Ferguson's side are the favourites to advance to Moscow but can you really write off a team with the talents of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o? Follow the big game with us tonight from 7.45pm.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/sports_commentary/2008/04/liverpool-v-che.html
WENGER SETS SUMMER TASK
The Arsenal manager insists he must tie Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini to longer deals before signing anyone from his wishlist of transfer targets. "I believe at some stage you need to strengthen the team, but changing the team means kicking some players out and replacing them. That is not the feeling I have. I feel this team has been absolutely tremendous." Yes, they are some of the best nearly men the sport has ever seen.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article3801973.ece
HLEB PLEADS GUILTY
The skilful Belarussian has admitted an FA charge of violent conduct and will now miss the remainder of Arsenal's season through suspension. An FA statement read: "The incident was not seen by referee Peter Walton. Having now watched video footage of the incident, Walton has informed the FA that, had he seen it at the time, he would have shown Hleb a red card for violent conduct." This is a perfect chance for Marty McFly and Doc Brown to dust off the DeLorean and right so many wrongs.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article3801091.ece
CAHILL WANTS CLOSURE
The Everton midfielder is hoping an operation on his foot will finally solve his long-term fitness problems. "I've missed a lot of football and I'm determined to do whatever it takes to prevent another recurrence," he said. "My aim is to be back fitter and stronger for next season, and I have no doubt I'll achieve that." The fourth-place finish is on for next season.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3801307.ece
DERBY EYE RECRUITS
Paul Jewell says Lee Carsley is exactly the type of player he needs if the club are to bounce back next season. "I wouldn't be so silly as to comment on players who are in other manager's teams at the moment," the Rams manager said. "That would be unfair and unwise. I don't think it's right for me to say I'm signing Lee Carsley, but certainly that type of player is what we're looking for." Make your mind up, Paul.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3801764.ece
ROEDER CHARGED
The Norwich City manager and his assistant, Lee Clark, have admitted to bringing the game into disrepute. The pair confronted Andy D'Urso, the referee, after the club's 2-1 defeat by Bristol City last month. And you thought Glenn had no passion.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article3801810.ece
BERLUSCONI TO STAND DOWN
Italy's newly-elected prime minister will leave his position as AC Milan president when he begins his third term in charge of the country. "I will have to give up the presidency of Milan and this pains me," he said. "My new role is incompatible."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3801156.ece
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you've got another couple of minutes
As own goals go it was not bad. Chelsea's Florent Malouda played in a hopeful ball from the left wing and you could see the cogs whirring round in John Arne Riise’s head - here it comes, at knee height, awkward that, and if I use the right foot that I employ more often for standing rather than leathering a football, I will probably end up slicing it into my own net. I know what I’ll do, go for the more sensible option and head it instead ... oh dear. The rest, as the say, is history.
How does Riise's goal compare with the greats? Tom Dart lists the top ten howlers.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/where-does-riis.html
AOTG apologises for not recognising the importance of Wrexham's game against Hereford last night in our matchtracker preview. Unfortunately for the Robins they were relegated from League Two after a 2-0 defeat. We recall some of the club's glory times including Mickey Thomas's rasping drive against Arsenal in 1992.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/gone-but-not-fo.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>THE TABLOID TALE<<<<<
Toon Barmy - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Titus Bramble has launched a scathing attack on Newcastle fans. 2) The defender became a figure of ridicule for blunders during his five years with the club. 3) Now with Wigan, the 26-year-old says he wished he'd left the North East sooner. "It all got rather personal and it hurt," he said. "People just jumped on the bandwagon and started saying this and that about me. I used to get quite down but friends and team-mates told me not to let it bother me." 4) You shouldn't Titus, but when are you going to start producing the goods? Sitting on the bench at the JJB won't help, either.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A quickie before you go, sir?
