http://anewnaija.org/discuss/categories/sports/feed.rss Fri, 24 May 13 03:00:07 -0400 Sports en-CA http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/181/10-things-you-should-know-about-boston-marathon Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:42:51 -0400 dakoloyoung 181@/discuss/discussions
Boston was rocked by twin explosions on April 15, 2013, as runners crossed the finish line during its famous annual marathon, killing three and injuring several others.

Following is a list of facts that you probably didn’t know about the Boston Marathon:
• It is the world’s oldest marathon that began in 1897 and is organised by the Boston Athletic Association.
• The race is organised on the third Monday of April to commemorate the earliest battles of American independence.
• The course of the race runs through Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston.
• Women weren’t allowed to participate in the event until 1972.
• Clarence Harrison DeMar has won the marathon seven times – the last of which he won in 1930 at the age of 41.
• Tim Ford, the winner of the marathon in 1906, is the youngest ever winner at 18 years of age.
• Rosie Ruiz raised a storm by winning the marathon in the female category in 1980. It was later found that the American cheated her way to win and in fact hadn’t run the entire course.
• Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya ran the fastest marathon in the history of the race in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds at Boston in 2011. However, IAAF hasn’t recognised the record since the event doesn’t meet its standards that are required for the record to be ratified.
• Before the blasts of 2013, only two deaths were recorded at the event – in 1996 and 2002.
• Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia won the 2013 marathon in the male category while Kenyan Rita Jeptoo was the winner in the women’s section.
• Over the years, the winners have been awarded with $15 million in prize money and course-record bonuses.]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/139/sir-alex-ferguson-favour-pep-guardiola-as-his-successor-at-manchester-united Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:09:30 -0400 admin 139@/discuss/discussions
Sir Alex Ferguson is understood to now favour Pep Guardiola as his eventual successor at Manchester United.

On Tuesday, the club's vice-chairman Ed Woodward said that the Old Trafford hierarchy know what "type of manager" will succeed Ferguson, while it was reported in the Spanish press in the summer that Ferguson had met Guardiola in New York.

However, the chief executive David Gill and a member of the Glazer family also met the former Barcelona manager, who left his role at the Camp Nou after four successful years, at that time.

While a United source said that the meeting was "informal", the future is understood to have been discussed.

For his part, Guardiola is known to view United as a particularly attractive proposition. Although he retains interest in Chelsea, AC Milan and Bayern Munich, the Catalan is said to find the sense of history and atmosphere at Old Trafford especially enticing.

In his entire Barcelona career as both a player and manager, Guardiola - who, as a player, was targeted by Ferguson but ultimately signed for Brescia - faced United more than any other English side, and a Catalan source said the club have always fascinated him.

Ferguson and United do not just see Guardiola as one of the few coaches with the required strength of personality to take on such a massive job after the Scot eventually retires, but also an ideal fit given his commitment to both youth and attacking football.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has previously been seen as Ferguson's successor-in-waiting but, although the Red Devils manager retains a good relationship with the Portuguese, other members of the club's hierarchy - particularly Bobby Charlton - are said to be less keen due to a perceived short-term approach.

While the expected date of Ferguson's retirement remains, as ever, undetermined, the manager is widely known to want a significant say in who succeeds him and for the necessary structures to be put in place beforehand for a seamless transition.

When Ferguson was last expected to retire in 2002, only to perform a U-turn, he expressed his dismay that the club had lined up Sven Goran-Eriksson. The United boss criticised the Swede for "not changing much" at his teams.

He is now determined to ensure there is no repeat of that situation and that the right person is in place to prolong his legacy.

On Tuesday, chief executive Woodward said: "We have a view as to what type of manager we want and how and when we'll go about it. But it's in the drawer and long may it stay in the drawer."

Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1200101/sir-alex-ferguson-favours-pep-guardiola-for-manchester-united-job?cc=3888]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/137/teams-await-draw-on-wednesday-for-the-2013-africa-cup-of-nation Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:30:07 -0400 admin 137@/discuss/discussions
The 16 teams to compete in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations will learn who they will play in South Africa when the draw is made in Durban on Wednesday.

The Confederation of African Football has already announced the seedings for the tournament, which will be held between 19 January and 10 February.

Hosts South Africa are among the top seeds, alongside reigning champions Zambia, Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Debutants Cape Verde, who beat Cameroon in a play-off, are seeded fourth.

The tiny nation, with a population of about 500,000, pulled off a shock 3-2 aggregate win over the four-time African champions.

Cape Verde have been rapidly improving over the last decade, moving up from 182nd in Fifa's world rankings in 2000 to their current position of 51st.

And they could prove a tricky obstacle in the tournament's mini league stage - where the top two teams qualify from the four groups of four teams.

DR Congo are another of the fourth-seeded teams who could pose a big problem for the more fancied sides.

And with two-time winners Nigeria among the second seeds, there is much potential for a 'group of death' to emerge from the draw - despite the absence of Cameroon and seven-time winners Egypt, who are both missing for a second successive tournament.

Nigeria will have a point to prove after they failed to qualify for this year's tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

And under coach Stephen Keshi, who took over in October 2011 following the sacking of Samson Siasia, the Super Eagles are unbeaten in 2012.

Former South Africa captain Neil Tovey, who lifted the Nations Cup in 1996, believes Nigeria will be a team to watch out for.

