Flyers win entertaining Alumni Game

The Flyers and Rangers Alumni Game wasn't the best hockey game ever played but it was certainly an awesome spectacle for Flyers fans.  With 45,000+ on hand at Citzens Bank Park in an electric atmosphere, the Flyers alumni defeated the Rangers alumni, 3-1.

The scoring started fittingly enough with an Eric Lindros pass to John LeClair for a goal.  Their line, along with Mark Recchi, looked like they were ready to take the ice for the Flyers in the real Winter Classic game and were a treat to watch, especially for a fan like me that grew up loving the Legion of Doom line.  Lindros especially looked like his old dominant self and was more than welcomed home by Flyers fans with a huge ovation before the game.

The other great moment of the game was seeing Bernie Parent in goal for the first few minutes.  While he wasn't pretty in the net, he did make a save and looked great in Flyers orange.  The ovation he got before the game was fittingly second only to the cheers for Lindros.

Now we wait two days for the real Winter Classic game, which has a lot to live up to after the Alumni Game.  While the hockey will certainly be better, the star power and sheer entertainment of the Alumni Game will be impossible to beat.
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Flyers and Rangers Winter Classic Alumni Game Rosters

For many, the today's Flyers/Rangers Alumni Game has been more highly anticipated than the Winter Classic Game itself.  Who would have thought that we'd ever see Eric Lindros back in a Flyers uniform and on the same ice as Bobby Clarke?  The Flyers have gone out of their way to bring back fan favorites from the recent past as well as from the Cup days and it should make for a fun nostalgia trip though not the best hockey game ever played.

Here are the Flyers and Rangers rosters for the Winter Classic Alumni game:

Flyers:

Forwards:
Bill Barber
Bob Clarke
Jim Dowd
Al Hill
Bob Kelly
Orest Kindrachuk
Reggie Leach
John LeClair
Eric Lindros
Ken Linseman
Shjon Podein
Dave Poulin
Brian Propp
Mark Recchi
Jeremy Roenick
Rick Tocchet

Defensemen:
Terry Carkner
Eric Desjardins
Larry Goodenough
Derian Hatcher
Mark Howe
Brad Marsh
Kjell Samuelsson
Chris Therien
Joe Watson

Goalies:
Mark LaForest
Neil Little
Bernie Parent

Rangers:

Forwards:
Glenn Anderson
Paul Broten
Ron Duguay
Nick Fotiu
Mike Gartner
Adam Graves
Pat Hickey
Kris King
Nick Kypreos
Darren Langdon
Stephane Matteau
Mark Messier
Brian Mullen
Darren Turcotte

Defensemen:
Ron Greschner
Darius Kasparaitis
Tom Laidlaw
Brian Leetch
Dave Maloney
Dale Purinton
Mathieu Schneider

Goalies:
Dan Blackburn
John Vanbiesbrouck
Mike Richter

SPANISH FOOTBALL PLAYERS | BEST XI TEAM BY ITALIAN SPORTS PAPER

The Italians have elected their "Best XI Team" for 2011 via the Sports paper "Gazzetta Dello Sport". Below is a neat diagram that shows it all with names/Clubs. As you can see its packed with players (coach) from SPANISH FOOTBALL Clubs. Question that comes to my mind: Schweinsteiger better than Xabi Alonso? 

SIGNING RUMOURS | THE REAL MADRID LIST 2012

SPANISH SPORTS paper "AS" has written an article on REAL MADRID CF & how the SPANISH FOOTBALL Club is scouting the International market for talented players. The main ingredientes are that they be "World Class", young with great potential & "cheap". With the economic times we are all living,  the days of "splashing out + 50M€ for one player" are - for now - over. This & that it makes more

SPANISH FOOTBALL BEST 11 TEAM VOTED BY INTERNET READERS

Imagine that you are asked the question: "...what is your "Best XI Team" for 2011. But theres more; forget about tactics, what Guardiola & Mourinho may say & just pick what you like, with money not being a problem, or Winter Market deadlines, managers, fans, media...no problems, just what you would wish your "dream" team to be.


This is precisely what "marca.com" asked & 116,000 internet readers

India fail to overcome traditional weaknesses to lose yet another Boxing Day Test

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

India succeeded in fielding their full strength playing eleven in the first Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but could not overcome the traditional weaknesses to lose yet another Boxing Day Test.

With the pace trio of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav firing on all cylinders and all their world-class batsmen very much there, India had the best chance to topple the Aussies in their own den. Despite having the game in control for the better part of four days, India lost it by 122 runs.

This was a rare occasion when India didn’t have a pedestrian seam bowler to support the new-ball operators. In fact it was after very long time when they were in possession of a potent pace attack that possessed the capacity to rattle the opponents.

Zaheer, Sharma and Yadav bowled their heart out on the responsive track and they had the Australian batsmen guessing and fending. It was an unusual sight watching the Indian speedsters clocking 150 kilometers per hour consistently.

The Australian batsmen were themselves short of confidence and they were tested by the cracking deliveries that were being hurled at them. The Indian fast bowlers broke the back of Australian batting in both innings. But as we have seen more often than not, the tail-enders spoiled their party.

Starting from the first-ever Test that Indian had played at Lord’s in 1932 they have had a history of letting the opposition off the hook after holding them hostage for a while. The history now repeated itself at Melbourne in 2011.

In both the innings the Australian tail-enders put together crucial runs that proved decisive in the low-scoring game.

India also have had the habit of collapsing against the run of play. They were in complete command of the situation on the second evening when Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar had brought up 200 of the innings for the loss of only two wickets. Who would have believed them getting bowled out for well below 300 from such strong position and confronting inexperienced bowlers.

