Games2Game

Madrid make bid for Valencia

2009-05-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Latics are resigned to losing the Ecuador international and should recoup a fee of around £21m for the midfielder, with Manchester United also believed to be battling it out for his services.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce has openly admitted the 23-year-old will move on in the summer and Madrid have been long-term admirers after attempting to lure him to the Bernabeu last January.

Valencia's agent, Diego Herrera, revealed Real have now tabled an offer for the midfielder and that the Latics are awaiting other offers before allowing the player to leave.

"I believe Wigan will sell Antonio for the right offer and they will decide that once they receive that," Herrera told Skysports. "Real Madrid made an offer last week, but nobody from Wigan has told me of an offer from Manchester United.

"There are a number of interested clubs and I will speak with Wigan about it this week.

"Once the season is over I expect offers to be made and I will sit down with Antonio and decide what offer is in his best interests. We've not yet talked about which club he would prefer.

''Honestly I think it's really difficult that he remains at Wigan. I would anticipate that he leaves this summer.

''We have to see what will happen in the next few weeks. We're not in any rush.

An Ode to French Flair

2009-05-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Whatever your opinion of the French Open—the most compelling major or most boring slog—there’s no argument about French players. They are almost without exception, and seemingly always have been, the most stylish and, as such, the most entertaining around. There must be something in the Evian.

Let’s start with the patron saint of Gallic flair, Francoise Durr. (Like Suzanne Lenglen and the Four Musketeers of Borotra, Brugnon, Cochet and Lacoste, “Frankie” was before my time, but I’ve seen the pictures.) Durr probably won too much to be considered prototypically French: a 1967 French Open victory among her 26 singles titles, along with 60 doubles titles, including five straight at Roland Garros. Underachievement brought on by maddeningly inconsistent play and fragile psyches are part of the deal with French tennis players. Durr’s fashion sense, in conjunction with Ted Tinling, heavily influenced Austin Powers. She wore knee-high tube socks before Serena Williams was a glimmer in her parents’ eyes.

But, mon dieu, her game had even more flair. Her index finger, as always, riding up the grip of her limp-wristed one-handed backhand like some demented weekend hacker, Durr, at age 34, beat Martina Navratilova 1 and 1 in the semifinals of the 1974 Colgate Inaugural! (Then she lost in the final to Chris Evert, whom she never defeated…seems appropriate somehow.)

In the ensuing years, the French have produced dozens of players with remarkable shot-making ability, free-flowing grace, effervescent personalities and skittish temperaments. My all-time favorite: Henri Leconte, the man with the golden left arm. Most people think of him as the inconsistent genius whom Mats Wilander drubbed in Leconte’s only major final, the 1988 French Open—you remember, Wilander missed one first serve in the entire match (so Swedish), while Leconte missed everything.

I prefer to remember the 1991 Davis Cup final in Lyon, where Leconte’s magnificent singles victory over Pete Sampras spurred the French to a huge upset. One shot is seared into my memory: an on-the-dead-run-ball’s-behind-him-buggy-whip-backhand-did-I-just-see-that?!?-no-freakin’-way-passing-shot. The man could hit any shot, no matter the degree of difficulty, just not three simple groundies in a row.

If the Buggy-Whip Backhand Pass was the greatest shot I’ve ever seen on television, it’s little surprise that another Frenchman hit the greatest shot I’ve ever seen live. Nor should that Frenchman’s name come as a shock: Fabrice “The Magician” Santoro, the petit double-handed pro who has thrilled crowds seemingly forever with his jester-meets-wizard game. That the shot took place on a U.S. Open practice court should only underscore its utter sublime ridiculousness.

Santoro looped a kick a serve out wide to the ad court. His practice partner—all I recall is that he was shirtless, which even in New York seemed a bit déclassé—had cheated over and ran around his backhand to unleash the mother of all monster forehands. It came back at Santoro’s shoelaces so fast that he was still in his service follow-through position: body facing 10 o’clock, right foot ahead of left foot, both pointing at 2 o’clock. The Magician had time only to spin his body 90 degrees counterclockwise and swing his wand, er, racquet as fast as he could, in what appeared to be self-defense. Needless to say, the ball went rocketing back crosscourt for a winner twice as fast as the return. The only things missing were a comely assistant and a puff of smoke.

No doubt you have your own French fave. Maybe it’s the impish Sebastian Grosjean, the little man with the big man’s game and the only player who looks right in a ball cap worn backwards. Maybe you were partial to the athletic Noah’s flying dreadlocks, or the balding-yet-dashing Forget’s indented Lacoste racquet. Even the less exciting personalities, like Mauresmo and Pioline, have always played with style. Indeed, for the French, style is substance.

Last year, the “New Musketeers” of Gasquet, Monfils, Simon and Tsonga simultaneously put four Frenchmen in the Top 20 for the first time since the computer rankings began in 1973. That’s nice, I suppose, but when it comes to Gallic tennis, I’ll take joie de vivre over victoire any day. So I care less about whether any of the four will win a major than that they continue to play with such estimable flash, from Gasquet’s gorgeous backhand (which, alas, we won’t see for some time) to Monfils’ elbows-and-knees-akimbo vibrancy.

INIESTA LATE SHOW STUNS CHELSEA

2009-05-07T01:19:00.000-07:00

Barcelona will play Manchester United in the Champions League final after Anders Iniesta's injury-time goal stunned Chelsea in a 1-1 draw.

The Blues looked to be cruising after Michael Essien's stunning early volley put them 1-0 ahead in their semi-final second leg, and when Eric Abidal saw red after 66 minutes, Guus Hiddink's side looked home and hosed and in line for a repeat of last season's final.

But with time ticking away, Iniesta struck a devastating shot - their first effort on target in the entire match - that beat Petr Cech and sent Barcelona through on the away goals rule to the Rome showpiece against holders United on Wednesday 27 May.

The Blues made a nervous start, with Jose Bosingwa having to hack the ball off the ball after a cross was deflected goalwards. But their nerves were soon settled in spectacular fashion as Essien fired in a first-time left-footed volley that crashed in off the underside of Victor Valdes' crossbar after just nine minutes.

Barca finally had an effort at goal when Dani Alves' 35-yard free-kick sailed wide of Petr Cech's goal. But the Blues were soon on the attack again with Didier Drogba's fierce free-kick touched away by Valdes' leg, while John Terry was just a yard off target with a towering header.

Drogba then saw penalty claims waved away by referee Tom Ovrebo after he went down under Abidal's clumsy challenge.

The Spaniards finished the half the stronger, but Chelsea defended resolutely as the interval arrived with no further incident.

But the Blues were soon on the attack after the break, with Nicolas Anelka slipping Drogba in on goal, but Valdes' outstretched boot saved his left-footed effort.

The Ivorian then saw penalty claims waved away once again, but Yaya Toure's challenge in the box appeared good. A rare Barca thrust saw Lionel Messi cut in from the right and unleash a powerful drive that flew high and wide.

But Barca's task was made far harder after 66 minutes when Abidal was harshly shown a straight red card after he clipped Anelka's heels as he burst towards goal.

Chelsea saw another penalty claim waved away when Gerard Pique appeared to handle in the area.

But with time ticking away, Iniesta's first-time shot - after Essien had fluffed a clearance - flew into the top corner to spark scenes of jubilation for Barca.

There was still time for Chelsea to see further penalty claims waved away and furious scenes at the final whistle could have further rammifications for the Blues.

RR aim for revenge against Royal Challengers

2009-05-07T01:15:00.000-07:00

Riding high after their crushing victory over Kings XI Punjab, defending champions Rajasthan Royals will be gunning for revenge against Bangalore Royal Challengers in what promises to be a cracker of an Indian Premier League (IPL) contest on Thursday.

In their first meeting, Royal Challengers defeated Rajasthan Royals by a huge 75-run margin.

Since then, both teams have followed the same course - losing matches at the start before bouncing back in the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals have nine points, one more than Bangalore Royal Challengers who have eight.

With a depleted side, Rajasthan Royals lost matches at the start and looked like a pale shadow of the formidable team that won the opening IPL championship last year.

Royals captain Shane Warne's inspirational leadership helped them bounce back as his clever fine-tunning with the team has paid rich dividends.

Warne brought Naman Ojha to open the batting with Graeme Smith in the last match and it resulted in Royals' top-order firing for the first time in the tournament.

Smith and Ojha dominated Kings XI bowlers right from the start and scored the tournament's highest total of 211.

It augurs well for Royals who so far have been relying heavily on Yusuf Pathan in batting.

After losing Kamran Khan to a suspect action, Royals discovered a new pacer in Amit Singh, who took three Kings XI wickets in his debut match.

Royal Challengers are on a roll with three wins on a trot. A new skipper in Anil Kumble has moulded the team into a winning bunch.

Their last victory against Mumbai Indians saw Jacques Kallis and Robin Uthappa return to form.

Kallis and Uthappa hit blazing half-centuries as Bangalore registered a resounding nine-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians.

They unearthed a useful South African swing bowler in Dillon du Preez who took three Mumbai wickets to restrict the strong batting line-up to 149.

Royal Challengers have the advantage of many South Africans in their ranks. In the last match, all their overseas players -- Kallis, Mark Boucher, Preez and Roelof van der Merwe - were South Africans which helped them to assess the local conditions better than any other team.

Bopara ton holds England together

2009-05-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

Ravi Bopara was an immediate success after being promoted to No. 3 as he held England's batting together at Lord's

Every time England have started a series in recent memory it has been preceded by talk of new eras before failing, often spectacularly, to deliver but Ravi Bopara's assured century, in his first innings at No. 3, suggests that this time might be different. It was a vital innings as the home side wobbled against the pace of Fidel Edwards, who claimed three quick wickets to rattle the middle order, but Bopara found crucial support from Matt Prior and Stuart Broad as honours ended even on 289 for 7, although West Indies rued a batch of dropped catches.

Bopara's display stood out for its maturity and calmness. He scored a hundred in his previous Test innings before being dropped and has now been thrust back in such a key position. He was also one of the clutch of players to have recently returned from the IPL and, while it wasn't the best of days for all of them, Bopara and Edwards showed that the adjustments can be made.

The No. 3 position has become the most vexing position in England's batting order since Michael Vaughan vacated it towards the end of last summer. The last hundred from the position was Vaughan's 106 against New Zealand in the corresponding fixture last summer. Ian Bell and Owais Shah were unable to take their opportunity and so the mantle has been passed to Bopara, the most exciting of England's new-look selections, and he has responded in full to the confidence shown by Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. This will be his position for the Ashes.

He had two lives, on 76 and 100, as West Indies' fielding fell apart in the final session and survived a perilously close lbw on 40 against Sulieman Benn that was heading towards middle. However, his strokeplay, especially his driving, was classy from the beginning and he showed the best footwork of England's top five.

His hundred arrived off 207 balls after a fairly length wait in the 90s, but even then his nerves didn't show. After tucking the ball into the leg side he calmly saluted the ground before making a rectangle symbol, imitating writing to his team-mates - he wanted his name on the honours board straight away. That's confidence for you.

West Indies missed a real chance to take a grip on this match. Edwards' post-lunch spell of 6-2-15-3 reduced them to 109 for 4 and when Prior fell shortly after tea a total of 193 for 5 could have gone either way. But the visitors were then struck by a spate of dropped chances - still a problem in this improving West Indies side - as six were put down in the final session. Broad was dropped four times in making 38, with Chris Gayle guilty for one at first slip, alongside the two lives given to Bopara.