"They possess an abundance of talent and my good friend Stephen Keshi is settling down nicely as coach and getting them well organised," Tovey said. "He has so many good footballers to choose from."

Tovey has also tipped four-time winners Ghana to do well and the Black Stars go into the tournament under the leadership of a man who knows what it takes to win it.

Kwesi Appiah lifted the trophy as a player in 1982 and many Ghana fans are optimistic he can emulate the achievement as a coach, having been appointed to the role in April.

Expectation may also weigh heavily on holders Zambia , although legendary former player Kalusha Bwalya is confident the Chipolopolo can cope.

He told BBC Sport: "The people have talked about the teams to beat and our name is being mentioned - as we are champions.

"And if there's one team at the tournament which has a tried and tested coach it's Zambia. We also have the players tried and tested. We have a team, a plan, a system in place. We know what to expect."

However, Zambia will have to improve significantly if they are to be contenders. Their form since winning the tournament in February has not been good and they only squeezed past Uganda in qualification, going through 9-8 on penalties.

Making a return to the finals for the first time since 1982 are Ethiopia , who qualified by beating Sudan on away goals. It marks a timely resurgence for the Walya Antelopes, who won the competition 50 years ago.

There were no such fine margins in Mali's final-round qualification tie, with the Eagles thumping Botswana 7-1.

Mali were a surprise package in the tournament earlier this year, when they performed brilliantly to finish in third place, but have backed up that performance with their results since.

The achievement of back-to-back qualifications is even more remarkable given the political unrest in Mali - a situation that forced a World Cup qualifier in June to be moved because of security concerns - and the fact they replaced coach Alain Giresse with Patrice Carteron in July.

Niger shocked many by qualifying last time and have proved it was no fluke by qualifying for their second successive finals. They will be aiming to go beyond the first round for the first time.

Another team looking to progress to the second stage for the first time is Togo , who have not played in the tournament since they withdrew from the 2010 finals in Angola after their team bus was attacked by gunmen.

Following their withdrawal Togo were initially banned by Caf from participating in the next two editions of the Nations Cup, which would have ruled them out of the 2013 tournament - the suspension was overturned by football's world governing body Fifa.

Ivory Coast go into the tournament with a batch of players who admit they may not get another chance in the career to lift the trophy - among them is ex-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

Certainly the scene is set for a fascinating tournament in South Africa and the draw will give an indication of things to come.

Seedings for the draw for the 2103 Africa Cup of Nations:

• Pot one: South Africa, Zambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast

• Pot two: Mali, Tunisia, Angola, Nigeria

• Pot three: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Niger

• Pot four: Togo, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Ethiopia.

Teams from the same pot cannot be drawn against each other.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20043391]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/129/africa-got-30-medals-across-8-countries-as-kenya-bids-to-host-2024-olympics Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:29:45 -0400 dakoloyoung 129@/discuss/discussions 28 Kenya 2 4 5 11
25 Ethiopia 3 1 3 7
24 South Africa 3 2 1 6
58 Egypt 0 2 0 2
50 Algeria 1 0 0 1
50 Uganda 1 0 0 1
69 Botswana 0 1 0 1
69 Gabon 0 1 0 1

Kenya hopes to become the first African country to host the Olympic Games with its recent 2024 bid. Its intentions were made known by Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga during an announcement recently. Prior to this, South Africa and Egypt both had failed attempts to host the Games in 2004 and 2008 respectively. However, Kenya plans to win its bid this time.

What is the hope for Nigeria sports?]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/124/nigeria-win-world-u-14-handball-champion Sun, 08 Jul 2012 17:14:56 -0400 dakoloyoung 124@/discuss/discussions
It was a glorious weekend for Nigerian handball as the country on Saturday emerged the World U- 14 handball champion in Sweden.

The country’s flag bearers in the competition, Niger United handball club in the final defeated the hosts, Sweden 21-10 to emerge winners of the competition which attracted clubs from 40 countries.

President of Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Mallam Yusuf Dauda who led the country’s delegation to the handball fiesta said the victory was a clear indication that the federation’s catch them young program is yielding dividend.]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/68/nigerian-boxer-afolabi-becomes-wbo-champ Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:24:17 -0500 dakoloyoung 68@/discuss/discussions http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/37/english-premier-league-news-in-brief-part-three Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:13:58 -0400 Danj 37@/discuss/discussions Steve Bruce won't let the return of Darren Bent distract him from his preparations ahead of Saturday's match against Aston Villa. Much has been written and said regarding Bent's first trip back to the Stadium of Light since his January move to the Midlands. But Bruce prefers not to look back as he attempts to plot a path towards back-to-back victories following last week's win at Bolton. "The important thing for us is to focus on beating Aston Villa," Bruce said. "We've got a game to win to really get our season on track. We could go to Manchester United in the top half of the table with a quarter of the season gone, which was our aim."

SWANSEA CITY
Highly-rated Swansea defender Jazz Richards has signed a new 18-month contract at the Liberty Stadium. The Wales Under-21 international recently made his Barclays Premier League debut as a substitute in the 3-1 defeat at Norwich, having impressed when called upon during last season's promotion campaign. The 20-year-old has come through the youth ranks with the south Wales club and is pleased to have agreed terms. He told the club website: "I am delighted to have agreed a new contract. I've really enjoyed being part of the squad and I feel I am developing all the time. It was always my dream to play for my hometown club, so you can imagine what playing for the club in the Premier League means. It was only a brief appearance against Norwich but it was an amazing experience despite the result."