It was yet another Test match which India dominated but failed to win it. They had themselves to blame for not having exercised total control when they were in a position to do so.

"We thought with a 230-odd runs lead, if we could get them for 240 or 250, that's a very gettable score. But I felt 290-odd was also a score we should have achieved. The wicket was good. It was not like there was too much wear and tear on the wicket. I think the batting line-up flopped in both the innings,” skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckoned.

"First innings, we got off to a decent start. We had a kind of a partnership going, after that we needed to capitalize on it. We were not really able to do that, because of which we were close to 50 runs short. In the second innings, wickets kept falling at regular intervals, which meant getting close to 300-odd runs was more and more difficult. Just that we need to get consistent with our batting,” he believed.

FC BARCELONA | ANDRES INIESTA

SPANISH SPORTS papers become creative during the Xmas Break as Football "stops" but the selling of papers continue. One inventive daily is Barcelona based "Sport" which comes up with interesting content, this case, an info-graph dedicated to FC BARCELONA crack ANDRES INIESTA.

The diagram is in Spanish but I believe it is intuitive enough for non-Spanish readers to get the gist.



Courtesy: MARC

ATLETICO DE MADRID | DIEGO SIMEONE - SOSA

SPANISH FOOTBALL Club ATLEICO DE MADRID presented officially to the media today their new Coach, ex- player DIEGO SIMEONE.  The new Coach comes with Argentine Football title experience & a stint in Italian Football. The man is remember at Atletico for his years of loyal dedication, strong play & for carrying the Clubs shield in many Spanish Football battles. He "represents" that fighting spirit

SPANISH FOOTBALL SPORTS NEEDS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HELP

SPANISH FOOTBALL SPORTS is all about you. The mission is to get all the Spanish Football News & Spanish Sports achievements to you in English. Why? Because you may not read Spanish for starters, & because "English" is currently the global language.

With this in mind, I also wish to keep giving a better service & value to you. Don´t forget I am just one guy who loves Football & Sports,  & apart

SPANISH FOOTBALL LEADING GOAL SCORER 2011

Good moment to give the current list of SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE leading goal scorers. The widget on the side of the blog by our friends at "footbo.com" is obviously wrong & it looks like they are not getting their "shit" together. I am even contemplating removing the widget, I will allow a week more to see if they react.



Cristiano Ronaldo

After 17 Rounds (2011) played of LA LIGA the "El

FC BARCELONA FULL OF FOOTBALL TITLES

Being a player of FC BARCELONA not only allows you to form part of the "Best Team in World Football, it also guarantees the player Football titles.


Barcelona based Sports paper "Sport" has made up the below infograph to highlight the number-quantity of titles accumulated by each player - those who have a regular place - , while also give the viewer an idea of the collective dimensions. As one

SPANISH FOOTBALL DOMINATES L´EQUIPE 2011 BEST 11 LIST

The French Sports paper "LÉquipe" has handed in their "Best 11 team" for 2011. As expected the list has a very SPANISH FOOTBALL flavour with the mayority of players from FC BARECLONA & REAL MADRID.


There are two lists: the first chosen by Sports journalists & the second chosen by readers via an internet poll.



Ronaldo - Messi

Football journalist "Best 11 for 2011":


Neuer (Schalke/Bayern),

International sports returns to Pakistan with hockey series against China

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

China are not a superpower in the hockey arena yet but their recent tour to Pakistan attained great significance because it announced the revival of international sports activities in the country which seemed to have become ‘out of bounds’ for the visitors since early 2009.

The Chinese hockey team opened their tour with the first couple of Test matches at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi, before moving on to Faisalabad and Lahore for the last two Tests against the Green-shirts.

The hockey Test series between the two nations could open the gate for resumption of other sporting events in Pakistan as well. Already there are indications that Bangladesh’s cricket team would be arriving here early next year.

So there’s every possibility of Pakistan playing host to quite a few nations in hockey and cricket in particular in the coming year. The entertainment-starved people of Pakistan are crazy about sports and they eagerly await revival of international contests in their own backyard.

International hockey resumed in Pakistan after a staggering gap of seven years when the Green-shirts took the field against China at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi, on December 21. The hosts celebrated the occasion by winning the first Test by three goals to nil. It was the first international hockey game to be staged in Pakistan after the 2004 Champions Trophy at Lahore.

Although the Chinese showed flashes of brilliance in all the four Tests they were unable to stop the Asian Games Champions from completing a clean sweep.

But more important than the result was the return of international sports action in Pakistan. The Federal Interior Minister, Rahman Malik, who was chief guest in the opening game, expressed his pleasure over the resumption of international sports activity in the country with the arrival of Chinese team for a four-match hockey Test series.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President, Qasim Zia, its Secretary Asif Bajwa, Chief Selector Hanif Khan, Olympians Hasan Sardar, Danish Kaleem, Salim Sherwani, Ahmed Alam and Secretary of Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) Farooq Khan, were also present in the glittering opening ceremony.

“It’s a historic day for Pakistani sports and I hope in coming years more foreign teams of cricket, hockey and other sports will be visiting Pakistan without any security issue,” Rahman Malik told the media corps after shaking hands with players of Chinese and Pakistani teams and officials.

“We are grateful to brotherly country China for sending their hockey team to Pakistan to resume international sporting activities here,” he commented.

The Interior Minister, who was appointed Patron of the PHF earlier this year, said that the government was very keen and making all-out efforts to bring international sports back to Pakistan after 2009 attacks on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

Meanwhile the Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, during his visit to Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium the following day, announced the laying of a new blue astro-turf at the stadium to further boost the national sport.