Three of those chances came off Edwards, who deserved better support after producing the spell that put West Indies on top during the middle session. For the first two hours the bowling had been too short on a pitch offering little, despite Gayle's decision to bowl, and Andrew Strauss had been their only success when cutting at Jerome Taylor. There had clearly been a team talk during the interval about bowling fuller and it worked with great effect.

Alastair Cook dragged on via an inside edge, but it was the next ball that brought the session alive. Kevin Pietersen can often be a dodgy starter, but Edwards produced a delivery that would have dismissed most batsmen, shaping away late and took the outside edge. Just as good as the ball was Denesh Ramdin's catch because the wicketkeeper had almost been wrong-footed before sticking out his right glove and grabbing the chance.

England's shortened batting was now being severely tested as Paul Collingwood came in without having had any cricket since April 3 after spending three weeks on the bench at the IPL. He middled one pull shot, but was soon undone by another full, swinging delivery from Edwards that he jabbed at without any footwork. Devon Smith hung on a second slip, but it would be a different story later on.

Prior has been picked at No. 6 because he is good enough to be a specialist batsman and his counter-attacking style helped wrestle the momentum away from the tourists. He and Bopara brought up a swift fifty partnership while Prior went past 1000 runs in 17 Tests, although he gave his innings away when he picked out cover off Edwards. Broad, though, unfurled the shots of a top-order batsman as he drove effortlessly through the off side and lofted Benn over mid-on. Two of Broad's lives came off Benn, the first when Ramdin failed to gather an edge and the second when the bowler seemed to caught by surprise as a return catch lobbed in his direction.

Benn eventually broke through when Broad sliced to backward point where Taylor showed how to catch then he removed Tim Bresnan with a dubious leg before that was heading over the stumps. Seven wickets on the opening day of a Test, especially at Lord's, is a good return but West Indies will feel it could have been even better.

Cricket-Yuvraj hat-trick for Punjab fails to stop Bangalore

2009-05-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

* Bangalore beat Kings by eight runs

* Yuvraj hat-trick and quick-fire 50 not enough

* Mumbai claim nine-run win over Kolkata

By Jason Humphries

DURBAN, May 1 (Reuters) - A fine all-round performance by Yuvraj Singh was not enough to prevent Kings XI Punjab slumping to an eight-run loss against the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday.

Punjab captain Yuvraj took a hat-trick to help restrict Bangalore to 145 for nine at Kingsmead before blasting a superb half-century only to see his side lose two wickets in the last over of their innings to finish on 137 for seven.

Punjab began the last over of their innings needing 13 runs to win but medium pacer Praveen Kumar held his nerve to allow a single boundary and capture two wickets.

Yuvraj earlier removed Robin Uthappa (19) and Jacques Kallis (27) with the fifth and sixth balls of the 11th over before trapping Mark Boucher lbw with the first ball of the 13th for the first hat-trick of this season's IPL and the fourth overall.

India's Yuvraj claimed figures of 3-22, while left-arm seamer Yusuf Abdulla captured 4-36 making him the leading wicket-taker in this year's IPL with 13 wickets in six matches.

Right-handed South African Roelof van der Merwe rescued Bangalore's innings with a blazing cameo of 35 off 19 balls with three fours and three sixes after Bangalore had been reduced to 84 for six after Yuvraj's three-wicket burst.

QUICK-FIRE FIFTY

Yuvraj, who had opened the batting for Punjab, struck a quick-fire 50 off 34 balls with three fours and four sixes in a first-wicket stand with Karan Goel (20) of 70 runs off 60 balls.

However, Bangalore's bowlers fought back with Kumar, leg spinner Anil Kumble and left-arm spinner van der Merwe ending with two wickets apiece as Punjab lost five for 67 runs.

The result lifts Bangalore to fifth place with six points from seven games, two off the pace set by Deccan Chargers, while Punjab stay fourth on six points having played six matches.

Earlier, an unbeaten half-century from JP Duminy helped the Mumbai Indians to a nine-run win over the Kolkata Knight Riders. The result moved Mumbai up to third place on seven points while Kolkata remained rooted to the bottom with just three points.

Duminy scored 52 not out off 37 balls with four sixes and a boundary as Mumbai posted 148 for six before restricting Kolkata to 139 for six in East London.

Opening batsman Sachin Tendulkar got Mumbai off to a decent start with a score of 34 off 30 balls before the elegant Duminy provided Mumbai's innings with some much needed momentum.

His team had struggled to 96 for five after 15.5 overs at a run-rate of slightly over six runs to the over.

Kolkata came in and looked in control of the match thanks to an 89-run third-wicket partnership off 77 balls from Australian Brad Hodge and South African Morne van Wyk (32).

But when the right-handed Van Wyk was caught at long-on in the 15th over and Hodge was run out for 73 off 60 balls with five fours and three sixes after 19 overs Kolkata's fate was sealed.

Mumbai seamer Zaheer Khan finished with 3-31.

Alan Shearer Gets Tough and Drops Michael Owen

2009-05-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

EPL: Alan Shearer, Newcastle United - Chelsea (PA)

great strike partnerships

2009-04-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Dwight Yorke is congratulated by Andy Cole after scoring in the 5-1 destruction of Wimbledon at Old Trafford on 17 October 1998. Cole scored twice in the same game. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird/Allsport

1) Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush (Liverpool)

Liverpool have more to thank Steve McMahon for than the couple of stellar seasons he drove their midfield in the late 1980s; he's arguably the man who brought English football's arguably greatest striking partnership together. Kenny Dalglish hadn't scored a league goal at Anfield during the first 10 months of 1981. He had turned 30 in March, and had suggested to Bob Paisley that it was time he moved back into midfield, or at least a withdrawn role. Paisley wasn't interested, though, keeping his star striker up front, sure he would find form again. But he didn't, and was sorely out of sorts when Everton crossed Stanley Park for a First Division fixture at the beginning of November.

Just before half-time, McMahon – at this point an Evertonian – crocked Ray Kennedy, who had to be replaced by David Johnson. Moving back into midfield to accommodate the substitute striker, Dalglish started to pull strings, scoring twice in a 3-1 win. Ian Rush, a recent signing from Chester and being slowly blooded into the team, scored the other. Something snapped into place in Paisley's head. From now on, Dalglish would play just off the young Rush, running rampage in the extra space afforded to him in the hole. Having only scored eight league goals in 1980-81, the Scot hit 13 the year after, and a ludicrous 18 as a 32-year-old in 1982-83.

But his manipulation of the mobile Rush would be even more outstanding: the Welsh striker scored 30 goals in all competitions during his first season, 31 the year after, and a frankly silly 47 in 1983-84 (when the pair scored 59 between them). Rush had put years on the older man's career, who in turn had made him. Rush's record post-Dalglish was admirable – two 26-goal season hauls when Liverpool were still a force, an arguably more impressive 22-goal total in 1992-93 when the team was properly on the slide – but he never carried quite the same threat.

2) Emilio Butragueño and Hugo Sánchez (Real Madrid)

The classic example of a partnership that is, even though, er, it isn't. Not really. Emilio Butragueño was a quiet, polite man, and a slight, creative, scuttling forward. Hugo Sánchez was vainglorious and self-centred, a wallop the ball first, ask questions later kind of striker. They didn't like each other at all. They didn't really feed off each other either. And yet it somehow worked.

Real Madrid ran up five titles in a row during the late 1980s, and they were a team set up simply to get the ball into the box for either Butragueño to sniff out a chance, or Sánchez to PlayStation one in. It didn't matter who got there first; either way it worked. In 1989-90, the team scored a ridiculous 107 league goals, Sánchez helping himself to 38 of them – in only 35 matches – while Butragueño added another 10. Dalglish and Rush they weren't. But then Dalglish and Rush didn't score goals like this. Or this.

3) Mick Harford and Brian Stein (Luton Town)

One of the classic big-man-little-man partnerships; certainly, thanks to the presence of 6ft 4in battering ram Mick Harford, one of the hardest. Harford and the diminutive Stein – quick on the turn like Jimmy Greaves, with the low centre of gravity of Denis Law – helped Luton to their best-ever league position (seventh in 1983-84) then played integral parts in the club's greatest-ever triumph.

Harford was off the pitch injured in that 1988 Littlewoods Cup final against Arsenal when Stein scored the last-minute winner, but Stein's opener on 13 minutes offers perhaps the best illustration of their genius. The little man finishes the move exquisitely, passing the ball past John Lukic and into the bottom-right corner of the net – but the chance only came about because Harford had pulled three Arsenal defenders out of position while going up for a header.

Harford eventually left for Derby, the plastic pitch at Kenilworth Road irritating the hell out of his ankles. But he couldn't stop helping the club: on the final day of the 1990-91 season, he crashed a header past his own keeper – Peter Shilton, no less – from the outside of the box. The own goal secured Luton's First Division future for another year.

4) Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke

Chance can be the finest thing. Many successful World Cup partnerships have come together almost by accident, such as Gary Lineker and Peter Beardsley, and Toto Schillaci and Roberto Baggio. It can happen at club level, too. Andy Cole was arguably Sir Alex Ferguson's fourth choice to partner Dwight Yorke, after Patrick Kluivert (who was only interested in joining Arsenal), Ole Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham. But after a month of gathering splinters, Cole was rotated into the side for a mundane league fixture at Southampton in October 1998, and he and Yorke had the sort of instant chemistry usually reserved for slushy romcoms. United scored 14 goals in the next three games, a smile came on Cole's face for the first time in years, and he and Yorke would spend the season mischievously and irrepressibly running amok in England and Europe, most memorably in the Camp Nou, the Delle Alpi and the bedroom of the 36 games they started that season, United lost just one (at Sheffield Wednesday) and scored 81 goals. Overall they scored 53 goals between them, propelling United to the treble. That wonderful move against Barcelona stands out, but others against Brondby, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham in particular showed an almost eerie telepathy. All of which makes it peculiar that their success was so short-lived. They shared 46 goals the following season but were never the same, especially in Europe, and Ferguson turned his attention to another Dutch forward born on 1 July 1976: not Kluivert, but Ruud van Nistelrooy.

5) Giuseppe Signori, Francesco Baiano and Roberto Rambaudi (Foggia)

Before the twin facilitators of the backpass law and three points for a win, Serie A was a grizzled, gnarled world in which attackers were seen and not heard (except when they were being kicked) and goals had an almost Halley's Comet quality. Newly promoted Foggia, under the hippie management of the majestic Zdenek Zeman, came into that environment in 1991 and decided, Sod this for a game of catennacio. An adventurous 4-3-3 formation was centred around Roberto Rambaudi and the little-and-little pair of Giuseppe Signori and Francesco Baiano, born seven days apart in February 1968, whose rapier movements gave cynical defences a serious and unusual problem. All three would go on to play for Italy, but at this stage Baiano was comfortably outscoring the future star Signori.