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Roman Pavlyuchenko has again spoken of his frustration at a lack of first-team football at Tottenham. "I don't believe I can fight my way into the Tottenham starting line-up," he said. "Players can feel what the manager thinks about them, and I know that the manager doesn't count on me these days. Something must change. I must play in order not to miss Euro 2012," added Pavlyuchenko, who has made just two substitute appearances this season. "I don't know whether the club will execute that option [to sell me], but a good offer would definitely be considered."

WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Roy Hodgson has backed Chris Brunt or Peter Odemwingie to take West Brom's next penalty despite both missing their last Barclays Premier League spot-kicks. "We have had a bad penalty season so far," said Hodgson. "Chris Brunt scored one at Everton but the other two we've had have been missed so it's not a good record. It's something that we badly need to address because penalties can really be gilt-edged goal opportunities and you need to have somebody in your team to make certain when the penalty is awarded it is converted. Neither Peter or Chris were terribly pleased with their last penalties but I would still back them both to take another one. I would back either of them to score next time out."

WIGAN ATHLETIC
Roberto Martinez has reiterated his stance that ongoing contract talks with striker Hugo Rodallega will eventually come to fruition. Rodallega's current deal with the Latics expires at the end of the season and the Colombia international has been linked with a move out of the DW Stadium. The 26-year-old joined Wigan from Mexican club Necaxa in January 2009 and has established himself as a key player in Martinez's schemes. Martinez expressed his optimism last week of reaching an agreement with Rodallega over a new deal, and has once again said that progress will be made in due time. "We all know how much he has improved over the last few seasons and how important he has been for Wigan Athletic," enthused the 38-year-old. "He is attached to Wigan and we all want him to be happy at the club. He has a massive role (to play at Wigan). He wants to see Wigan winning the next football game and we need his type of characters here. But it is something (signing a new contract) that will take some time. There are certain logistics of his situation. He has a Colombian agent and that takes a bit of time."

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Despite the nature of the challenge at Manchester City on Saturday, Jamie O'Hara is by no means fearing what's in store. "It is the Premier League, the best in the world and it's great to be part of that," he said. "I want to be part of that for the rest of my career and play the Nasris, Silvas, Dzekos and so on. The more great players you get in the league the better. Of course, away from home we will have to put in a good solid performance and we will probably have to defend for our lives and hope we can nick something from it. These are the games you want to play in, Man City, a top side at the moment, a big stadium, and as a footballer you want to be involved."]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/36/english-premier-league-news-in-brief-part-two Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:12:50 -0400 Danj 36@/discuss/discussions Adam Johnson was pleased with City's win at Molineux in the Carling Cup, after being named as man-of-the-match. The winger was at the heart of the three goals in four minutes that burst the home side's bubble, scoring one and having a big hand in the others. It has been a mixed week for Johnson, having not made the bench for Sunday's win at Old Trafford and coming off in the first half against Villarreal a week ago, and he said: "Those three quick goals changed the game, their heads dropped and then it was our game to lose. We kept playing but we probably took our foot off the gas in the second half, we could have pressed a bit more but we passed it and in the end saw the game out. I'm pleased to start and delighted to get a full game. Obviously I was disappointed with the last couple of matches, but that's part of football. It was good to get out there and show the manager I'm here and fighting for a regular place. The win at Old Trafford is just one win. We want to win every game we play, no matter who it is against. We play Wolves again on Saturday, so this was a good platform for whoever plays, and it will be difficult for them at our place."

MANCHESTER UNITED
Sir Alex Ferguson feels Antonio Valencia is not quite at 100 per cent despite his stunning strike at Aldershot. The United winger impressed on his return from injury towards the end of last season but the manager feels he needs to handle the Ecuadorian with care. Valencia missed out on a large chunk of the 2010/11 campaign following a serious ankle injury sustained against Rangers in the Champions League and was also sidelined after being hurt whilst on Copa America duty for his country in the summer. "I had a chat with Antonio," said Ferguson. "He, himself, says he's needing games. He was a long time out and has been back but probably needs another few games."

NEWCASTLE UNITED
Wednesday's 4-3 Carling Cup extra-time defeat to Blackburn put an end to Newcastle United's 14-match unbeaten run stretching back to the end of last season - and now James Perch has challenged his team-mates to embark on another good run. "That's what you always look to do," he said. "You look to make another run of unbeaten games. You can say we're still unbeaten in 90 minutes, that's one good thing, but hopefully we can start another one on Monday against Stoke and get back up and running."

NORWICH CITY
Tickets and hospitality for the visit of Arsenal to Carrow Road on Saturday, 19th November (12.45pm) are sold out. Seats went on sale at 9am Monday morning but were quickly snapped up by super members.

QUEENS PARK RANGERS
The QPR Box Office would like to advise supporters that all Members-only Super Six Ticket Bundles have now sold out. The total number of Ticket Bundles available was capped to ensure tickets are available for Official QPR Members to purchase on a match-by-match basis.

STOKE CITY
Thomas Sorensen has hailed Liverpool star Luis Suarez as one of the best players in the world after he scored twice to knock Stoke out in the Carling Cup fourth round. "I think the difference was Luis together with us not having that little bit of luck that you need," he said. "On his day, he is absolutely phenomenal and unfortunately for us, he was on top of his game. People questioned the money they spent on him, but if you ask me it was £22m well spent. His first goal was absolutely world class and there's not a lot anybody could do about that. The second, maybe it was a little slack from our point of view, but he still did well to finish it."