"The Sindh Government will be providing funding for the new turf at the HCP replacing the current green turf which was laid here in 2004," he said after watching the second Test between Pakistan and China on December 22.

SPANISH CUP DRAW & MATCHES

The last 16 Clubs still left in the SPANISH CUP have been matched up in todays draw held in Madrid. The below image ( courtesy of marca) shows all the interesting games.


The next phase kicks off with the 1º leg on the 4th of January 2012 & the return match the 11th of January of 2012.

There is a possible "collision course" between Real Madrid - FC Barcelona in a Q/Final if both win their next

NEYMAR HAS PRE-AGREEMENT WITH FC BARCELONA ?

Rumour has it here, via Spanish Sports press, that FC BARCELONA has already put in a down-payment of 10M€ for SANTOS youngster NEYMAR. The rumour has now turned into serious possibility when the press asked Barça directive Tono Freixa, who in turn, did not say that it was not true.



Messi - Neymar

This would suggest that Neymar has signed the dotted line of a pre-agreement where if Santos

SPANISH CUP RESULTS 2ND LEG WEDNESDAY NIGHT GAMES

SPANISH FOOTBALL night with more SPANISH CUP 2º leg results & with lots of surprises. Here are all the results, scorers & briefs. 



Diego for Atletico


ATLETICO DE MADRID lost 0 - 1 to ALBACETE ( 1 - 2 agg ) & gets knocked out of the Spanish Cup. The winning goal came in the 1st min via VICTOR CURTO, & from here Atletico did little. A disaster of a match & with the home crowd turning angrily

FIFA | SPAIN FINISHES Nº1 RANKED | 4TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

The current FIFA World & European Champions, SPAIN , has for a consecutive fourth year finished Nº1 Rank Football National Team in the FIFA RANKING. The World Football Authority released its Final 2011 list today with Spain on top with 1,564 pts. 



Spanish Football Team
Below is the final FIFA Ranking for 2011: 
1. (.1) SPAIN 1.564 pts.
2. (.2) Holland 1.365.
3. (.3) Germany 1.345.
4. (.4)

SPANISH CUP RESULTS | 2ND LEG MATCHES TUESDAY NIGHT

SPANISH FOOTBALL action with four matches played tonight of the 2 º leg of the SPANISH CUP last 32 Clubs. Below is a brief & rapid run through events, final results & scorers. 



Varane


REAL MADRID defeated comfortably PONFERRADINA 5 - 1 ( 7 - 1 agg ) with a team full of "reserves" ( Altintop, Callejon, Sahin, Joselu, Varane, Casado, Granero...), which all took full advantage of their playing

VIDEO | DAVID VILLA OPERATED & GIVES THANKS TO FANS

DAVID VILLA has 000s of fans around the World. I know that many admirers have been taken back by the serious injury of the FC Barcelona & Spanish International forward with his broken shine-bone. The player was yesterday operated on in Barcelona & Villa has made this video to thank all the well wishers & fans. Its in Spanish , but for our non-Spanish speakers, that message is basically thanks to

NEYMAR EXPRESSES HIS FC BARCELONA LOVE ?

Just a bit of gossip from the Spanish Sports papers that I thought you may want to know. Apparently, the hottest "rooster" in Brazil, SANTOS dancing star NEYMAR, expressed his true desires after being danced around by the FC BARCELONA chant & mantra in yesterdays "FIFA Clubs World Cup Final".



Neymar

Rumour has it that Neymar whispered into the ear of Barcelona Coach Guardiola, when they had

Eagles playoff hopes remain alive after downing Jets

Playoffs?  Playoffs??  Apparently the Eagles aren't ready to go away just yet this season, notching a solid win over the Jets, 45-19, to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.  Here are a few thoughts on the surprisingly solid win:

-The defense has turned from embarrassing to dominating in the last few weeks.  While the Jets offense isn't exactly lethal, the Birds defense swarmed Mark Sanchez all game long and created havoc in the form of 4 sacks, 2 fumbles, including one returned for a touchdown, and two interceptions.  Jason Babin led the charge, picking up 3 more sacks (giving him 18 on the year) as he abused Sanchez every chance he got.  While Juan Castillo does deserve some credit for turning things around, this is how this defense should have been playing from Week 1.

-Turnovers were the only reason the Jets even had a chance of making the game close.  The Eagles are still too careless with the ball and still prone to make boneheaded plays, especially on special teams.  Michael Vick was careful with ball, only throwing one interception on a desperation heave at the end of the first half.

-Speaking of Vick, he wasn't slowed by injuries at all this week, dancing around the pocket as he found open receivers all over the field.  While he still isn't sliding when he scrambles, Vick seemed much more mobile and much more like the quarterback that took the league by storm last season.

-Brent Celek has really turned his career around this season and now leads the Eagles in receptions.  He has overcome his case of the dropsies to become a reliable receiver and is no longer a complete afterthought in the Eagles offense.

-Congratulations to LeSean McCoy for setting the club record for touchdowns in a season.  He has proven time and again that he is the Eagles best offensive weapon and good things happen when he is fed the ball.

-Andy Reid won yet another challenge this week.  Say what you will about his coaching job this season, he has been killing it on challenges this season.

-With the Giants losing to the Redskins, the Eagles are still somehow alive for the NFC East division title.  All that has to happen is the Eagles have to win out, the Jets have to beat the Giants in Week 16 and the Giants have to beat the Cowboys in Week 17.  Doesn't seem too far-fetched but doesn't seem all that likely, either.  With the way the Eagles have been playing better the last few weeks, I don't think anyone in the NFC would want to play them in the playoffs.  At the very least, it will make for a fun last few weeks in a season that appeared a total loss.  Bring on the Cowboys next week!