Foggia finished ninth in that 1991-92 season but scored a truly unprecedented 58 goals in 34 goals. In the previous 25 seasons of Serie A, only three sides had scored more, and all finished in the top three. It was as incongruous as seeing a jester in a film noir, or a poem in a porno. Their intrepid approach led to some pastings – most notably an 8-2 shellacking at home to Milan – but they didn't care and turned up the next week with the same smile on their face. They became known as Foggia dei Miracoli. This was infectious, feelgood stuff; as joyously unexpected as digging up a brand new colour in the back garden. But it wasn't just neutrals who loved Foggia. Their rivals did, too, and Lazio, Fiorentina and Atalanta hoovered up Signori, Baiano and Rambaudi respectively in the summer. The adventure was short-lived, but it really was fun while it lasted.

6) Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas (Real Madrid)

Nandor Hidegkuti would probably have had something to say about it, what with changing All Football just behind Ferenc Puskas in Hungary's Aranycsapat (Golden Team) of the early 1950s, but have two better strikers than Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano ever played alongside each other?

There are seven reasons, all of them in that European Cup final, to say NO.

And to think they were both in their 30s before they got together! The mind boggles at what they could have achieved as younger men. As if this wasn't enough.

Keane speaks out against team-mates

2009-04-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Roy Keane is unveiled as the new manager of Ipswich Town Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins

Roy Keane returned to football management with Ipswich Town yesterday and delivered a brutal assessment of the achievements of Manchester United's much-vaunted "class of 1994", stressing that none of his former team-mates can consider himself a true success in the dugout until he wins a trophy.

Almost five months since he severed ties with Sunderland, and with resentment clearly still smouldering at perceived interference from the Wearsiders' hierarchy in team affairs during the latter days of his reign, Keane signed a two-year contract with the Championship club to replace Jim Magilton and offered little indication that he has mellowed during his brief sabbatical from the game.

There was a verbal attack on his former Republic of Ireland team-mate Tony Cascarino for doubting he would return to the game, and a claim that his employers at Sunderland had "moved the goalposts" to prompt his departure from the Stadium of Light after 27 months in charge.

Yet the honesty with which he assessed the generation of young managers who have emerged from Sir Alex Ferguson's Double-winning side of 1994 was particularly refreshing. Asked what qualities the likes of Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Keane himself must have possessed to have become "successful managers", the Irishman retorted: "Who are the good managers you are talking about? Sparky and Brucey have not won a trophy, have they? They have potential, but anyone can have potential. Steve Bruce has had a good season, but Steve Bruce has been manager how many years [11]?

"Sparky did a brilliant job at Blackburn, but is facing different challenges at Manchester City. We are all facing different challenges. Until an ex team-mate of mine from 1994 goes on and really achieves something, then I would not agree with what you are saying about [any of them] being a successful manager. You need a bit more than some of those managers have achieved yet. I believe I can potentially be a good football manager. I have done nothing in the game yet. I did OK at Sunderland, but I want to do better than OK. I've set my bar high by coming to Ipswich and looking to win something, but do you want me to set a low one? That's part of me. Anyone I've ever respected wants to achieve something in their lives."

Keane might have achieved more himself at Sunderland only to become disillusioned with life in the north-east following the arrival of Ellis Short as majority shareholder at the club. The 37-year-old stressed "the time had come" for him to depart, though bitterness at the fracture remains. "One of the big conditions I had when I went to Sunderland was that there would be no interference with team affairs," he said. "But when someone tries to move the goalposts ... It is nothing to do with contracts, it is about a promise with people at the club.

"I was disappointed because I had signed a three-year contract and the three-year plan was on target, despite two or three poor results. Believe it or not, the results at the end had nothing to do with it. You have got to be relaxed and have trust in the people you are working with. I must have said it when I met Niall [Quinn] and the owners of the club about 5,000 times, that I would do it my way, particularly in team affairs. You might be better asking Niall or Ellis Short the reasons why I left. You have to respect the people who run the football club, as I did at Sunderland. But when people are telling you what you should be doing with the team, where you should be living, what days you should be in, it's over."

Some questioned whether he would return to management following his tempestuous departure from the Stadium of Light. "You have to wonder who'd want him now when he has walked again," Cascarino wrote at the time, adding he would be "amazed if he got another job in football".

Keane retorted: "I would not give him the time of day. I am quite happy to comment on people's opinion in football I respect, but Tony Cascarino is a man I certainly do not respect for a lot of reasons, and if I told you, you would be shocked. So the day I worry about Tony Cascarino will be a very sad day of my life."

Fábregas feels FA's wrath with two improper conduct charges

2009-04-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

Fabregas walks away from Hull's assistant manager Brian Horton after Arsenal's FA Cup win. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Cesc Fábregas and Phil Brown have been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association over their actions at the end of Arsenal's FA Cup fifth-round win over Hull on 17 March.

Hull submitted evidence to the FA following allegations that the Arsenal captain Fábregas, who did not play in the match because of a knee injury, but came on to the pitch at full-time to celebrate with his team-mates, spat at their assistant manager, Brian Horton. The FA has decided to pursue matters further against Fábregas and the Hull manager, who was critical of the referee Mike Riley and his officiating crew after the game.

"Cesc Fábregas and Phil Brown have both been charged with improper conduct," read a statement released by the FA this afternoon. "Fábregas faces two charges of improper conduct relating to his conduct on the pitch following the game. One charge concerns his behaviour in coming on to the pitch after the final whistle, the second charge relates to an alleged spitting incident. The charges are based on submissions from Hull City and video evidence.

"Brown is charged with improper conduct and/or bringing the game into disrepute in relation to media comments made after the game concerning referee Mike Riley. Fábregas and Brown have until 12 May to respond."

Fábregas denied spitting at Horton when the allegations were initially made, saying: "I have never done this in my whole career," and the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, defended the midfielder this afternoon. "I personally looked at the reports, at the video evidence," said Wenger. "There is nothing in there against Cesc."

Brown, who is yet to comment on the charges, had accused Riley of a "disgraceful" showing. "We've not been beaten by Arsenal, we've been beaten by the referee and the linesman," he said after the defeat at Emirates Stadium. "The game was turned on its head when the referee succumbed to local pressure. You'd better ask Mike Riley how much that will cost us. I'm sure he wouldn't have the faintest idea."

Quick wickets stall Pakistan

2009-04-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

An edgy start by Pakistan turned into a solid one, but when Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik fell in fairly quick succession, Australia held the upper hand by the half-way mark. Salman Butt held the key for Pakistan, after being involved in the run-out of the 17-year-old debutant Ahmed Shehzad.

Shehzad had hit towards square leg and set off straight away. Butt responded to the call but pulled out half-way, and both the batsmen ended up at the non-striker's end.

Nathan Bracken and ODI debutant Doug Bollinger, both left-arm seamers, went on to trouble Butt and Younis for a considerable time. Both batsmen struggled with the angle and movement both ways, and their starts were literally edgy. Both edged wide of the slips at catchable heights on one occasion each, and Butt got away with several other edges in the initial overs. By the end of the ninth over, Pakistan had crawled to 28 for 1, having faced a maiden each from both the bowlers.

With James Hopes came the change of the angle, and Younis helped himself to three boundaries in Hopes' first two overs. In the next seven overs, Pakistan doubled their score, mainly via Younis who scored 20 off 14 during that period. The sight of Ben Laughlin lit his eyes up, a short loosener first up widened them further, and an edge resulted as he went to cut the leather off the ball. An edge resulted, and Australia were right back.

Malik couldn't make much of a drop by Shane Watson off Nathan Hauritz, and got out in a freak manner off the same bowler. A cross-batted swipe took the inside edge, hit the back of his boot and lobbed up for Brad Haddin to take a diving catch and push Pakistan back further.

Butt, meanwhile, had started hitting some lovely cover-driven boundaries to get a move on from a slow start. From 16 off 33 he had moved to 42 off 85 balls, and stood between Australia and an easy target.

Vidic: United back as team

2009-04-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Nemanja Vidic has dismissed the plaudits claiming that Manchester United's return to defensive solidity is a direct result of his renewed defensive partnership with Rio Ferdinand.

United, who can reclaim top spot in the Premier League by avoiding defeat at home to Portsmouth, have kept successive clean sheets against Porto and Everton following Ferdinand's return from a two-week groin injury lay-off.

Without Ferdinand, United shipped five goals in three games against Aston Villa, Porto and Sunderland and the defensive frailties were beginning to threaten the club's assault on a quintuple.

Everton's penalty shoot-out victory in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final has ended United hopes of a five major trophies this term, but they remain on course to retain their Premier League and Champions League titles.

But Serbian defender Vidic insists that any success United achieve between now and the end of the season will be a team effort and not merely a result of his partnership with Ferdinand.

Vidic said: "You cannot defend with two players and you cannot score goals with just two players. It is all about the group and we finally started to play again the way we had played before. We are a unit, all 11 players.

"In the games before we played in Porto, we conceded many goals, too many and we didn't play like we had been doing previously.

"But I hope our form now will signal the start again of a period where we do not concede many goals. I think we can now get back to being as solid and tight as we were before."

Liverpool's failure to beat Arsenal at Anfield has opened the door for United to take a firm grip of the title race again. The champions are level on points with Rafael Benitez's team, but have two games in hand.

Vidic insists that United's return to form is simply a result of individual players accepting the challenge of stepping up to the plate.

He said: "It wasn't about getting together and talking about where we had to improve. Sometimes you just have to look at yourself. You know what you have to do. At this stage of the season, we knew we had to perform to our best and get it right."

IPL Aussie Wrap - Week One

2009-04-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Australian cricketers have already made an impression on the Indian Premier League in the first few days of competition, with Matthew Hayden leading the competition's run scorers after seven matches have been completed.

Hayden's international days may be behind him but the big Queenslander has relished his time at the Chennai Super Kings with a brutal 65 off 43 balls against Bangalore in Port Elizabeth after hitting 44 off 35 balls against Mumbai in the very first match of the new IPL season. It's been a bright start for Hayden averaging 54.50 with a strike rate of 155.71

It means Hayden is the current orange cap bearer, the award reserved for the IPL's leading run scorer. His team has won one match and lost one match.

With much of Australia's best talent either in the UAE taking on Pakistan or at home resting before the Ashes, there has not been much other Australian action in the opening week.

Brad Hodge put in a solid turn in Kolkata's opening match of the season, grafting out 31 to top score in a total of 101 against Deccan at Cape Town. The Knight Riders, who also feature young gun Moises Henriques, who made six in that match, would end up losing the game easily, but did bounce back in a rain-affected game against Kings Xi Punjab in Durban. Hodge was 10 not out when the rain came, leaving the Knight Riders at 1/79 and in front on Duckworth Lewis.

Adam Gilchrist has played just one game for Deccan, making 13 in its win over Kolkata, caught by Henriques, while the keeper he took a catch and affected two stumpings.

Shane Warne's Rajasthan's Royals had a horrible start to their title defence, with Warne taking 2-18 before his team was dismissed for 58 with the all-rounder out for three. Warne's Royals were set to take on Mumbai on Tuesday night, but the rain ruined a clash between the legendary leg-spinner and Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar.

The only other Aussie to take a wicket in the IPL so far is Henriques, who dismissed Yuvraj Singh for 38 in Tuesday night's clash between the Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab.

Victorian paceman Dirk Nannes, who is set to represent the Netherlands in the upcoming World Twenty20, failed to get a wicket in his IPL debut for Delhi against King Punjab XI, but did take a catch.

WIMBLEDON BOSSES HAIL NADAL

2009-04-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal has been acclaimed for his support of the world's top tennis tournament.