]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/35/english-premier-league-news-in-brief-fri-28th-oct-part-one Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:10:12 -0400 Danj 35@/discuss/discussions
ARSENAL
Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke maintained the club had "all the elements for success" when addressing shareholders at their Annual General Meeting at Emirates Stadium. The American billionaire first joined the board in 2008 but living up to his nickname `Silent Stan' had made few public statements over his vision for the club amid the stringent rules of the Takeover Panel. However, after taking a controlling stake of more than 60 per cent in the Gunners' parent holding company earlier this year following the purchase of shares from the late Danny Fiszman, the Denver-based sports magnate revealed he was relishing his involvement. "What a wonderful club," Kroenke said. "We are involved extensively in sports in the United States and had lots of opportunities to involve ourselves in lots of clubs around Europe and in the [English] Premier League. We did not have an interest, but as we became involved with Arsenal in a commercial undertaking in Denver, I became more interested. Arsenal has all the elements that you need to have success in this kind of business. [The club] has tremendous management at the top, a wonderful manager on the pitch who makes great decisions in regard to personnel, and a tremendous following with the supporters. With all those things in place, it was an easy decision for us to get more involved." Kroenke added: "We are glad to be here, are happy with the direction of the club and are here for the long term - we love London, you had better get used to seeing us, because we will be around."


ASTON VILLA
Assistant manager Peter Grant believes the best is still to come from Alan Hutton who moved to Aston Villa from Tottenham in August. He said: "He's not found his feet yet. There's more to come from him and we know he can be a top player here. You don't go to Tottenham for the price he did if you are not a top quality full-back."

BLACKBURN ROVERS
Steve Kean backed his players to go all the way to the Carling Cup final after seeing off Newcastle in a dramatic fourth-round tie at Ewood Park. Rovers eventually triumphed 4-3 in extra-time to inflict a first defeat of the season on Newcastle, and Kean insists his side can reach Wembley despite their struggles in the league where they remain bottom. Kean said: "Why not - and I said that to the players before the game. There's teams that have fancied it in the competition in years gone by and prospered and we fancy it. It also creates competition for places in the team in the league and we will give it a good go. We hope we get a nice draw now but we showed we wanted to get a victory in this match and would not let anything affect us."

BOLTON WANDERERS
Owen Coyle insists that there is much more to come from Bolton Wanderers despite their poor start to the season. "This is not a team that's playing at their maximum and losing games, this is a team that there is so much more to come from," he said "The important thing is we had an unbelievable home record last season and we've not managed to replicate that yet but we will, we will get back to that."

CHELSEA
Petr Cech wants to go all the way to the Carling Cup final after saving a penalty in Chelsea's 2-1 extra-time victory over Everton on Wednesday. "Now we want to go all the way," he said. "We knew this was a tough draw and wanted to go through. We fulfilled our first target and let's see what will happen next."

EVERTON
David Moyes feels his side had enough chances to win in normal time after seeing them edged out of the Carling Cup 2-1 by Chelsea after extra-time. Daniel Sturridge fired the extra-time winner as Chelsea reached the quarter-finals, while both sides had a man sent off and missed a penalty. A blunder by Everton goalkeeper Jan Mucha gifted Chelsea's Salomon Kalou the opening goal in the first half but Louis Saha hit back on 83 minutes after the sending off of visiting keeper Ross Turnbull. Everton then spurned numerous chances to win the match in normal time and the Londoners regained control after Royston Drenthe was dismissed for a second bookable offence in extra-time. Moyes said: "I don't think we deserved to lose. Certainly over 90 minutes we should have won the game. We have only got ourselves to blame for not winning it in 90 minutes." Moyes refused to criticise Mucha for his 38th-minute blunder in allowing a tame Kalou lob to slip through his fingers into the net, adding: "I don't think it had any effect after that. The boy played really well, especially in the second half."

FULHAM
Philippe Senderos does not regret joining Fulham, a club he thinks has a bright future despite their worrying start to the season which has seen them drop to 17th after just one win in nine. "Joining Fulham was an easy choice, despite having other options," said Senderos, who could play in Saturday's match at Wigan. "This is a great club, with great players, great staff and great prospects - when you put those factors together you can see that this team is capable of achieving big things. Ambition is massive to me, and Fulham have that. They've enjoyed some of their best seasons in recent years and I want to be part of its future success."

LIVERPOOL
Jordan Henderson played a key role in the winning goal against Stoke City on Wednesday when his cross found the head of Luis Suarez who buried the ball past Thomas Sorensen into the back of the net. Henderson said after the Carling Cup fourth round match: "The finish was brilliant again from Luis. I just managed to knock the ball back in the box and he did the rest."

]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/29/match-report-qpr-v-chelsea Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:15:33 -0400 nkasi 29@/discuss/discussions
A furious occasion has drained composure from Chelsea's pursuit at the top. André Villas-Boas's side lost their discipline as well as a west London derby here and an opportunity to hoist themselves into second place and nearer Manchester City was passed up, not that those who waved the visitors on their way could care less.