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE SUNDAY ROUND 17 GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL continued today/tonight with the final 5 games schedule of Round 17, before the LIGA takes its Xmas break. However, as a reminder, there will be Spanish Cup 2º leg action mid-week so do keep that in mind. Below are brief summaries of the games played, with final results & scorers.



At.Madrid - Real Betis

REAL BETIS defeated ATLETICO DE MADRID 0 - 2 & at the home ground of

SANTOS 0 FC BARCELONA 4 | FIFA CLUBS WORLD CUP FINAL RESULT 2011

FC BARCELONA proclaimed themselves the 2011 "FIFA Club World Cup Champion" after defeating Brazilian Club SANTOS 0 - 4. Its the second title of this character for Barça which won their last back in 2009 in Qatar.



Lionel Messi

FC Barcelona demonstrated - if there was any doubt - that the Club is currently the "Best in the World", & their midfielder LIONEL MESSI once again raised for the

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 17 SATURDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL celebrated it Saturday Round 17 LIGA matches, four down, as the Christmas break is just around the corner. Here are tonight's results & scorers.



Barrada


Vital three points away for GETAFE which defeated the home side MALLORCA 1 - 2. Mallorca started better & scored in the 10th min via RAMIS, however Getafe reacted & equalized in the 28th min via BARRADA. The same player got

Jimmy Rollins returns to the Phillies

As the offseason wore on, this seemed more and more inevitable: according to Jerry Crasnick, the Phillies and Jimmy Rollins have finally agreed on a contract that will keep the shortstop in Philadelphia for the next few years.  The money involved in the contract isn't known at this time but it is believed to be a 3 year deal with an option for a 4th year. UPDATE: Contract is worth 33 million over 3 years.  Not a bad value!

Given that neither the Phillies or Rollins had many other options, it was only a matter of time before a deal was reached.  Rollins should be a near-elite shortstop for the life of the contract so the Phillies did well to keep him in Philly.

Now that the shortstop position has been filled, what's next for the Phillies this offseason?  Will they bring in another outfielder?  Could they add another piece to the bullpen?  The roster seems pretty set at this point but I wouldn't be surprised at one more signing in the coming days.

Pakistan’s greatest sports administrator Nur Khan is no more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

In my estimation Air Marshal Nur Khan was Pakistan’s greatest-ever sports administrator whose era was full of accomplishments and glories. His leadership qualities were second to none but even more inspirational were his traits of bravery and fortitude. He was a dynamic person who believed in innovation and bright new ideas.

His contribution to sports as well as the armed forces has been legendary. He was widely respected his integrity besides his razor-sharp intelligence and outstanding management abilities. He passed away quietly at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi on December 15 where he had been admitted just three days ago when suffering from chest infection. He was 88.

Air Marshal Nur Khan served with distinction as the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force from July 1965 to July 1969. He later was appointed Governor of West Pakistan in August 1969.

He was instrumental in the take-off of the country’s national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), during his tenure as Managing Director from 1959 to 1965. Upon the special request of the government, he was reappointed as head of PIA in 1973.

He turned around the destiny of Pakistan sports with his visionary approach. He headed the controlling bodies of hockey, cricket and squash and brought about revolution of sorts by introducing policies that yielded results.

Pakistan won the Olympic hockey gold in 1968 and 1984, when he was at the helm of the affairs in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). He conceived the World Cup as well as the Champions Trophy. Pakistan remained a superpower in hockey until he was there.

The Air Marshal led the cricket board from 1980 to 1984. The World Cup, whose first three editions were held in England, came to the sub-continent mainly due to his initiatives. He also pioneered the idea of neutral umpiring.

Pakistan reigned supreme in squash as well during his era. He was chiefly responsible for developing infrastructure that produced world champions Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.

He commanded awesome respect from all quarters even after retirement and we same its glimpses during a reception that was organized in his honour by the Brotherhood Sports Society of Pakistan (BSSP) in Karachi in March 2007.

I have attended and covered innumerable receptions over the years but this was one unforgettable evening on many counts. The Darbar Hall of Hotel Sheraton was packed to capacity as the session of speeches, in which glowing tributes were paid to Air Marshal Nur Khan, lasted more than two hours.

There was a long list of dignitaries who desired complimenting the Air Marshal but the organizers had to curtail it due to time constraints. Those sitting in the audience were luminaries of their respective fields. Hardly would one find so many living legends under one roof.

Hosts Waqar Hasan, himself a dashing cricketer of Pakistan’s early years, and General Tauqir Zia, a former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), showered Air Marshal Nur Khan with the kind of praise that he so richly deserved.

During the entire length of the programme not a single soul was observed making any movement. Everyone was glued to his or her seat. The Air Marshal was the last speaker and what a speech he delivered. The applause he received had reflected his immense popularity and unmatched respect.

EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL 32 TEAMS DRAW | SPANISH FOOTBALL CLUBS

The EUROPA LEAGUE draw was celebrated today, along with Champions League, were the last 32 Clubs - including Champions League descarts -  have been matched. The away games are scheduled for the 16th of Feb 2012 , with the return a week later. Below are the list of scheduled matches:


SPANISH FOOTBALL CLUBS have fair relatively well with Atletico de Madrid matched with Lazio, Valencia CF with

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16 DRAW | FC BARCELONA - REAL MADRID

The draw ( match ups ) of the last 16 Clubs in the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE has been celebrated with the following results.