The world number one will pick up �850,000, an increase of �100,000 on last year, if he successfully defends his crown in July and All England club chairman Tim Phillips insists he would be worth every penny.

Phillips believes Nadal has put to shame the players who specialise on clay but dodge the grass court season and Wimbledon, in particular, each year.

Phillips said: "It reflects enormous credit on Rafa. One or two others have tended to cop out. They have got disproportionate points on clay and regarded grass as an inconvenience.

"He's shown if you can play on clay you can play on anything. I really take my hat off to him. The game at the moment is blessed with some of the ambassadors it has."

The Wimbledon club chairman also denied there were any plans to rip up the famous grass to fall in line with other Grand Slam surfaces, despite the new retractable roof being used for the first time this year.

Nor are there plans to hold concerts or other events on Centre Court, something which in part has been to blame for the problems with the Wembley pitch.

The fabric and steel concertina roof was unveiled in the closed position for the first time on Tuesday, revealing a light and airy arena.

Phillips said: "The game is lawn tennis. It was invented as lawn tennis. We have got the inclination, the time and the resource to prepare the grass properly.

"In this day and age when players are complaining about the wear and tear of hard courts and there are already a load of tournaments on clay it is important to continue to remember our heritage and support grass."

Phillips also defended the hike in prize money which, despite the global recession, also sees the women's singles champion pick up �850,000 and the total pot increase by 6.2% to �12.55million, with the biggest increases of 13.3% going to those who reach the last eight. Even first round singles losers, however, take home �10,750.

Phillips said: "It is the name players who drive interest in Wimbledon and in tennis.

"We have to be mindful that this time last year the exchange rate was two dollars to the pound and now it is under 1.5 to the pound."

Tennis fans, however, seem undeterred. Applications for Wimbledon's public ballot are up 20% on last year, while all 15,000 tickets sold out within five minutes for the May 17 test event when the roof will be closed and air-conditioning tested in a mini-tournament, which will be screened on BBC2, involving Tim Henman, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Kim Clijsters.

Entertainment will also be provided, in what is being billed as 'A Centre Court Celebration' event, by Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins, Faryl Smith, the teenage star of Britain's Got Talent, and classic boy band Blake.

Tendulkar's experience sets up Mumbai's win

2009-04-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar carried the Mumbai Indians with an unbeaten 59, and how crucial it proved © Getty Images

In the first match of the IPL in 2008, Brendon McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 from just 73 balls to set up a crushing win for his side. A year later, as season two got underway across the Indian Ocean in different conditions and under grey skies, Sachin Tendulkar batted 20 overs for an unbeaten 59 from 49 balls. It was as valuable as McCullum's blitzkrieg, if utterly different in execution and appeal, for it came on a track not entirely conducive to batting and laid the platform for Mumbai Indians' victory.

Stumbling and bumbling, Mumbai managed to put together a competitive total after the core of their vaunted batting struggled to cope with the uneven bounce at Newlands. There were few fireworks from the big bats and the team owed plenty to the vast experience of Tendulkar, who absorbed the pressure superbly. Where Chennai's pacers were tidy in restricting runs during the middle stages of Mumbai's innings, it was the spinners Harbhajan Singh and Sanath Jayasuriya who derailed Chennai. They varied their pace and reined in the big hitters before Lasith Malinga kept the tail under control.

The pre-match drizzle in cloudy Cape Town influenced MS Dhoni's decision to field on a damp pitch, and though Mumbai's opening partnership yielded 39 in 5.4 overs, it wasn't convincing. Jayasuriya slashed and swiped and survived a run-out before he mowed fellow Sri Lankan Thilan Thushara to midwicket for 26. The ball didn't come on to the bat, as was evident in Tendulkar's frequent grimaces and constant shuffling to manoeuvre the bowling. Tendulkar attempted and connected with a few risky shots over the infield and was dropped on 10 by Matthew Hayden at first slip, off a leading edge induced by Andrew Flintoff.

Play was then held up for 12 minutes when a dog found its way onto the field. Failing to be enticed by whistles, calls, dives and even an inviting snack, the canine intruder got bored and finally trudged away. After the resumption Chennai's bowlers made swift inroads.

Shikhar Dhawan struggled for fluency and was undone by the slow bounce as he top-edged Manpreet Gony. Gony then held on to a sharp reflex catch to get JP Duminy with a clever bouncer in his next over and, taking the cue, Joginder Sharma dropped short and had Dwayne Bravo pulling to deep square leg. It was proof that the short-pitched ball can work well on such tracks. With Tendulkar keeping one end up, Abhishek Nayar walked out and played an invaluable cameo that provided a late push. Nayar larruped Flintoff for three sixes in a 22-run over in his 14-ball 35, while Tendulkar kept the innings alive by batting through the 20 overs. That 46-run partnership would prove decisive.

Chennai's chase was dented in the first over when Parthiv Patel steered Malinga to Tendulkar at slip. Suresh Raina caressed an impressive boundary in Zaheer Khan's first over but fell in the next, pulling Bravo to deep square leg where Rohan Raje made a difficult chance look easy. Malinga was tight, and Tendulkar showed the value of taking pace off the ball as a run-checking tactic by bringing on spinners at both ends, as Chennai's batsmen remained restless.

And as long as there is limited-overs cricket there will linger the prospect of the spinners' choking the opposition during the middle overs, especially when an Indian and a Sri Lankan are bowling. Today Harbhajan and Jayasuriya did that job. Flintoff didn't last long against Harbhajan, going for a wild swipe and popping back an easy catch.

Hayden - who bullied young medium-pacer Raje for three successive fours and drilled his old friend Harbhajan for a straight six - chased a wide one from Jayasuriya and picked out a diving Zaheer at cover. Jacob Oram then perished to an ugly slog against Jayasuriya, leaving Dhoni with plenty to do.

Dhoni swung his bat freely but the rest perished with a whimper. Malinga gave away nothing and his crafty yorkers and reverse-swinging variations netted him excellent figures of 3 for 15 from four parsimonious overs.

The crowd had filed in two hours ahead of the toss in gloomy conditions, and by the end of the first game of a double-header day they'd seen the weather clear and the ball go past the boundary several times. Mumbai celebrated the win animatedly in front of a healthy crowd - it wasn't exactly a boisterous Wankhede cauldron, but the IPL thinktank has reason to smile after the tournament opener.

Rajasthan humbled after inept batting

2009-04-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

Anil Kumble took five wickets for five runs to clean up Rajasthan © AFP

A charged-up Bangalore Royal Challengers produced the sort of performance for which franchise owner Vijay Mallya splashed the big bucks to bundle out Rajasthan Royals to the second-lowest total in Twenty20 history. There may be plenty of fresh faces but it was the old hands, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who were the stars in Bangalore's massive victory. Dravid was the most assured batsman on display, making a polished half-century, while Kumble took the most economic five-wicket haul in Twenty20s to clean up Rajasthan.

Rajasthan lost their last five wickets for 11 runs to slide to an embarrassing defeat. Such an abject end was in stark contrast to their start: Dimitri Mascarenhas scalping two big wickets in the very first over to rock Bangalore, before Shane Warne's bag of tricks kept them to what seemed a gettable 133.

The performance from Bangalore's bowlers was unidentifiable from the limp showing against a marauding Brendon McCullum in their season-opener last year. Rajasthan had a galaxy of savage hitters but they were stifled to such an extent that the entire innings had only two sixes and a solitary four.

Praveen Kumar revelled in conditions which assisted him, dislodging the openers Swapnil Asnodkar and Graeme Smith. The shot selection from Rajasthan was cringeworthy, none more so than Asnodkar's wild swing in the first over which ended up in Virat Kohli's hands at point to start the slide. Niraj Patel struggled to find any rhythm while Tyron Henderson was shackled by the short ball from Praveen and Dale Steyn.

Rajasthan were stuttering at 26 for 3 after seven overs, but it was still an even game. The match was transformed in the next over, when Henderson and Mascarenhas were dismissed off consecutive delivers in the eighth over. Henderson was tricked by a slower ball from Jesse Ryder, and Mascarenhas was run out when he refused to take no for an answer after calling Yusuf Pathan for a single.

Half the side was gone, and the run-rate was soaring into double digits. In short, Rajasthan's chase was up in smoke. Kumble was then brought into the attack and his double-strike that lured Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja into false shots extinguished any lingering hopes.

It had been so different when Mascarenhas, getting the ball to dart around, dispatched the New Zealand pair of Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor with his first three balls. Bangalore were gasping at 17 for 3 after five overs.

Kevin Pietersen, charged by Mallya with the duty of turning around Bangalore's form, was rarely troubled during his stay and, in Dravid's company, set about reviving Bangalore. They had collected an unfussy 35 runs, aided by a lightning outfield, before Pietersen mistimed a pull to a diving Niraj at midwicket.

Dravid, in the familiar role of repairing top-order collapses, calmly picked up the singles to keep the score ticking. He needed the rest to play around him, but they were bamboozled by Warne's variations. Kohli was beaten and bowled by one that drifted and dipped, while B Akhil had no reply to a classic ripping legspinner.

Dravid remained his composed self, playing a mix of orthodox and inventive strokes, to lift Bangalore. His trademark on-drive and favoured inside-out lofted drives were on view but he also mixed in some cheeky paddle-sweeps. Dravid was dismissed in the final over, foxed by a change of pace from Munaf Patel, but his 48-ball 66 had given his side's bowlers a total to defend.

The game ended in humiliation for Rajasthan, but as Warne pointed out, they started out their previous campaign with a similarly disastrous game, before scripting the fairytale run to the title.