Queens Park Rangers had waited 16 years to prevail in this fixture and their fans left this corner of the capital in a state of delirium at the end while Chelsea cursed at the perceived injustice of it all. They will incur a fine for the seven yellow and red cards flashed by Chris Foy, who sent off José Bosingwa and Didier Drogba, though the Football Association will surely also consider sanctioning Villas-Boas, normally so calm and calculated in front of the media, over his post-match reaction in the tunnel and public assessment of the referee.

The Portuguese had confronted Foy as the teams trudged from the turf and any potential punishment will depend upon what the official includes in his match report about that altercation. "The referee was poor," said Villas-Boas. "Very, very poor. And it reflected in the result. I spoke to him at the end and I was very aggressive. I don't care if he's OK or not. Anyone can have a bad day but this was not a bad day for us: it was a good day for us but a bad day for the referee. Conspiracy theories can lead to bans and people calling us cry babies, so we're not saying that. But it keeps happening."

The fact that he went on to cite other complaints – decisions that went against his team at Stoke City and Manchester United this season – suggests that, on some level, Chelsea feel they are fighting darker forces. "Three games played by Chelsea were influenced by the referee and this is not Premier League level," he said. "You have to accept there is human error but it's a big pattern for us. Things are not going our way."

The visiting manager's principal frustration was an apparent lack of consistency in the referee's awards. David Luiz, still so defensively vulnerable, was penalised for the ninth-minute shoulder barge that sent Heidar Helguson sprawling and allowed the Iceland international to score the game's only goal from the penalty spot. Yet Fitz Hall's tug back on Frank Lampard in the area went ignored, as did Helguson's own grapple with David Luiz. Had a penalty been awarded for either it would still have been deemed soft but such was the tone set by Foy in the first half.

There was outcry, too, at the decision to dismiss Bosingwa for tugging down Shaun Wright-Phillips after the winger had outpaced the full-back on his inside. John Terry, claimed Villas-Boas and the Chelsea captain himself, was covering in the centre to ensure the incident should not be considered a goalscoring opportunity. Foy disagreed, perhaps noting that Wright-Phillips had been able to stagger back to his feet with Terry still some distance off.

"The three match officials were led by the emotions of the crowd and couldn't deal with a game like this," added Villas-Boas. "I cannot understand the difference in judgment: not only the major decisions, but the fouls, the throw-ins.

"If he gives a soft penalty like their one, then he has to consider shoves in the opposite box, too. A couple of his decisions were right, yellow cards for sure, but I think he lost it and was card happy towards my team."

Neil Warnock, predictably enough, saw matters rather differently. "A lot of referees would have been conned, so I'm pleased we had him," QPR's manager said. "When you're beaten like that and have two men sent off, it's easy to blame the referee. When you're young, you do that."

What neither manager contested was the decision to dismiss Didier Drogba just before half-time, the Ivorian losing the ball to Alejandro Faurlín, then leaping in two-footed to regain it, sending Adel Taarabt spiralling into the air in the process.

That was born of frustration and, according to Warnock, "worthy of three sendings off". Drogba will miss three matches, the second of which will be against Arsenal, opponents he relishes tormenting, next Saturday.

Bosingwa and Ashley Cole will be absent in the midweek Carling Cup tie at Everton, the latter having accumulated five bookings. Foy also ended up finishing the contest 30 seconds early, possibly to spare himself having to consider dismissing the England left-back for a second bookable offence following a foul on Joey Barton.

Even with their numbers so depleted, Chelsea might have plucked an unlikely point near the end only for Paddy Kenny to thwart Nicolas Anelka from close range as nerves gripped the home side. The fact that QPR had been expected to prevail at the break had rather served to provoke panic, with the few chances they created all missed and their passing increasingly erratic. But theirs was the ecstasy on the final whistle, a first home win in the top flight since 1996 and a result Warnock claimed "they'll still be talking about in 30 or 40 years". Chelsea's sense of grievance may take that long to subside.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/23/qpr-chelsea-premier-league]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/28/my-worst-day-ever-sir-alex-ferguson Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:38:05 -0400 dakoloyoung 28@/discuss/discussions
"It was our worst ever day," said Ferguson. "It's the worst result in my history, ever. Even as a player I don't think I ever lost 6-1. That's challenge for me too."

United had Jonny Evans sent off early in second half when the score was 1-0, then capitulated in astonishing fashion as City plundered three goals in the dying minutes,

"I can't believe the scoreline. The first goal was a blow for sure but it was retrievable at 1-0," said Ferguson.

"The sending off was a killer for us. We kept attacking when we went 4-1 down and we should have just said: 'We've had our day.'

"We just kept attacking. They were attacking three versus two. It was crazy football," he said.

"I thought with the experience we've got - Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra - they would (defend more) but we just kept attacking. Sometimes there has to be common sense about it.

"It was a bad day."

The result saw City extend their lead at the top of the Premier League and go five points clear of United.

However, Ferguson insisted United would bounce back from the disappointment.

He said: "We'll come back. By January we'll be okay. We usually get the show on the road in the second half of the season and that will have to be the case."

"We've played all the teams around us and they have all to play each other so the second half of the season is important to us now.

"We will react, no question about that. It's a perfect result for us to react to because there is a lot of embarrassment in the dressing room and that will make an impact.

"What did concern me was the goals for and against. Goal difference may count. Last year it was in our favour, most years it is in our favour...this time maybe not."

City manager Roberto Mancini, however, paid tribute to United's continued attempts to attack despite the game being out of reach.