The away games will be celebrated the 14- 15th  & 21/22nd of February, with the return matches the 6/7th & 13/14th of March 2012.

FC BARECLONA will first play away in Germany against Bayern Leverkusen, while REAL MADRID will play its first game in Russia against CSKA Moscow.

Chris Pronger is done for the season

If the Flyers want to win a Cup this season, they are going to have to do it without Chris Pronger.  The Flyers have announced that their captain, who has been out since November 19th, will miss the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs due to severe concussion symptoms.

This is a huge blow to the Flyers, who lose one of their biggest advantages they have over opponents: their depth on defense.  Since Pronger is on LTIR, the Flyers will have some cap space to acquire someone of significance but he surely won't have the same impact as Pronger has in the back end.

The bigger question could be if Pronger will ever play hockey again.  It's likely too early to tell but if he has already been ruled out for the next 5-6 months, he must be dealing with some very serious issues.  Here's hoping the Flyers get their captain back next season if for no other reason than they are paying him big money for 5 more years.

ATLETICO DE MADRID 3 - RENNES 1 | EUROPA LEAGUE RESULT - GROUP I

ATLETICO DE MADRID finished top of their EUROPA LEAGUE Group I after defeating French Club RENNES 3 - 1. The French side came with more reserves than regular players & thus the match was not as intense for the locals as expected, & thankfully so.



Falcao scores

Low attending crowd of around 13,000 supporters that voiced their discontent with the Club, the team,  & especially Coach Manzano with

IFHHS NAMES VAN NISTELROOY HIGHEST GOALSCORER OF THE DECADE

The FIFA backed "International Federation of Football History & Statistics" (IFFHS) has named Ducth & MALAGA FC player RUUD VAN NISTELROOY the "Highest Goalscorer of the Decade" ( 2001-2010) with 86 goals. The IFFHS took into account all the goals scorered in International matches, Olympic Games, World Cup Championships, Intercontinental SuperCup games in all Confederations etc. To make things

AL SAAD 0 FC BARCELONA 4 | DAVID VILLA OUT 6 MONTHS

FC BARCELONA defeated AL_SAAD 0 - 4 in the semi final of the "FIFA World Clubs Championship" in Japan & will meet Bralizian Club SANTOS in the weekend final.

Barça was never really troubled the whole match & one gets the idea that their opponents, although professional & putting in a very good game, had the joy of playing with their Football Heroes.



Adriano

The goals came via ADRIANO with

Will India thunder Down Under to rewrite history?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

As expected there’s great buzz and excitement on the eve of another Australia-India series. The battle is set to resume with the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne which will be followed by three more Tests before the series of One-day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals.

The majority of the contests between the two sides, particularly Test matches, have been fiercely fought ever since India turned it around in Kolkata in 2001. They have been engaged in the most awesome of duels during the last 10 years or so.

What’s in the store for the enthusiasts in both the countries and rest of the cricket fraternity during the next few months? Will we watch another classic series with packed houses in Australia and glued television audience in India?

Will the embattled Aussies, having far too many chinks in their armour, survive the rejuvenated Indians, who have redeemed themselves with consistent performance in their own backyard after having suffered a whitewash in England earlier in the year?

Will India register their first-ever Test series win on the Australian soil? Will the energetic Indian speedsters, possessing venom and accuracy but lacking in experience, bend their backs to make life miserable for the home batsmen? Will the potent but inexperienced spinners come good on their maiden overseas assignment?

These are some of the questions that must be baffling the cricket buffs. On paper the Indians have a formidable batting line-up which has skills, temperament, expertise and most importantly the hunger to pile on the runs. With established batsmen like Virender Sehwag, Gautum Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in their ranks India should not be short of runs during the Test series.

All of them are class acts with proven record in every corner of the world. I don’t think anybody will doubt their capability to get heaps of runs. Even on the Australian tracks where the ball will bounce much more than it does in India, they are expected to be scoring freely. All of them, including Dravid of late, believe in taking the attack to the opposition.

The new crop of Australian fast bowlers looks as sharp and as dangerous to what one is used to watching there but they might be taught a few lessons by the accomplished Indian batsmen, who do have the rare ability to graft. With no Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne to face the Indian batter should be fancying their chances of posting big scores without much hassle.

India would be banking on their batsmen to put them in positions of strength. Their bowlers will obviously stand a greater chance of picking up wickets if they operate with attacking fields rather than been assigned the task of just choking up the runs.

The Australian batting has looked fragile during the ongoing season and they could be put to severe examination by the Indian bowlers on the lively pitches which produce results more often than not. The hosts may still be in trouble if the surfaces assist the spinners. Well India do have probably the best chance ever to rewrite history.

PSG 4 - ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO 2 | EUROPA LEAGUE RESULT

EUROPA LEAGUE action tonight with SPANISH FOOTBALL representative ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO travelling to Paris & losing with a 4- 2 result to PSG in their Group F match



PSG - At.Bilbao

PSG deserved the victory BUT it tasted sour & meant little as the French Club DOES NOT continue along the Europa League road, something that Bilbao does do as they secured their participation before this match.

FC BARECLONA | DAVID VILLA ON SALE ?

The title of the Spanish Sports paper says it all : "Barcelona puts Guaje on the market" VILLA FOR SALE. A SPANISH FOOTBALL Bombshell? Madrid media propaganda? Destabilizing tactics from Madrid? Interested party testing the waters? The players sending an S.O.S messaje? Bullshit? Truth?