IPL Players' Auction List

2009-04-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Player	Team	Amount	Base price
Nathan Bracken	Bangalore	$3,25,000	$2,25,000
RP Singh	Hyderabad	$8,75,000	$2,00,000
Murali Kartik	Kolkata	$4,25,000	$2,00,000
Makhaya Ntini	Chennai	$2,00,000	$2,00,000
Lasith Malinga	Mumbai	$3,50,000	$2,00,000
Chaminda Vaas	Hyderabad	$2,00,000	$2,00,000
Ramesh Powar	Mohali	$1,70,000	$1,50,000
Umar Gul	Kolkata	$1,50,000	$1,50,000
Dale Steyn	Bangalore	$3,25,000	$1,50,000
Dilhara Fernando	Mumbai	$1,50,000	$1,50,000
Ishant Sharma	Kolkata	$9.50,000	$1,50,000
Piyush Chawla	Mohali	$4,00,000	$1,25,000
Munaf Patel	Jaipur	$2,75,000	$1,00,000
Nuwan Zoysa	Hyderabad	$1,10,000	$1,00,000
Gautam Gambhir	Delhi	$7,25,000	$2,00,000
Robin Uthappa	Mumbai	$8,00,000	$2,00,000
VVS Laxman	Hyderabad	$3,75,000	$1,50,000
Wasim Jaffer	Bangalore	$1,50,000	$1,50,000
Rohit Sharma	Hyderabad	$7,50,000	$1,50,000
Mohammad Kaif	Jaipur	$6,75,000	$1,25,000
Suresh Raina	Chennai	$6,50,000	$1,25,000
Manoj Tiwary	Delhi	$6,75,000	$1,00,000
Chamara Silva	Hyderabad	$1,00,000	$1,00,000
David Hussey	Kolkata	$6,25,000	$1,25,000
Albie Morkel	Chennai	$6,75,000	$2,00,000
Ajit Agarkar	Kolkata	$3,50,000	$2,00,000
Shaun Pollock	Mumbai	$5,50,000	$2,00,000
Irfan Pathan	Mohali	$9,25,000	$2,00,000
Scott Styris	Hyderabad	$1,75,000	$1,75,000
Farveez Maharoof	Delhi	$2,25,000	$1,50,000
Tillekeratne Dilshan	Delhi	$2,50,000	$1,50,000
Cameron White	Bangalore	$5,00,000	$1,00,000
Yusuf Pathan	Jaipur	$4,75,000	$1,00,000
Joginder Sharma	Chennai	$2,25,000	$1,00,000
Dinesh Karthik	Delhi	$5,25,000	$2,00,000
AB de Villiers	Delhi	$3,00,000	$2,00,000
Mark Boucher	Bangalore	$4,50,000	$2,00,000
Parthiv Patel	Chennai	$3,25,000	$1,50,000
Kamran Akmal	Jaipur	$1,50,000	$1,50,000
Ricky Ponting	Kolkata	$4,00,000	$3,25,000
Brett Lee	Mohali,	$9,00,000	$3,00,000
Andrew Symonds	Hyderabad	$1.35 million	$2,50,000
Daniel Vettori	Delhi	$6,25,000
Matthew Hayden	Chennai	$3,75,000
Brendon McCullum	Kolkata	$7,00,000	$1,75,000
Jacob Oram	Chennai	$6,75,000	$2,00,000
Shane Warne	Jaipur	$4,50,000	$4,50,000
MS Dhoni	Chennai	$1.50 million	$4,00,000
Adam Gilchrist	Hyderabad	$7,00,000	$3,00,000
Mahela Jayawardene	Mohali	$4,75,000	$2,50,000)
Muttiah Muralitharan	Chennai	$6,00,000	$2,50,000
Shoaib Akhtar	Kolkata	$4,25,000	$2,50,000

Duminy at No. 4 on new IPL list

2009-04-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

JP Duminy's outstanding performance in Australia has fetched him a base price of $300,000 at the IPL auction © Getty Images

South African batsman JP Duminy's rising stature in international cricket was reflected in the final IPL auction list of 43 cricketers. Duminy's base price has been pegged at US$300,000, the most expensive after those of Kevin Pietersen, Michael Clarke and Andrew Flintoff.

The new list has only 43 players - the original had 111 - and includes 15 from Australia, four from Bangladesh, seven from England, three from New Zealand, five from South Africa, four from Sri Lanka, and five from the West Indies.

Each franchise has a maximum of US$2m to spend on their overseas signings in the auction. The bidding for Pietersen will start at $1.35m, while that for Clarke and Flintoff will begin at $1m and $950,000 respectively.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said the franchises with Pakistan players on their roster would be allowed to use money equal to the cost of the player to make purchases after the auction. Pakistan players have not been allowed by their government to participate in the league this season.

"The Pakistan players have a three-year contract with the franchises and the only reason of their unavailability could be injuries. But since that is not the case here, we will have to look at the legal aspect of the issue," Modi said. "The spots for Pakistan players will be freed up and the money they invested on these players last year would be made automatically available post auction, so that the teams can buy new replacement players."

Modi told Cricinfo that if franchises buy replacements for Pakistan players from the auction - as they are entitled to - they would have to stay within the US$ 2 million cap. "After the auction, they will be allowed to spend the equivalent of what they would have paid the Pakistan player for this year on a replacement," Modi said. "However, this replacement will have to be from our original list of players that was released last week."

The new group also includes ten players who were not on the original one: Aaron Bird, Brett Geeves, Daniel Harris, Dominic Thornley, Jon Moss, Phil Jaques, Steven Smith, Samit Patel, Chamara Kapugedera and Jerome Taylor. Geeves was with the Delhi Daredevils for the IPL's inaugural season, while Kapugedera and Thornley played for the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians respectively.

Final list of players for auction (all figures in US$)
Australia: Aaron Bird (45,000), Brett Geeves (45,000), Bryce McGain (50,000), Daniel Harris (50,000), Dominic Thornley (50,000), George Bailey (50,000), Jon Moss (50,000), Michael Clarke (1,000,000), Michael Dighton (85,000), Michael Hill (50,000), Phil Jaques (100,000), Shane Harwood (75,000), Shaun Tait (250,000), Steven Smith (75,000), Stuart Clark (250,000).

England: Kevin Pietersen (1,350,000), Andrew Flintoff (950,000), Luke Wright (150,000), Owais Shah (150,000), Paul Collingwood (250,000), Ravi Bopara (150,000), Samit Patel (100,000).

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (75,000), Mohammad Ashraful (75,000), Mashrafe Mortaza (50,000), Tamim Iqbal (50,000).

New Zealand: James Franklin (50,000), Jesse Ryder (100,000), Kyle Mills (150,000).

South Africa: Gulam Bodi (100,000), JP Duminy (300,000), Morne van Wyk (100,000), Tyron Henderson (100,000), Yusuf Abdullah (25,000).

Sri Lanka: Thilan Thushara (100,000), Nuwan Kulasekara (100,000), Kaushalya Weeraratne (50,000), Chamara Kapugedera (150,000).

West Indies: Kieron Pollard (60,000), Fidel Edwards (150,000), Dwayne Smith (tbc), Kemar Roach (50,000), Jerome Taylor (tbc).

South Africa win by 25 runs

2009-04-10T04:09:00.000-07:00

Cricket-South Africa win by 25 runs to take series lead

* South Africa go 2-1 up in five-match contest

* Australia fall short in run chase

(updates at end of match)

CAPE TOWN, April 9 (Reuters) - South Africa took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series of one-day internationals when they beat Australia by 25 runs on Thursday.

Australia, chasing 290 for victory, were restricted to 264 for seven in their 50 overs.

Earlier, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers led South Africa to 289 for six with classy half-centuries.

The pair came together with the hosts struggling on 50 for two in the 15th over on a slow pitch but took control with a stand of 114 off 131 balls.

Kallis scored 70 off 86 deliveries with five fours and immediately took the run-rate forward with a series of commanding front-foot drives.

South Africa's leading run-scorer fell to a soft dismissal, pulling a Brett Geeves long-hop straight to wide mid-on at the end of the 36th over.

LEADING EDGE

De Villiers went on to hit 80 in 87 balls and was out in the 41st over when paceman Mitchell Johnson had him caught off a leading edge, playing too early to the leg-side.

Busy innings in the last five overs by Albie Morkel (29) and Mark Boucher (28 not out) then capitalised on the fine work of the middle order.

Johnson, who used changes of pace to good effect, was difficult to get away and finished with outstanding figures of four for 34.

Australia, in reply, slumped to 114 for five before Callum Ferguson (63) and James Hopes (63 not out) gave them hope by adding 97 off 89 balls for the sixth wicket.

Slow left-armer Roelof van der Merwe, who took three for 37, had Ferguson caught at deep extra cover before the brilliant JP Duminy produced his second run-out of the innings to remove Johnson for nine.

Hopes collected five fours in a late flurry as he scored his unbeaten 63 in 60 balls.

India's success

2009-04-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

Cricket-Tendulkar credits coach Kirsten for India's success

CHENNAI, India, April 10 (Reuters) - Indian batting stalwart Sachin Tendulkar credits coach Gary Kirsten with helping the team become a force in world cricket again.

India won their first test series on New Zealand soil in four decades this week, their third successive test series victory since defeating top-ranked Australia in November.

"The secret to this success is the players are playing their natural game," Tendulkar told Mumbai tabloid Mid Day on Friday.

"That can only happen if the atmosphere is good and the mind is free of any kind of pressure.

"... it's the case of natural instincts taking over and that can be credited to Gary (Kirsten). The team environment is allowing players to play their natural game. That's probably the secret," Tendulkar added.

Tendulkar, the world's highest run-getter in test and one-day cricket, was second behind Gautam Gambhir in the runs tally for the team in the test series with 344 runs.

Former South African opener Kirsten took over from Greg Chappell last year and has helped the Indian team improve their performances, earning the respect of the players for his quiet approach following a turbulent period under the Australian.

Watson excited over unexpected recall

2009-04-09T00:53:00.000-07:00

MELBOURNE: Shane Watson didn't see it coming. Stationed in Johannesburg with the Rajasthan Royals, the Australian all-rounder was caught completely off-guard when Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's operations manager, phoned on Wednesday to inform him of his recall to the national squad for the one-day tour of Pakistan.

Watson had identified the IPL as the platform from which to continue his comeback from back stress fractures. From there, he hoped to steadily increase his bowling workload throughout April and May and, should all have gone to plan, to catch the attention of Australia's selectors ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in June.

The selectors, however, have opted for a faster track. Chosen as a specialist batsman, Watson will almost certainly be restored to the top of the Australian one-day order - the position he held down throughout last year's West Indies tour - alongside the recalled Shaun Marsh in the UAE. That has resulted in a major alteration to Watson's comeback blueprint, and his immediate travel schedule.

"I wasn't counting on it at all," Watson told Cricinfo. "I only arrived in South Africa on Monday night, and was looking ahead to the couple of practice games coming up for Rajasthan in the next few days.

"Now it looks like I'll probably only be here for a week or so before I fly to Dubai.

"Things have moved faster than I expected. I have spoken with the owner and the coach (of Rajasthan) and they are disappointed that I won't be available for them for a while, but very excited for me.

"They know that to get back into the Australian side and play international cricket is my ultimate objective. I will still be available for two weeks after returning from Dubai. Hopefully Rajasthan can make it through to the finals, so I can extend my time with them for as long as I can."

Just what role, if any, Watson's bowling will play in the UAE remains unclear. His initial plan was to commence competitive bowling in May, and then only in the four-over allotments of the IPL.

Watson will meet with Alex Kountouris, the Australian team physiotherapist, in South Africa in the coming days to map out new strategy, but it seems unlikely he will be used in longer spells against Pakistan.

"That structure and schedule I had in mind is obviously going to change a bit now in terms of my bowling," he said.

"I certainly won't be pushing it in trying to get to ten overs. The plan was to slowly build up the bowling over May, but I'm not quite sure how that will work out now."

Cong asks Tytler

2009-04-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Cong asks Tytler to take conscience call on candidature

New Delhi, Apr 09: With pressure mounting on the Congress for a rethink on the candidature of Jagdish Tytler for the LS polls, reports claimed on Thursday that the party has put the onus on Tytler, asking him to follow his conscience on the issue.

As per media reports, the Congress party has made up its mind that Tytler should withdraw his candidature but the line of thinking in the party is that Tytler should himself announce the withdrawal of his candidature and take a moral high ground on the issue.

The high command’s decision, as per reports, has been conveyed to Tyler in no uncertain terms. But as of now Tytler, whose name figured in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riots, is continuing to defend himself.

Speaking to the media today, Tytler said that everybody should wait for the court to give its judgement and not jump to conclusions.

“I will comment only after the court delivers its verdict,” Tytler said.

He also dismissed the claims that he has been given a clean chit by saying that the Judge has not yet opened the sealed envelope, hence there is no question of a clean chit as being suggested by the media.

Tyrler is expected to make his stand clear at 5 pm when he will be holding a press conference at his residence.