He said: "I have more respect for United because after the sending off they continued to try and play and score. It is an incredible mentality."

Mancini added: "I think that after the sending off it was easier but I think we were playing very well.

"The first 25 minutes United played well but there was no chance. When you come here, United are a strong team, and you can have some problems.

"It's an important three points, we played well here. There will be not be many teams that come here and come to win."]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/27/epl-fixtures-saturday-22nd-october Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:17:46 -0400 Danj 27@/discuss/discussions A look ahead to Saturday's fixtures in the Barclays Premier League.

The latest round of Barclays Premier League fixtures has thrown up some exciting encounters.

The programme kicks off with Swansea City's visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
There is a West Midlands derby between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland visit Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic go to Newcastle United.
The day's programme concludes with Liverpool hosting Norwich City.

WOLVES V SWANSEA
Wolves are bottom of the current form table having lost their last five fixtures.
Swansea though have not yet managed a point on the road in the Barclays Premier League.
The Molineux men have won six of the last eight meetings in all competitions.

ASTON VILLA V WEST BROM
Alex McLeish's men are looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the campaign at Manchester City last weekend.
Albion have taken five points from their last three matches but Villa are unbeaten at home this season.
The last four meetings have had a 2-1 scoreline with Villa winning three of them.

BOLTON V SUNDERLAND
Bolton ended a run of six successive defeats as they won at Wigan and now aim to leapfrog their opponents.
Sunderland have picked up just one point from a possible nine and would drop into the bottom three if they lose at the Reebok.
However the Black Cats have won their last four meetings with the Trotters.

NEWCASTLE V WIGAN
Newcastle remain unbeaten this season having twice come from behind to draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Latics have lost five in a row and have picked up just one point on the road this season.
The last two meetings at St James' Park both finished 2-2.

LIVERPOOL V NORWICH
Norwich have won three of their last four matches, the only defeat in that run coming at Old Trafford.
Liverpool have taken seven points from a possible nine and are looking to force their way into the Champions League places.
The Mersysiders have won the last four meetings between the clubs.

Match Previews, Sunday 23rd October

There are five matches in the Barclays Premier League including the eagerly-awaited top-of-the-table clash between Manchester United and Manchester City.

At the same time Fulham host Everton and Stoke City travel to Arsenal.
Then Blackburn Rovers are at home to Tottenham Hotspur and finally there is a west London derby at Loftus Road between Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea.

ARSENAL V STOKE
Arsenal have now won five out of six matches in all competitions as they recover from a sticky start.
Stoke are bidding to avoid a hat-trick of away defeats.
This fixture has not finished all-square in the last nine occasions with the Gunners winning six.

FULHAM V EVERTON
Fulham are unbeaten at Craven Cottage this season, drawing three of their four fixtures.
Everton have lost their last three matches, including their last two on the road.
The Merseysiders have won four and drawn one of the last six meetings between the clubs.

MAN UTD V MAN CITY
These neighbours are setting the pace at the top of the Barclays Premier League making this one of the most important Manchester derbies for years.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men are unbeaten in their last 25 league outings at Old Trafford since April 2010.
United are unbeaten in their last six Barclays Premier League meetings with City, winning five. But they will be keen to avenge last season's FA Cup semi-final defeat.

BLACKBURN V SPURS
Rovers have managed just one win all season and have lost three out of four in front of their own fans.
Since losing their first two fixtures, Spurs are unbeaten in five, winning four.
Tottenham have won the last four meetings between the clubs.

QPR V CHELSEA
Chelsea have won six of their last seven to keep up the pressure at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
QPR are still looking for their first win back in the Barclays Premier League, drawing three of their four fixtures in front of their own fans.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six meetings with their neighbours in all competitions, winning five.]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/23/premier-league-previews-saturday-october-15 Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:57:56 -0400 Danj 23@/discuss/discussions
The programme kicks off with a mouth-watering meeting between arch-rivals Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield.

Manchester City will be aiming to capitalise on any slip-up by United as they host Aston Villa and newly-promoted sides Norwich City and Swansea City go head-to-head at Carrow Road.

Blackburn Rovers visit Queens Park Rangers, Fulham go to Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers make the short trip to Wigan Athletic.
The day's programme concludes with Chelsea taking on Everton at Stamford Bridge.

LIVERPOOL V MAN UTD

Liverpool are bidding to become the first team this season to beat leaders Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League.
United have won six out of seven this season but have lost their last three visits to Anfield.
These sides have not finished all-square in 13 meetings in all competitions since their goalless encounter on Merseyside in September 2005.

MAN CITY V ASTON VILLA

City have dropped just two points this season but Aston Villa also remain unbeaten in the Barclays Premier League.
Villa have drawn five out of seven matches under new manager Alex McLeish while City have won their last eight home league matches. They have not lost in 13 outings in front of their own fans, a run which began with a 4-0 success against Villa in December 2010.
Villa have lost their last five visits to City in all competitions, managing just one goal and shipping 13.

NORWICH V SWANSEA

These two newly-promoted sides have both made steady starts to life in the Barclays Premier League.
Swansea have lost all three away fixtures, conceding nine goals and scoring just one while Norwich have taken four points from three matches at home.
Both of last season's Championship meetings ended in comfortable home wins.