One cannot also doubt that the newspaper looks to sell & get some "free marketing" ( as here ), but... The

SPANISH CUP RESULTS | 1 st LEG MATCHES

Big night of SPANISH FOOTBALL with up to 13 games played of the 1º st leg of the SPANISH CUP. Below are all the results & the scorers. Note that the away goals have double value in case of a draw in the tie.



Callejon - REAL MADRID 

PONFERRADINA ( Spanish 2º Division B Group II ) hosted REAL MADRID in the 1st leg match of the Spanish Cup tie. A festive atmosphere for the city of Ponferrada (

Phillies sign Dontrelle Willis for bullpen

A familiar veteran will be taking on a somewhat unfamiliar role for the Phillies next season: Dontrelle Willis has signed a one year contract with the Phils to pitch out of the bullpen.  The deal is a major league contract and is believed to be worth 1 million dollars.

Willis will be the second lefty out of the bullpen for the Phillies after Antonio Bastardo.  At this point in his career, given his splits, Willis should be exclusively pitching to lefty hitters so hopefully he is used in that manner.  As an added bonus, Willis, who hit .387 last year in 31 at-bats, can also be used as a pinch-hitter on occasion.  He would certainly be a better option at the plate than someone like Michael Martinez.

This is a solid no-risk signing by the Phillies.  Willis is already good friends with a few Phillies, including the (hopefully) soon-to-be-resigned Jimmy Rollins.  If he is used in the right way he could be a useful part in a good bullpen.

CRISTIANO RONALDO | THE OBSESSIONS

REAL MADRID CF player CRISTIANO RONALDO has been pointed out by fans & the media as one of the principal disappointments of last Saturdays "Clasico" with FC BARCELONA,  where the Madrid team was defeated 1 - 3. I personally,  here on the blog  posted ( story below),  that Ronaldo repeatedly "chokes" in the big occasions ( observable experience with nothing against the man personally). The local

Double-centurion Sehwag can do it again and again

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

No matter what the experts might say or irrespective of what the stats tell you Virender Sehwag happens to be one batsman whose solo on any given day can upstage any band anywhere.

The pitch on which he is playing or the quality of bowling he is confronting become secondary when he is on song. When his hand-eye coordination gets right he will plunder any attack of the world with minimum of fuss.

He’s not one of those cricketers who have to depend on footwork or technique. He has every shot in the book. He is not afraid to walk down the wicket to heave what would be a decent ball for other batsmen.

Sehwag lives dangerously for he continues to chance his arms until he gets out. While every batsman needs time to get his eyes in before stroking the balls powerfully he gets into top gear from the moment he takes guard from the umpire.

I don’t think anyone would have been surprised with his recent double-century against the West Indies at Indore which eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar’s highest score of 200 in One-day Internationals. Now Sehwag holds the OID record of highest individual score by smashing 219 off 149 balls on December 8, 2011.

In fact it was another case of missed opportunity. He had enough time at his disposal to become the first batsman ever to score 250 in an ODI innings but he couldn’t stay there until the end.

Tendulkar, who holds virtually every conceivable batting record in Tests as well as ODIs, may find it rather difficult to reclaim this one from Sehwag, who has the capacity to score more briskly than any contemporary batsman.

I think Sehwag, who has a couple of triple centuries in Test cricket, can score a few more of those besides recording more double-hundreds in ODIs. He has the rare skill as well as the temperament to keep doing it again and again.

"I am happy to have broken my role model Sachin Tendulkar's record. It won't be easy for people to score double hundreds. Over the last so many years only two have done it. This opportunity will come only once in a lifetime and I am happy I have taken it. I dedicate this knock to my father who is no longer with us,” Sehwag was quoted as saying after his swashbuckling knock.

"It is one of my very best innings. Unlike in Test cricket when one can bat longer, in one-dayers you have to keep an eye on the run-rate. The wicket was very good for batting but the bowlers are also trying to get you out,” he added.

"It was a true batting wicket. Whenever I hit the ball into the gaps, it would go for four. Whenever I decided to hit a six, I would hit with a straight bat and it would go for six. The first time the double-century crossed my mind was during the batting Powerplay between the 35th and 40th overs,” Sehwag disclosed.

Eagles keep (slim) playoff hopes alive

Where has this Eagles team been the last few weeks?  Needing a win to avoid being completely eliminated from playoff contention, the Eagles showed up against the Dolphins, winning convincingly, 26-10.  Here are just a few of my thoughts on the game:

-This one was all about the defense.  They came up with 9 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and an interception in possibly their best effort of the season.  Sure, the Dolphins were pretty horrible and couldn't hold onto the ball, but the Eagles D repeatedly created havoc and made big plays.  Trent Cole and Jason Babin were especially disruptive, picking up 3 sacks each as they bore down on the Dolphins QB's.

-The Eagles defense was especially strong in short yardage situations, stuffing the Dolphins on several 3rd and 4th and shorts.  Had they done that all season long, Juan Castillo would probably not have to worry about his job.

-Hey, I remember that DeSean Jackson guy!  Nice of him to show up!

-LeSean McCoy didn't put up impressive numbers but the Eagles kept feeding him the ball, giving him 30 touches.  He's still their best weapon even if he doesn't break one.

-The Eagles don't have the luxury of playing teams as bad as the Dolphins every week but they still looked strong.  That has been the most frustrating thing about this season: we know they are capable of dominating.  With games against the Jets, Redskins and Cowboys left, the Birds have a solid chance of at least getting to .500 and salvaging at least some respectability and possibly backing their way into a playoff spot.  They could easily revert back to their terrible ways next week, however, so there is little reason to hold your breath.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 16 RESULTS SUNDAY NIGHT GAMES

Yes, there is SPANISH FOOTBALL Life after the "Clasico". The LIGA continued with its ROUND 16 scheduled matches today. Here is a brief summary of game events, the final results & all the scorers.