By doing this the Congress expects to come clean on the issue as a section of the party is very worried about the implications of the Tytler issue in its poll prospects in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, who has been away for electioneering, is expected to discuss the issue with senior party leaders on her return today in the wake of the shoe-throwing incident at the Union Home Minister P Chidamabarm's press conference in the AICC headquarters which has brought renewed focus on the issue.

Officially, the party said "let's wait and see" to questions whether the party would do a rethink on their candidatures.

Party Spokesperson Jayanti Natrajan said she could not add to what has already been said by other spokesmen like Janardhan Dwivedi and Ashwini Kumar that an appropriate decision would be taken at the appropriate time.

Asked whether morality or winnability was important, she said "both are important."

United serve up late drama

2009-04-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Alex Ferguson has claimed Manchester United's readiness to take risks ''could change the season for us" after untried teenager Federico Macheda secured a dramatic 3-2 victory against Aston Villa to restore the champions to the top of the Premier League.

Wonderboy: teenager debutant Federico Macheda (right) celebrates his injury time winner against Aston Villa with team-mate Darren Fletcher Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The seventeen-year-old Italian, making his senior debut as a second-half substitute, scored a stunning goal at Old Trafford, three minutes into stoppage time, to consign Villa to their fifth defeat in six league games.

With Liverpool dislodging United from top spot with victory at Fulham on Saturday, failure to defeat Villa would have severely dented United's hopes, but Ferguson insisted that taking risks may have to swung the title race back in their favour.

Ferguson said: "Through that result, the season could change for us. At 2-2, I was thinking 'gamble', because winning is the name of the game at this club. Risks are part of football and this club is built on that. I love the thrill of it, I love the adrenalin and the way we take risks. It's a great boost for us to come from behind and score a great win."

Macheda celebrated joyously with his family in the stand following his goal, but his winner was greeted with a typically muted response from Ferguson. He said: "I just said well done to the lad. It is important that he keeps his feet on the ground because he is going to get a lot of media attention over the next few days and he will have learn to handle it."

United now stand one point clear of Liverpool with a game in hand, but Ferguson believes that the Merseysiders' Champions League tie with Chelsea could prove pivotal for their title hopes. He said: "Everyone is screaming that Liverpool are our challenge, but I think that whoever wins between Liverpool and Chelsea in the Champions League will be our biggest threat. Whoever wins that double header will be our biggest threat because of the effect it will have on them."

Villa manager Martin O'Neill claimed that referee Mike Riley's decision to play five minutes of stoppage time played into United's hands. O'Neill said: "We all need a slice of luck, even the great Sir Alex needs it. The referee played five minutes added time, but he wouldn't have done that at Villa Park."

Terry tips Rooney to top 150 caps for England

2009-03-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

England captain John Terry reckons "frightening'' Wayne Rooney can only get better.

JamieMcDonald/GettyImages

Wayne Rooney fires in his second goal

The Manchester United striker took his tally to seven in his last four appearances for England with a double in the 4-0 friendly win over Slovakia at Wembley to show the fallout from his red card at Fulham last week had little impact on his game.

Rooney, 23, will win his 50th cap if selected against Ukraine in Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier.

Chelsea defender Terry, 28, reached that personal landmark of a half-century of England games yesterday, on an evening when David Beckham set a new appearance record of 109 for an outfield player.

Terry feels Rooney has the potential to achieve so much more with the national team.

"He potential is frightening. We were speaking about Becks and my 50th cap on the way here and I was saying to Wayne he could possibly get to 150,'' said Terry.

"It is a reachable target - and certainly 100.

"Wayne has probably missed 20 games through injuries and suspensions, but he is very young, very talented and one of the best in the world that is for sure.''

Terry believes Rooney thrives in a free attacking role.

"I have said before to let Wayne play, because that is what he is best at doing,'' the Chelsea defender observed. "Wayne is growing into a very mature man both on and off the field.

"We love seeing him play with freedom and he plays very well like it.''

Steven Gerrard was given a roaming role from the left of midfield yesterday by head coach Fabio Capello, with Frank Lampard playing somewhat more defensive - but still managing to arrive on queue to net a third goal for England after 82 minutes.

Terry said: "It is great to see the variety in the players, that they are able to change the formations and still do brilliantly well.

"Even when Frank was holding, he managed to finish off a great ball into the penalty area.''

On his own achievements in reaching 50 caps, Terry reflected: "When you first come in the squad you aim to get to 50, and now I am there I can hopefully kick on and get many more.

"Now I really want to push on for 100 and that means staying fit for Chelsea and playing as many games as possible for my country.''

Terry feels yesterday's victory against a side who so far had been impressive in their own campaign to reach South Africa will have set England up well for the visit of Ukraine in Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier.

"We had everything,'' the England captain declared. "The fans were great right from the start and stayed with us, which is what we need.

"We started very well and were unlucky not to be two or three up. After that the goals came, the performance was there, but it is important we get the same again Wednesday.''

Terry added: "We feel it is slowly progressing under this manager. ''We tested ourselves against Spain last month and were disappointed.

"We looked at them and said 'that's where we want to be', especially looking at their movement - which I think we had here.''

England have some fitness concerns for the clash with Ukraine.

Tottenham forward Darren Bent has been called into the squad after Carlton Cole, who had come on to replace injured goalscorer Emile Heskey, was ruled out with a thigh problem.

Heskey is also a major doubt, with the Aston Villa striker set to undergo a scan today after lasting just 14 minutes before limping off with what the England coach described as cramp.

However, Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand should be available for Wednesday's game after scans on a groin injury which caused him to miss out against Slovakia revealed no damage.

Ferguson to quit next year?

2009-03-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Sir Alex Ferguson will retire as Manchester United manager at the end of next season, according to his son Darren.

Speculation about when Ferguson will end his long reign at Old Trafford has been ongoing since he changed his mind about quitting when he turned 60 seven years ago.

Now Darren Ferguson, manager of League One side Peterborough, has hinted it could be the summer of 2010 when his father finally walks away from the game.

''His health is fine and he's building a new team,'' said Darren. ''If they win (the Premier League) this year then they catch Liverpool in terms of titles won.

''I can see him doing this year and next - and then that might be it for him.''

Ferguson senior has already cancelled one retirement date, which was originally scheduled for the end of the 2001-02 season, and passed the retirement age of 65 two years ago.

Since then he has stubbornly refused to clarify his intentions and has fluctuated from saying he has "many years" left to insisting that he will not work beyond the advanced age of 70.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's Xabi Alonso claims that Fergie's men are still favourites for the title this season.

"It's going to be difficult because we can't afford to drop many points and we know that United have a very good team," he told Sky Sports News. "They are the main favourites, of course, but we are going to be doing our best to be challenging until the final weeks of the season."

When questioned whether the pressure is on United, he responded: "Yes, I think so. They are the champions.

"They are in the best position and they have that advantage. We have to do our job and try to make things difficult for them."

Ferguson may retire next year

2009-03-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

The football focus is switched this weekend to another set of World Cup qualifiers, including Holland v Scotland and Portugal v Sweden.

Sir Alex Ferguson will retire as Manchester United manager at the end of next season, according to his son Darren.

Speculation about how long Ferguson will continue at Old Trafford has been ongoing since he changed his mind about quitting when he turned 60 seven years ago.

Now Darren Ferguson, manager of League One side Peterborough, has hinted it could be the summer of 2010 when his father decides to call it a day.

Ferguson has stated that he wants to help United equal Liverpool's record of 18 English league titles, with the Red Devils just one adrift.

The North West rivals are battling for Premier League supremacy this term, with the Anfield outfit having cut United's lead at the summit to just one point, although the reigning champions still have a game in hand.

''His health is fine and he's building a new team,'' said Darren. ''If they win (the Premier League) this year then they catch Liverpool in terms of titles won.

''I can see him doing this year and next - and then that might be it for him.''

Ferguson underwent a u-turn on his retirement date, which was originally scheduled for the end of the 2001-02 season, and passed the retirement age of 65 two years ago.

Since then he has refused to give any indication as to when he anticipates stepping down from a position he has held since 1986.

A year ago, Ferguson dismissed the prospect of retirement, joking that his wife would not be happy to spend more with him.

Ferguson said: "Retire? That wife of mine just bullies me, so she'd throw me out of the door at seven o'clock in the morning! So that's a definite no. Oh no, I dare not risk the wrath of that lass from the Gorbals.

"She's quite a formidable person! I am proud to have survived for so long, but it is easier for me than the rest because I am at such a great club. How would I be without this? Please tell me.

"This team is a good young one and has plenty of years left, so the 18th title will come. It has a lot of experience in Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. That kind of experience allows young players to develop."

DON`T REFORM ROONEY, URGES BECKS

2009-03-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

England midfielder David Beckham has pointed to the example of Zinedine Zidane to explain why there should be no attempts to curb Wayne Rooney's aggression.

Beckham has been criticised for his temperament himself throughout his career and admits he is still guilty of ill discipline at times - but he insists reigning in Rooney will create a "different animal".

The 33-year-old played with Zidane at Real Madrid and believes that taking away his passion would have affected his game, with no better example than when the France legend carried his country to the last World Cup final and then was sent off for his infamous headbutt.

Beckham could see when Zidane was going to explode, and it is the same with Manchester United forward Rooney.

"When you are a bit older, you see players' reactions and see what can happen next," Beckham said. "I've seen it with some of the best players in the world.

"Look at ZZ, you can see it in his eyes sometimes in games. You know what's going to happen.

"It's all about the passion, which is the biggest thing. You don't want to take that out of him. You can try to get to him in time as a team-mate, but some things are uncontrollable.

"You can have some of the most experienced players in the game telling you to calm down, but sometimes you can't be controlled."

Rooney has been in the spotlight since his red card at Fulham last weekend.

Ahead of the England matches against Slovakia and Ukraine, England boss Fabio Capello made a light-hearted reference during training to the Craven Cottage dismissal.

Beckham will now give Rooney advice if the United youngster needs it.

"Obviously, if Wayne wanted to talk to me about that, he would," he said. "We're good enough friends and team-mates. But he has Sir Alex Ferguson, a man who he'll be talking to and will respect, to speak about these things.

"And Fabio Capello, who is one of the most successful managers in football."

Beckham described a first-hand insight into the passion that Rooney feels towards winning.

He added: "With Wayne Rooney, you don't get the exceptional talent and player you have without that side of his game. If you take that side out of his game, he becomes a different player, a different animal. You don't want to take that out of him.

"Sometimes it flows over. He's done it a few times with myself. It happens. He knows it's not right, I know it's not right, but it happens. You don't want to take that out of him."

Luckily for Beckham, no manager told him to stop being passionate about winning.

"There's not been a single manager who's done that, and I've been lucky to have played under some of the best managers in football, and obviously the best manager in football," Beckham said. "He spoke with me when certain situations happened.

"I probably still haven't been able to control it fully. When things go badly, the team's losing and it's not going well, that frustration comes out.

"It's not right. It's bad. I was frustrated in the Spain game and got a yellow card for talking back to the ref. You try to control it, but sometimes you can't."

Mears heads Marseille into quarter-finals

2009-03-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Tyrone Mears' extra-time header sent Marseille into the UEFA Cup quarter-finals at the expense of Ajax at the Amsterdam ArenA as they won 4-3 on aggregate following a 2-2 draw.

Defending a 2-1 lead from the first leg, OM went behind in the Dutch capital when Eyong Enoh scored just after the half-hour mark - but Mamadou Niang put the visitors back in front in the tie two minutes later.