QPR V BLACKBURN

Both sides need to bounce back from heavy defeats last time out. QPR were hammered 6-0 at Fulham while Rovers went down 4-0 at home to Man City.
The Lancashire side have managed just one point on the road while Rangers still seek their first home win of the campaign.
Blackburn are unbeaten in their last four visits to Loftus Road, winning three.

STOKE V FULHAM

Fulham have managed just one point away from Craven Cottage this season while Stoke are unbeaten at the Britannia Stadium.
Martin Jol's team are now unbeaten in their last four Barclays Premier League outings while Tony Pulis' men have managed one point from their last three.
The Londoners won both of last season's Barclays Premier League fixtures 2-0 but lost by the same score in the Carling Cup. The Potters though did the double in 2009/10.

WIGAN V BOLTON

Both sides are in desperate need of points. Wigan have lost four in a row while Bolton have lost six in succession and 11 of their last 12 Barclays Premier League outings.
The sides met four times last season with three finishing level and the Trotters winning 1-0 at the DW Stadium in an FA Cup replay.
Wigan have not beaten their neighbours in seven attempts since their 1-0 success at the Reebok in December 2008.

CHELSEA V EVERTON

Chelsea aim to keep up the pressure at the top of the Barclays Premier League against an Everton side bidding to avoid a third successive defeat.
Everton's last five league visits to Stamford Bridge have finished all-square.
The sides met four times last season with three finishing level and the Merseysiders winning 1-0 at Goodison Park in the Barclays Premier League.]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/22/age-just-a-number-for-evergreen-hopkins Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:46:20 -0400 dakoloyoung 22@/discuss/discussions The World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion surpassed the record held by compatriot George Foreman with his win in Montreal, with Hopkins set to become the oldest pugilist to defend a world title if he defeats Chad Dawson on Saturday.
If Hopkins emerges victorious at the Staples Center in Los Angeles it would mark the latest achievement in a career which has seen the veteran overcome adversity to reach the top of his sport.
"I love what I do," Hopkins told CNN. "I love to work out, I love to win and I'm going to take advantage of it until I can't do it no more."
"It means a lot that I'm in the history books again ... also it sets up for what comes next. Obviously this Saturday with Chad Dawson ... also becoming the second-oldest fighter to be fighter of the year."
Unsurprisingly, Hopkins is significantly older than his opponent this weekend. Dawson, currently ranked by Ring Magazine as the fourth-best light heavyweight in the world, is 29, 17-years younger than the Pennsylvania-born Hopkins.
"29-years-old, as we've seen with Jean Pascal, as we've seen with Kelly Pavlik, as we've seen with most of the guys I've fought that are younger than me at least by 15 years.
"If it's just age, if it's just height. If it's just things that have nothing to do with the IQ ... That's not enough to beat Bernard Hopkins. "And I mean that. I mean that with confidence and I don't mean that with just promoting. I mean that ... because of how I've been disciplined over these years to train and live and think that way."
But despite his age, Hopkins will not be the oldest fighter on the card in California on Saturday. That honor will belong to Dewey Bozella.
The 52-year-old cruiserweight who will be making his debut as a professional boxer in a four-round cruiserweight bout against Larry Hopkins, no relation to Bernard Hopkins, but that is only half of his incredible story.
Bozella spent 26 years in New York's Sing Sing prison after being found guilty of murder in 1983, before having his conviction overturned two years ago.
During his incarceration, Bozella focused on boxing an was even crowned the Sing Sing heavyweight champion.
His story is one which resonates with Hopkins, who served a five-year stretch in Graterford Prison, Pennsylvania between 1983 and 1988.
So impressed was Hopkins with Bozella that he has been training with the newcomer ahead of his much-anticipated fight.
"It inspired me," said Hopkins of Bozell. "He chose to do what he did, and not only did he get freedom, but he got humanity. An opportunity to do something that was taken from him years and years ago. To be on a major, major fight card.
"And now that we became, I can say friends, and have understanding about that dark place that I put myself in, you know, I wasn't innocent. But we still understand that dark place. Everybody has a story, but his is beyond a story."
]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/18/international-round-up-tues-11th-oct-a-review-of-international-matches-featuring-players-from-the- Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:43:06 -0400 Danj 18@/discuss/discussions Scotland's Euro 2012 hopes ended in Alicante after being outclassed 3-1 by all-conquering Spain at the Estadio Jose Rico Perez.

Craig Levein's side needed an unlikely win to guarantee them a play-off spot in Group I or at least match Czech Republic's result in Lithuania but a first-half double from Manchester City's David Silva was a testament to the home side's superiority.


David Villa notched Spain's third in the 54th minute to end any semblance of a contest before Scotland substitute David Goodwillie scored a consolation goal from the spot after Victor Valdes had fouled Craig Mackail-Smith and, with the Czech Republic beating Lithuania 4-1, it was all over for the Scots.
SIX YEARS
Wales ended their Euro 2012 campaign on a high as Gareth Bale's goal gave them a 1-0 win over Bulgaria and their first back-to-back victories in competitive fixtures for six years.

The Tottenham Hotspur winger struck the decisive blow in the dying embers of the opening half in Sofia, receiving the ball from Adam Matthews to cut in from the right and send a deflected shot beyond Nikolay Mihaylov.

Bale also lashed a thunderous first-time volley against the bar after linking superbly with captain Aaron Ramsey, while Ivelin Popov wasted the hosts' best chances as Wales controlled the majority of the contest.