Ever thought you'd see Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Enzo Francescoli (remember him?) in a duff football video. Well, AOTG has unearthed it. Is this what passes for primetime TV in Argentina? We're so lucky to have Ant and Dec.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CykRkfXHO-c
Some argue that league clubs don't tap enough talent from the lower echelons of the football pyramid. With the following finish you can see why they leave well alone (although the winger looks mustard).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJqxSGEOUf0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2
Goals scored by John Arne Riise this season - both in his own net to deprive Liverpool of a cup victory. The first was in the 1-1 draw against Luton Town in the FA Cup.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In TheGame
Martin Samuel has responded to your comments on his debate asking which other pundits, other than Ian Wright, would you like to see separated from their microphones? He disagrees with one reader that David Pleat should be put out to pasture, praises Andy Townsend as ITV's top expert and is totally against journalists being used as analysts. Oh, and one reader is read the riot act.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/martin-samuel-3.html
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, readers voted overwhelmingly that Liverpool would progress to the Champions League final. Today, 47 per cent of you think Chelsea are the clear favourites to land in Moscow, 36 per cent believe Liverpool will advance and 17 per cent think it is too close to call.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/whos-your-money.html
In Non-league Central, Liam Daish was spotted taking photographs of Wembley Stadium when a tour arranged for the FA Trophy finalists took in the upper tier of the stadium. The manager of Ebbsfleet United who play Torquay United on May 10, gazed down from high on the turf and said: "It’s something else, isn’t it?" No, it isn't. It is what it is.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/daish-determine.html#more
Bill Edgar has posted his daily trivia question: which club won a domestic cup in the 1980s having played the lowest-ranked remaining team (at the time of those matches) in each of the four rounds before the final?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/bill-edgars-w-4.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<
You Riise pudding - The Sun
Headcase - Daily Mirror
Riise howler puts Blues in control - The Daily Telegraph
The Anfield blues - The Independent
Injury scares leave United in a sweat before Barcelona test - The Guardian
Rooney vow to be 'best ever' - Daily Express
Raging Rafa - Daily Mail
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Bloggs' Soapbox
All four of today's offerings refer to items in yesterday's AOTG.
"Strange how voices from the past re-appear when you least expect it. I used to live a few doors away from the Reverend Reed and "no–nonsense" is precisely the way to describe him. Hopefully this divine intervention will help get the East Anglian derbies back to their proper place in the footballing calendar – Boxing Day and Easter Monday – rather than being subject to the absurd police diktat that the only way to avoid trouble between rival supporters is to kick off at midday on a Sunday.
Richard (ITFC fan for the last 35 years) speaks reverentially about the Ipswich minister who hates helicoptors.
"I think Jerry's point is that it is more difficult to win the European Cup now than in the old format. Second, third and fourth-place teams in Italy, Spain and England are usually better than the Finnish, Bulgarian etc etc champions. Liverpool in 1981 beat OPS Oula 11-1 on aggregate in the last 32, Aberdeen 5-0 in the last 16, and CSKA Sofia 6-1 in the last eight. You can only beat who is put in front of you but it doesn't seem the most difficult route to the semi-finals? Manchester United in 1998-99 had to knock out Barcelona in the group stage and then beat Inter Milan and Juventus on the way to the final."
Jerry, who was taken apart by Liverpool fans, has a piece of himself replaced by a sympathetic Ewen (I am not a United fan).
"I watched with interest the Greek 'goal' video link. It was very similar to the Roma 'corner' featured a few weeks ago, where one player had touched it some time earlier, but pretended that nothing had happened. The Ref had been warned about what Roma were going to do, so did not stop the game. A clever move if true, but hardly in the spirit of the game. Hopefully this will be banned before someone tries it against Arsenal and Arsene Wenger implodes with the unfairness of it all."
Andy Whitworth is not enamoured by the use of stealth in European football. He also gets a dig in at the Arsenal manager (very fashionable in the soapbox these days). We assure you that if such a thing were to happen to the Gunners' gaffer, we'll try and show the video.
"You mention that Ref Brines has acknowledged that he made a mistake in not awarding Aberdeen a goal that would have ended Celtic's chance of winning the SPL. This much is true but Brines failed to acknowledge at the same time that he had made a mistake shortly before that in not awarding Celtic a perfectly good goal, which would have made the score 2-0 and then even if Aberdeen had scored it would not have affected the result. There is an attempt in Scotland by the sports media in general to help Rangers win the SPL by any and every means possible, eg much was made of a foul won by Celtic's Shunsuke Nakamura from which he scored to win a match against St Mirren (TV pictures showed it was a foul too) but little or nothing has been made of the blatant cheating of Rangers players on occasion, eg Thompson diving to try and win a penalty against Celtic and have a Celtic player penalised. Indeed, the Players Union Representative, Fraser Wishart, a former Rangers player, defended the indefensible, ignoring the sanction given to one of his own members because of this particular instance of cheating. Indeed, the SFA CEO, Gordon Smith, another former Rangers player, has also been strangely silent on this occasion, as he has strongly campaigned against diving and such forms of cheating.
If these issues are raised at all, the Scottish Press fulminate that they come from paranoid Celtic supporters. I trust the Times is a bit bigger and broadminded than this. Ask your own journalists, Graeme Spiers or Phil Gordon. I'm sure they will readily fill your readers in on the real story."
Gerard Hamill is not paranoid. AOTG repeats, Gerard Hamill is not paranoid.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow's news today
- Hicks sings the praises of Benitez
- Cech: Anfield result sets us up for title decider
- Stats show home advantage is a myth for Liverpool in Europe
And expect...
Hleb v Aliadiere to be the chief support to Calzaghe v Jones.
Comments