Miralem Sulejmani, with a close-range second-half header, took the last-16 game into extra-time. But English right-back Mears was the match-winner in the 108th minute.

Ajax coach Marco van Basten, who saw right-back Bruno Silva red-carded in the dying seconds, claimed his side were underdogs heading into the second leg.

But Luis Suarez's goal from the penalty spot in last Thursday's first leg gave the Amsterdammers something to cling to - and they stormed out of the blocks tonight.

Captain Suarez was at the heart of all of Ajax's best moves. He wasted a great chance in the fourth minute when, completely free eight yards out, he headed straight at OM goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

The Uruguayan nodded wide soon afterwards and then squandered his third opportunity of the match when he screwed a volley off target after running on to Silva's cross.

The striker did, though, set up Enoh's opener - slipping a short ball through the heart of Marseille's defence for the young Cameroonian, who beat the offside trap and shot low past Mandanda.

Ajax's lead lasted barely two minutes, Niang - who earlier had a goal scrubbed out for offside - latching onto Kone's pass and sliding a finish between the legs of Ajax goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer.

Suarez continued to be dangerous after the break and was foiled by Mandanda in the 53rd minute as he tried to round the France goalkeeper.

Although OM were failing to hold on to the ball in midfield, they were defending like lions - centre-back Vitorino Hilton especially impressive.

It took an excellent goal in the 74th minute to end their defiance. A free-flowing move ended with Suarez swivelling around Hilton and crossing for Sulejmani, who headed home into an empty net from four yards out.

The game went to extra-time, and Mears emerged the hero - nodding home from six yards out to send OM through.

To add insult to injury for Ajax, Silva was sent off in injury time of extra-time for elbowing Hatem Ben Arfa.

Benitez signs new Liverpool deal

2009-03-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Rafael Benitez has signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool, ending a 17-month power struggle with the club's board.

The future of the former Valencia boss, who led Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005, had been in doubt since he revealed in January that he had rejected the club's first offer of a new contract.

Reports suggested that control over the Reds' transfer activity proved to be the sticking point for Benitez but the Merseyside club announced on Thursday evening that a new deal had been agreed that should keep him at Anfield until June 2014.

"My heart is with Liverpool Football Club, so I'm delighted to sign this new deal," Benitez said. "I love the club, the fans and the city and with a club like this and supporters like this, I could never say no to staying.

"I always made clear I wanted to be here for a long time and when I complete my new contract it will mean I have spent over a decade in Liverpool."

Benitez took over in 2004 and despite failing to end their wait for the top-flight title stretching back to 1990 he has re-established Liverpool as a European powerhouse, adding a final appearance in 2007 to the triumph two years earlier.

The 48-year-old said: "The club is greatly respected around the world due to its incredible history and tremendous heritage. It is my aim to uphold those values and help create a new chapter in our history.

"Throughout this process, I would like to thank the owners for their hard work in finalising the deal. All of us at the club want the same thing, which is to be successful by winning major trophies."

Last week Liverpool reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 5-0 aggregate rout of Real Madrid and on Saturday, Benitez's men thrashed Premier League leaders Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford.

"It is wonderful news Rafa has made a long-term commitment to the club," American co-owner Tom Hicks said. "Since he became manager he has been responsible for the great progress we have made.

"I know he will continue to build on his achievements as he has a tremendous hunger and desire to bring more success to the club, success our fans and everyone connected with the club deserves."

As well as winning the Champions League, Benitez also lifted the FA Cup with Liverpool in 2006.

Co-Chairman George Gillett added: "With Rafa continuing to manage the team, we can look forward to more great football and success on the pitch. He has special abilities and qualities which are admired here at the club and around the world.

"Coming after our excellent wins over Real Madrid and Manchester United, this gives us great momentum going into the final stages of the season."

It is no surprise that Benitez agreed his new contract within a couple of weeks of chief executive Rick Parry's announcement that he would be leaving the club in the summer.

The two have had a sometimes strained relationship, with Benitez angry that many of his transfer negotiations seemed subject to the chief executive's opinion.

He had criticised the slowness of some deals, in which players he wanted were lost, with the key issue being the failure to sign Gareth Barry last summer, when the club refused to match Aston Villa's reported £18million asking price.

At first Hicks and Gillett rejected Benitez's demands to have control over transfers, and it is believed they even asked Villa's American owner Randy Learner for advice and confirmation that the sort of deal Benitez wanted was similar to Martin O'Neill's.

Benitez has continually been linked with Real Madrid, who will probably have a vacancy in the summer when Juande Ramos' short-term contract ends, but those rumours can now be put to bed.

Fixtures & Latest Scores

2009-03-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Monday 16th March 2009

Barclays Premier League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
West Ham	vs	West Brom	Upton Park	20:00	Preview Not Started

Tuesday 17th March 2009

Coupe de France

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Sedan	vs	Guingamp	Louis-Duguaguez	17:00	Not Started
Toulouse	vs	Lille	Stadium Municipal	19:45	Not Started

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Barnsley	vs	Crystal Palace	Oakwell Stadium	19:45	Not Started
Doncaster	vs	Reading	Keepmoat Stadium	19:45	Not Started
Ipswich	vs	Burnley	Portman Road	19:45	Preview Not Started
QPR	vs	Swansea	Loftus Road Stadium	20:00	Not Started

The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Arsenal	vs	Hull	Emirates Stadium	19:45	Not Started

Wednesday 18th March 2009

Scottish Cup

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Aberdeen	vs	Dunfermline	Pittodrie Stadium	19:45	Not Started

UEFA Cup

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
St Etienne	vs	Werder Bremen	Geoffroy-Guichard	19:30	Not Started
Ajax	vs	Marseille	Amsterdam Arena	19:45	Not Started

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Cardiff	vs	Watford	Ninian Park	19:45	Not Started

Coupe de France

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Grenoble	vs	Monaco	Stade des Alpes	16:00	Not Started
Rennes	vs	Rodez Aveyron	Route de Lorient	18:00	Not Started

Thursday 19th March 2009

UEFA Cup

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
FC Metalist Kharkiv	vs	Dynamo Kiev	Metalist Stadium	17:00	Not Started
Shakhtar Donetsk	vs	CSKA Moscow	RSK Olympyiskyi	17:30	Not Started
Zenit St Petersburg	vs	Udinese	Petrovski Stadium	17:30	Not Started
Galatasaray	vs	Hamburg	Ali Sami Yen Stadium	19:30	Not Started
AaB	vs	Man City	Aalborg Stadion	20:00	Not Started
Braga	vs	PSG	Estadio Municipal de Braga	20:30	Not Started

Friday 20th March 2009

American MLS League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Seattle Sounders FC	vs	Red Bull New York	Qwest Field	01:00	Not Started

Dutch Eredivisie

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
De Graafschap	vs	Heerenveen	De Vijverberg	19:45	Not started

German Bundesliga

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Borussia M'gladbach	vs	VfL Bochum	Stadion im Borussia Park	19:30	Not Started

Saturday 21st March 2009

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Birmingham	vs	Norwich	St Andrews Stadium	15:00	Not started
Blackpool	vs	Southampton	Bloomfield Road	15:00	Not started
Ipswich	vs	Watford	Portman Road	15:00	Not started
Charlton	vs	Preston	The Valley	15:00	Not started
Derby	vs	Barnsley	Pride Park Stadium	15:00	Not started
QPR	vs	Bristol City	Loftus Road Stadium	15:00	Not started
Nottm Forest	vs	Wolverhampton	City Ground	15:00	Not started
Sheff Wed	vs	Swansea	Hillsborough	15:00	Not started
Coventry	vs	Doncaster	Ricoh Arena	15:00	Not started
Plymouth	vs	Burnley	Home Park	15:00	Not started
Crystal Palace	vs	Reading	Selhurst Park	17:20	Not Started

Clydesdale Bank Premier League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Kilmarnock	vs	Motherwell	Rugby Park	12:30	Not Started
Hamilton	vs	St Mirren	New Douglas Park	15:00	Not started
Rangers	vs	Hearts	Ibrox Stadium	15:00	Not started
Hibernian	vs	Aberdeen	Easter Road Stadium	15:00	Not started
Falkirk	vs	Inverness CT	Falkirk Stadium	15:00	Not started

Japanese J League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Omiya Ardija	vs	Vissel Kobe	Omiya Park Soccer Stadium	04:00	Not Started
Jubilo Iwata	vs	Urawa Red Diamonds	Yamaha Stadium	05:00	Not Started
FC Tokyo	vs	Montedio Yamagata	Anjinimoto Stadium	05:00	Not Started
Yokohama F. Marinos	vs	Kashiwa Reysol	Nissan Stadium	06:00	Not Started
Oita Trinita	vs	Albirex Niigata	Oita Sports Park	07:00	Not Started

Barclays Premier League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Portsmouth	vs	Everton	Fratton Park	12:45	Not Started
Blackburn	vs	West Ham	Ewood Park	15:00	Not started
Fulham	vs	Man Utd	Craven Cottage	15:00	Not started
West Brom	vs	Bolton	The Hawthorns	15:00	Not started
Stoke	vs	Middlesbrough	Britannia Stadium	15:00	Not started
Tottenham	vs	Chelsea	White Hart Lane	15:00	Not started
Newcastle	vs	Arsenal	St James' Park	17:30	Not Started

German Bundesliga

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
VfB Stuttgart	vs	Hertha Berlin	Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion	14:30	Not started
Cottbus	vs	Cologne	Stadion der Freundschaft	14:30	Not started
Bayer Leverkusen	vs	Eintracht Frankfurt	BayArena	14:30	Not started
Bayern Munich	vs	Karlsruhe	Allianz Arena	14:30	Not started
TSG Hoffenheim	vs	Hannover 96	Rhein-Neckar Arena	14:30	Not started

Dutch Eredivisie

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
NEC	vs	Willem II	De Goffert	17:45	Not started
PSV	vs	Vitesse	Philipsstadion	18:45	Not started
Sparta	vs	Heracles	ENECO	19:45	Not started

French Ligue 1

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Nice	vs	Caen	Municipal du Ray	18:00	Not Started
Lille	vs	Grenoble	Lille Metropole	18:00	Not Started
AS Nancy	vs	Monaco	Marcel-Picot	18:00	Not Started
Le Havre	vs	Bordeaux	Jules-Dechasseaux	18:00	Not Started
Rennes	vs	Valenciennes	Route de Lorient	18:00	Not Started
Auxerre	vs	Le Mans	Abbe-Deschamps	18:00	Not Started
Marseille	vs	Nantes	Stade Velodrome	20:00	Not Started

Italy Serie A

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Catania	vs	Lazio	Angelo Massimino	17:00	Not Started
Roma	vs	Juventus	Stadio Olimpico	19:30	Not Started

Sunday 22nd March 2009

Italy Serie A

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Torino	vs	Sampdoria	Delle Alpi	14:00	Not started
Genoa	vs	Udinese	Luigi Ferraris	14:00	Not started
Lecce	vs	Atalanta	Stadio Via del Mare	14:00	Not started
Chievo	vs	Palermo	Bentegodi	14:00	Not started
Bologna	vs	Cagliari	Renato Dall'Ara	14:00	Not started
Fiorentina	vs	Siena	Artemio Franchi	14:00	Not started
Inter Milan	vs	Reggina	Stadio Giuseppe Meazza	14:00	Not started
Napoli	vs	AC Milan	San Paolo	19:30	Not Started