Rayo Vallecano - Gijon


RAYO VALLECANO lost 1 - 3 to REAL SPORTING DE GIJON mainly due to defensive mistakes. The locals played better than the final score shows but the goals for the visitors came

EL CLASICO | THE FALL OF THE REAL MADRID TEMPLE

With the "Clasico" dust finally settled in Madrid,  after the FC BARCELONA "hurricane" brushed pass on their way to Japan defeating REAL MADRID 1 - 3 on their home turf, I can now sit down & reflect on certain observations - some already said below in the match post - that I would like to reinforce, add to & of course, add some humour. This last part is basic as neither Football, Real Madrid or

CLASICO RESULT REAL MADRID 1 FC BARCELONA 3 | SPANISH FOOTBALL ROUND 16 LIGA GAME

The biggest match to date in World Football & in SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE, the "Clasico" between REAL MADRID & FC BARCELONA,  has finished with Barça cutting back 3 points ( gap now only three with Madrid) & with a 1 - 3 result & victory.

In fact, the Barça victory puts things in place in case there was any doubts. Barça still has the edge over Real Madrid, are still the "Best Team in The World"

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA ROUND 16 | SATURDAY RESULTS

With the big Real Madrid - FC Barcelona clash scheduled in this ROUND 16 of the SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE, it is very easy to forget that two games were played before the "Clasico". Here are the results & the scorers of the games.



Levante-Sevilla FC

LEVANTE defeated SEVILLA FC 1 - 0 in a defensive error from Sevilla forward Negredo in a corner situation that allowed NANO to score the winner in

PRE-MATCH REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA | STARTING 11 LINE-UPS ?

Big day in SPANISH FOOTBALL,  & in World Football, as two giants meet in the SPANISH LEAGUE to attempt to shift , or retain,  the "Balance of Power". Tonight at the "Santiago Bernabeu Stadium" at 22.00 (hrs) REAL MADRID CF hosts FC BARCELONA in the first of this LIGA season "Clasico" games.

A win here by Real Madrid would give them a 9 point advantage over their arch rivals & set them on course

FC BARCELONA PLAYER THIAGO ALCANTARA SECOND PLACE IN 2011 "GOLDEN BOY AWARD"

Congratulations to Borussia Dortmund youngster MARIO GOETZE who was awarded by the Italian newspaper "Tuttosport" this years "GOLDEN BOY AWARD", or the "Best Under - 21 European Footballer".



The news has taken some back here in Spain, & perhaps in Barcelona,  as the "hot favourite" was FC BARCELONA & Spanish Football International midfielder THIAGO ALCANTRA. The Barça player finished 2º in the

SPANISH CUP RESULTS | ALBACETE 2 AT.MADRID 1 REAL OVIEDO 0 ATH BILBAO 1

SPANISH FOOTBALL tonight with two matches played of the SPANISH CUP ( 1º st leg ). Here are the details, final results & the scorers. 



Salvio : At Madrid

The brilliant Football tactician ( its a joke ) ATLETICO DE MADRID Coach Manzano left out some big names & travelled to 2º B Divison team ALBACETE to lose 2 - 1. Nothing to be surprised as one who regularly follows Atletico gets used to such

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE | FC BARCELONA - REAL MADRID AWAIT DRAW

Sorry guys,  I was out last night & could not post the Ajax 0 - Real Madrid 3 + Villareal 0 - Napoles 2 Champions League summary.

However found these diagrams of all the Champions League Clubs that go onto the next phase, with the two SPANISH FOOTBALL representatives FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID. Below are the Clubs that finished first of their Group with those in second place.



courtesy of "AS"

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS | CHELSEA FC 3 VALENCIA CF 0 | FC BARCELONA 4 BATE BORISOV 0

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE final Group matches with Tuesday night action with 50% of the Clubs playing it out. Two SPANISH FOOTBALL representatives went to work with a good & bad result that will now be summarized below with the final results & the scorers.



FC Barcelona 

FC BARCELONA hosted BATE BORISOV with the top spot of Group H theirs & their minds already on Real Madrid for this Saturdays LIGA

REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA | THE 10 COMMANDMENTS BY JOSE MOURINHO

Moses departed solitary to the heights of Mt.Sinai after leading his "Children" away from the suffering. While scaling the mountain for 40 days - nights, God handed onto Moses his 10 commandments to take onto his people. 



Spanish Sports paper "Marca" has either contacted directly with the "Football God" or Real Madrid Coach José Mourinho, neither I believe, but they publish today an article

NHL approves new four conference system

The NHL standings and playoffs will look very different next season.  After a 26-4 vote, the NHL Board of Governors has approved a new four conference system that will look like this:

Conference A: Ducks, Flames, Avalanche, Oilers, Kings, Coyotes, Sharks, Canucks

Conference B: Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Stars, Red Wings, Wild, Predators, Blues, Jets

Conference C: Bruins, Sabres, Panthers, Canadiens, Senators, Lightning, Maple Leafs

Conference D: Hurricanes, Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals

The league will also feature a much more balanced schedule, with teams playing conference opponents 5 or 6 times depending on the size of the conference.  Every team will also play every other team at least twice, once at home and once on the road.  For the playoffs, each conference will be seeded 1-4 and they will play each other to determine a conference winner, who will then move on to the final 4 for the Stanley Cup.

Not all that much changes in terms of the conference for the Flyers, who will have all of their current division opponents plus the Capitals and Canes.  What will be very interesting will be the playoffs, which will only allow four teams within the conference to advance to the playoffs and could potentially leave out a good team, especially in the Flyers deep conference.