Nicklas Bendtner scored the winner as Denmark booked their place at the finals with a 2-1 win over Portugal. Michael Krohn-Dehli had put the home side ahead, and although Cristiano Ronaldo reduced the arrears late on, Portugal were condemned to a place in the play-offs.

AUTOMATIC QUALIFICATION
France secured automatic qualification with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Manchester city midfielder Samir Nasri scored a 78th minute penalty after his club-mate Edin Dzeko had given the visitors the lead.

Richard Dunne was the Republic of Ireland's hero once again as his goal edged them past Armenia and into the Euro 2012 play-offs.

The Aston Villa defender, whose man-of-the-match defensive display in Russia last month helped to secure a point, ensured all three went Ireland's way in their final Group B match with a 60th-minute goal which cemented them in second place on a night when both sides had a man sent off.

Much of what could have gone the Republic's way before the break did so with the dangerous Armenians having keeper Roman Berezovsky sent off with just 26 minutes gone.

The visitors' plight deepened a minute before the break when defender Valeri Aleksanyan turned Damien Duff's cross into his own net, and when Dunne bundled home a second on the hour, the match looked to be over.

But Henrikh Mkhitaryan's strike two minutes later ended Ireland's run of eight clean sheets and sparked a concerted fightback, and the final whistle was greeted with as much relief as joy.

SCORED ONE
Russia safely booked their place at next year's Euro 2012 finals with a resounding victory over Andorra at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin and Tottenham's Roman Pavlyuchenko scored one each in the 6-0 win.

Sunderland midfielder Sebastian Larsson scored a penalty as Sweden beat Holland 3-2 and secured a play-off place. Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt netted one of Holland's goals.

Elsewhere, Blackburn Rovers' Morten Gamst Pedersen was on target for Norway, who bowed out despite beating Cyprus 3-1, while Everton's Marouane Fellaini netted for Belgium, but their 3-1 defeat to Germany meant they also failed to progress.

]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/15/siasia-might-be-sacked Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:49:46 -0400 dakoloyoung 15@/discuss/discussions http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/11/english-premier-league Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:46:40 -0400 Danj 11@/discuss/discussions A look ahead to Saturday's fixtures in the Barclays Premier League.

The latest round of Barclays Premier League fixtures has thrown up some exciting encounters.

The programme kicks off with Everton's Merseyside meeting with Liverpool at Goodison Park.

At three o'clock Aston Villa host Wigan Athletic, Manchester City go to Blackburn Rovers and leaders Manchester United take on Norwich City at Old Trafford.

Sunderland are home to West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers welcome Newcastle United to Molineux.
EVERTON V LIVERPOOL
Liverpool are bidding to avoid a hat-trick of away defeats as they make the short trip across Stanley Park.

Everton have lost just one of their last 14 home Barclays Premier League matches.

Aston Villa v Wigan

Aston Villa remain unbeaten in the Barclays Premier League, drawing five out of six.

Wigan have lost three in a row after an encouraging start which saw them take five points from their first three matches.

Villa have never won this fixture, drawing three and losing three of their six Premier League meetings at Villa Park.

BLACKBURN V MAN CITY

Blackburn have won just once this season, losing four out of six. Manchester City have dropped just two points as they hang onto the coat-tails of Manchester United.

Rovers have yet to keep a clean sheet in any of their eight matches so far this season.

Blackburn have not beaten City in their last seven attempts, managing three draws.

MAN UTD V NORWICH

Norwich have chalked up back-to-back victories but will find it tough to make it a hat-trick as they visit the unbeaten leaders.

United are unbeaten in their last 24 home Barclays Premier League matches, winning 23.

The Canaries won the last meeting between the sides at Carrow Road in April 2005 but they have not won at Old Trafford in six visits since August 1989.

SUNDERLAND V WEST BROM

Both sides have been struggling for form early in the new season.

Sunderland have won just one of their seven matches while the Baggies have lost four out of six Barclays Premier League fixtures.

Albion have won the last three meetings but lost the four previous encounters.

WOLVES V NEWCASTLE

After as promising start to the season which brought seven points from their first three matches, Wolves have now lost three in a row.

Newcastle remain undefeated, winning three and drawing three in the Barclays Premier League.

The Magpies have won only once at Molineux since September 1958, losing 15 and drawing six of their 22 visits in all competitions. The sole success was a 1-0 victory in the old Second Division in April 1990.]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/10/europa-league Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:18:57 -0400 Danj 10@/discuss/discussions
Fulham made it four points from two Group K matches with a fine 2-0 win at Danish side Odense.

The home side started strongly and Djiby Fall twice went close to breaking the deadlock in the opening 20 minutes.

However, Fulham increasingly impressed as the match went on and gradually began to take control with former Manchester United and Aston Villa midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba needing to clear Clint Dempsey's header off the line.
PAID DIVIDENDS
Fulham's pressure eventually paid dividends in the 36th minute when Andrew Johnson latched onto a ball from Clint Dempsey who had worked a good opening on the left.

The striker cut into the box and struck a shot that crept under goalkeeper Stefan Wessels.

Johnson added a second with a 16-yard curling shot two minutes from time to clinch the victory with Odense having Traore sent off in the final seconds.
]]> http://anewnaija.org/discuss/discussion/7/man-city- Sat, 10 Sep 2011 05:18:54 -0400 promise 7@/discuss/discussions