The NHLPA still has to approve this realignment but it seems like a big win for the NHL, which is emphasizing rivalries and will once again allow every fan base to see every other team.  Only allowing one team from each conference to make it to the Stanley Cup Semifinals will also make for some amazing early round playoff action between bitter rivals.

MONDAY NIGHT SPANISH FOOTBALL ROUND 15 GAME RESULT

SPANISH FOOTBALL concluded Round 15 of the SPANISH LEAGUE with its now habitual Monday Night match. 



Fazio scores for Sevilla Fc


SEVILLA FC defeated GETAFE 3 - 0. Although Sevilla deserved the win there was controversy in the 6th min when an "apparent" hand-ball by Sevilla defender Spahic was not called a penalty in favour of the visitors. Getafe also questioned a foul on their forward

GOLDEN BALL 2011 FINALISTS | CRISTIANO RONALDO, LIONEL MESSI - XAVI HERNANDEZ

France Football & FIFA has named public the last 3 finalists for this years GOLDEN BALL AWARD. They are CRISTIANO RONALDO ( Real Madrid ) , LIONEL MESSI & XAVI HERNANDEZ ( FC Barcelona ). This way SPANISH FOOTBALL gets prized for having in its League the 3 Best Players in World Football.

The winner will be announced the 9th of January 2012 at the ceremony held at Zurich (Switzerland)




Ronaldo

Phillies sign OF Laynce Nix

The Phillies have made another free agent signing, inking former Nationals outfielder Laynce Nix to a 2 year deal according to Jim Salisbury of CSN.  Nix is a 9 year veteran who has played for 4 teams in his career.  He hit a career-high 16 home runs with the Nationals last season in 324 at-bats.

The signing of Nix adds a left-handed bat to the outfield mix and figures to be amongst several options for the Phillies in left field.  Nix won't play every day but will be a good platoon option against right-handed pitching and could push Ben Francisco out the door.  His addition won't have much impact on Domonic Brown, who will still hopefully be given a chance to play in left field regularly.

With the Phillies likely set in the outfield, shortstop has to be next.  I would bet that a deal for Jimmy Rollins comes sooner rather than later.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 15 RESULTS SUNDAY NIGHT GAMES

SPANISH FOOTBALL continued with Round 15 this Sunday as part of the SPANISH LEAGUE. Below is a quick summary of all the games, the final results & all the scorers.



Falcao

ATLETICO DE MADRID managed to cosmetically better their image & earn more time for their Coach (Manzano) with a 3 - 1 victory over city rival RAYO VALLECANO. The scoreline is misleading as Rayo had the initiative, the game

SPAIN WINS 3 - 1 ARGENTINA FOR ITS 5 TH DAVIS CUP | SPANISH TENNIS

SPANISH TENNIS sits again on top of the World winning its 5th DAVIS CUP thanks to the spectacular victory of RAFAEL NADAL 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 over the Argentina representaive JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO. The match result & Nadal win gave SPAIN a 3 - 1 score that secured the 2011 Davis Cup.



Rafael Nadal

The Davis Cup tie complicate itself for Spain yesterday after leading 2 - 0 when Argentina brushed

GALATASARAY GOING FOR ATLETICO DE MADRID PLAYER REYES

Turkish Club GALATASARAY attempted to sign ATLETICO DE MADRID player JOSE ANTONIO REYES at the start of the season, but the player rejected the offer. Now with a head to head clash with Coach Manzano, where the player is being punished for "inadequate behaviour ( insults at Coach)" with prolonged sitting on the bench, Reyes is apparently open to ideas. 


The news is coming out of Turkey,

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 15 RESULTS SATURDAY NIGHT GAMES

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with four games of Round 15 from LA LIGA. Lets quickly race through with a summary of all events, the final results & the goal scorers.



Racing de Santander celebrate their only goal

RACING DE SANTANDER Coach Hector Cuper resigned mid-week & his team reacted with a 1 - 0 victory over VILLAREAL. The winner came in the 27th min via STUANI & Racing secured the

EURO 2012 DRAW | SPAIN, ITALY, IRELAND, CROATIA | GROUP C

The Euro 2012 Group draw ceremony has been celebrated in Kiev & has given us the match ups of the 16 European Nations that will by playing it out next June 2012 (Poland-Ukraine) to proclaim themselves 2012 European Champions.



Euro 2012

This blog concernes itself with SPANISH FOOTBALL & thus informs that the reigning EURO & WORLD CHAMPS - SPAIN - are in Group C & have Italy, Ireland & Croatia

AT BILBAO 2 SLOVAN BRATISLAVA 1 | EUROPA LEAGUE GROUP F RESULT

SPANISH FOOTBALL representative ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO defeated SLOVAN BRATISLAVA 2 -1 in their EUROPA LEAGUE Group F match. The fact that Group "mate" PSG lost its game,  & the victory to Athletic tonight, assures the latter the Group top spot with a game still to play. 




Muniain for Bilbao

Athletic got off to a good start when DE MARCOS opened the scoring in the 14th min, but Bratislava kept

FC BARCELONA | THE FOOTBALL SKILLS OF ISAAC CUENCA

Young FC BARCELONA player ISAAC CUENCA is considered a bit of a "Football Freestyle" expert. There are videos on the web that shows the Football juggling skills of the "kid" in his neighbourhood with his mates.


Couple of days back Cuenca showed his stuff at training to a few World Champions & FC Barcelona team-mates...He probably said ..."Now try this all". Coach Guardiola looks impressed.