Spanish Primera Liga

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Getafe	vs	Recreativo Huelva	Coliseum Alfonso Perez	16:00	Not started
Mallorca	vs	Atletico Madrid	ONO Estadi	16:00	Not Started
Real Madrid	vs	Almeria	Santiago Bernabeu	16:00	Not started
Deportivo La Coruna	vs	Real Betis	Riazor	16:00	Not started
Numancia	vs	Sporting Gijon	Nuevo Los Pajaritos	16:00	Not started
Racing Santander	vs	Valencia	El Sardinero	16:00	Not started
Osasuna	vs	Espanyol	Reyno de Navarra	16:00	Not started
Barcelona	vs	Malaga	Camp Nou	16:00	Not Started

Dutch Eredivisie

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Roda JC	vs	ADO Den Haag	Parkstad Limburg Stadion	11:30	Not started
AZ	vs	Feyenoord	DSB Stadion	13:30	Not Started
FC Twente	vs	FC Groningen	Arke Stadion	13:30	Not started
NAC	vs	Ajax	Fujifilm	13:30	Not started
FC Volendam	vs	FC Utrecht	Veronica Stadion	13:30	Not started

German Bundesliga

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Schalke 04	vs	Hamburg	Veltins Arena	16:00	Not Started

French Ligue 1

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Lorient	vs	St Etienne	Yves-Allainmat	16:00	Not Started
Lyon	vs	Sochaux	Municipal De Gerland	16:00	Not Started
Toulouse	vs	PSG	Stadium Municipal	20:00	Not Started

Japanese J League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Kyoto Purple Sanga	vs	Gamba Osaka	Kyoto Stadium	04:00	Not Started
Nagoya Grampus Eight	vs	Shimizu S-Pulse	Mizuho Stadium	04:00	Not Started
Kashima Antlers	vs	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Kashima Soccer Stadium	07:00	Not Started
JEF United Ichihara-Chiba	vs	Kawasaki Frontale	Rinkai Stadium	07:00	Not Started

American MLS League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Houston Dynamo	vs	Columbus Crew	Robertson Stadium	00:00	Not Started
Kansas City Wizards	vs	Toronto FC	Community America Ballpark	00:30	Not Started
FC Dallas	vs	Chicago Fire	Pizza Hut Park	00:30	Not Started
Chivas USA	vs	Colorado Rapids	The Home Depot Center	02:30	Not Started
San Jose Earthquakes	vs	N.E Revolution	Buck Shaw Stadium	02:30	Not Started
L.A Galaxy	vs	DC United	Home Depot Center	19:00	Not Started

Barclays Premier League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Wigan	vs	Hull	The JJB Stadium	13:30	Not Started
Man City	vs	Sunderland	City of Manchester Stadium	15:00	Not Started
Liverpool	vs	Aston Villa	Anfield	16:00	Not Started

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Cardiff	vs	Sheff Utd	Ninian Park	15:00	Not started

Clydesdale Bank Premier League

Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Time	More information
Dundee Utd	vs	Celtic	Tannadice Park	14:00	Not Started

Soccer Articles

2009-03-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Bayern Munich Bid For Hleb
German powerhouse Bayern Munich have reportedly made a bid for the Belarusian international midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb.

Mourinho Not Interested In Man United Job
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has reportedly denied fostering any interest in replacing Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager of the reigning Premier League and European champions Manchester United in the future.

Frank Rijkaard To Coach Milan?
Former FC Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard is reportedly being targeted by Italian club AC Milan to become their coach at the end of the season.

Milan VP: Beckham Deal Not Done Yet
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has dismissed all reports claiming that they and the LA Galaxy have come to an agreement over star midfielder David Beckham.

Figo: I Never Wanted To Leave Barcelona
Portuguese legend Luis Figo has dug old ghosts out of the grave after he reaffirmed in an interview that he did not want to leave FC Barcelona when he did.

Milan Still Chasing Nemanja Vidic
Italian and European powerhouse AC Milan are still chasing Serbian international Nemanja Vidic from Manchester United and are reported to make a formal bid in the summer of 2009.

Lazio President Sentenced To Jail
The president of the Italian Serie A club Lazio, Claudio Lotito, has been sentenced to two years in prison for two years for irregularities with the Roma club's shares in 2005.

Lazio President Sentenced To Jail

2009-03-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 -- The president of the Italian Serie A club Lazio, Claudio Lotito, has been sentenced to two years in prison for two years for irregularities with the Roma club's shares in 2005.

APCOM reports that the tribunal of Milan have pronounced a two year jail sentence for the Lazio president after it was found that he had manipulated shares of the clubs in 2005.

Lotito was also found to have stopped the Consob watchdog agency from carrying out any probe into these clandestine dealings and has now been sentenced to two years in prison.

Milan Still Chasing Nemanja Vidic

2009-03-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 -- Italian and European powerhouse AC Milan are still chasing Serbian international Nemanja Vidic from Manchester United and are reported to make a formal bid in the summer of 2009.

Il Corriere Dello Sports reports that chiefs at Milan have set themselves to sign the highly rated Serbian international centre-back as they think that he would be the solution to their defensive frailties.

Reports suggest that Milan are willing to splash out as much as 20 million euros for the 27-year old but Vidic has a contract with the reigning Premier League and European champions Man United until 2012 and it is not very likely that Vidic would like to barter United for Milan.

The Italian club are in desperate need of summer reinforcements at the back as legendary Paolo Maldini is set to leave at the end of the season while Alessandro Nesta has been struggling with injuries for quite some time.

Figo: I Never Wanted To Leave Barcelona

2009-03-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 -- Portuguese legend Luis Figo has dug old ghosts out of the grave after he reaffirmed in an interview that he did not want to leave FC Barcelona when he did.

The former Portuguese international midfielder played for the Catalan giants Barcelona for five years before he joined archrivals Real Madrid in the summer of 2000 for what was then a world record transfer fee and was the first of the Galatico of the Florentino Perez era at the Bernabeu.

Figo became a massive hate figure in Catalunya and Barcelona. It was thought that he had already signed a pre-contract in the summer of 2000 and has never been forgiven by the Barcelona supporters.

In an interview with Spanish paper El Pais, the current Inter Milan midfielder said that he never wanted to leave Barcelona but had to do so. He said:

"I didn't lie when I said that I wanted to stay with Barcelona. I wanted to remain there and the president also knew that. My only mistake back then was to say in an interview that I would not go.

"I could not change the opinion of the people because I could not compete with the press, the president...Out of 80,000 people, only 5,000 would believe me" he mused.

"I take responsibility for it. It is normal that if I go to Barcelona, people will hate me."

Milan VP: Beckham Deal Not Done Yet

2009-03-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 -- AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has dismissed all reports claiming that they and the LA Galaxy have come to an agreement over star midfielder David Beckham.

Beckham is currently on loan from MLS side LA Galaxy to Italian and European giants AC Milan and his loan period is set to expire in the end of March.

But the England international midfielder has maintained that he does not want to return to the USA and wants to carry on playing for Milan.

Earlier on Tuesday, there were reports suggesting that a deal has been reached between the two clubs but Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has now dismissed all such reports and says that things have yet to come to any solution in regards to the Beckham situation.

He told reporters at the Malpensa Airport:

“I have read that [the Beckahm deal] was wrapped up but it’s not true. There is no agreement yet but we are indeed working to secure a loan deal until June 30."

Frank Rijkaard To Coach Milan?

2009-03-13T10:18:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 -- Former FC Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard is reportedly being targeted by Italian club AC Milan to become their coach at the end of the season.

Rijkaard was sacked by Barcelona at the end of the 2007-2008 season after spending five years in Catalunya and led the Blaugranas to two liga triumphs and one UEFA Champions League crown.

Milan are going through some tough times this season and were knocked out of the UEFA Cup last week. They are also more or less out of the reckoning for the Italian Serie A title this season and there are consistent reports that Milan supremo Silvio Berlusconi shall sack coach Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season.

It has now emerged that former Milan player Frank Rijkaard might be approached to coach Milan. Rijkaard's agent Perry Overeem has accepted that they do keep in touch with Milan but have denied any suggestions that the club have officially approached his client but does say that if any offer does come from Milan, then they would certainly analyze it.

Overeeem told Calciomercato.it:

“We speak with Milan very often, but about completely different matters. We have never talked about him becoming the next Milan boss. Of course, he has a Rossoneri past and should they show an interest and make a proposal, we would carefully evaluate it.”

Mourinho Not Interested In Man United Job

2009-03-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 -- Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has reportedly denied fostering any interest in replacing Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager of the reigning Premier League and European champions Manchester United in the future.

Earlier last week the British media were obsessed with the news that the former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho wanted to manage Man United when Sir Alex Ferguson retires.

But Mourinho has now dismissed all such claims made by the Brirtish media. His advisor, Eladio Parames, has told the British tabloid The Sun that all such reports are unfounded and made it clear that Mourinho is staying with Inter Milan.

He said:

"Jose did not give an interview or speak with anyone about Alex Ferguson’s job.

"The contents of the article are ridiculous. First, it shows a lack of respect to Sir Alex, whom Jose is a great admirer of and believes will manage Manchester United for many years to come.

"Jose has a deal with Inter, which he plans to honour, and it shows a lack of respect to Manchester United in a week in which Inter are preparing to face them in an important Champions League match."

Bayern Munich Bid For Hleb

2009-03-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 -- German powerhouse Bayern Munich have reportedly made a bid for the Belarusian international midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb.

Catalan-based sports daily El Mundo Deportivo has reported that the Bavarian giants have tabled a 8 million euro bid for the out-of-favour Aliaksandr Hleb. Hleb was signed by Barcelona in the summer of 2008 from Premier League club Arsenal for 15 million euros.

Hleb, though, has failed to settle at Camp Nou and has started only a handful of matches. He is understandably frustrated and it has now been reported that Bayern would like to sign him in the summer of 2009.

Bayern are thought to be bracing themselves for the departure of their star player Franck Ribery, who has been linked with a number of top European clubs. Hleb is said to replace the French international midfielder.

Striker Villa will snub Man City move - agent

2009-03-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Manchester City look set to be thwarted in their bid to sign one of the world's top players yet again with David Villa's agent claiming the forward would turn down a move to Premier League.

Prized asset David Villa is sure to leave this summer as a result of Valencia's finances

The Spanish club face an uncertain financial situation with debts in the region of 450m euros and star players such as Villa and David Silva seem sure to be sold when the transfer window reopens in the summer.

Valencia confirmed on Thursday that they had held initial talks with City over the transfer. However, it now appears the striker, one of the top performers at Euro 2008 with Spain, does not want to leave his homeland.

"He'll not leave Spain, he's very clear about that," newspaper El Mundo Deportivo quoted Villa's agent Jose Luis Tamargo as saying on its website.

The 27-year-old may find his options limited, however. With Valencia in desperate need of funds they will be looking for a good price, even though they may not get his market worth considering their position.

Villa is thought to have a 140m euro release clause in his contract, but City are understood to have been working on a 60m euro bid.

If neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona are able, or prepared, to meet the asking price then Villa could have little choice but to sign for Manchester City.

After missing out on Kaka in January it would come as a further blow to City's ambitious and cash-rich owners considering that Valencia, unlike AC Milan, have to sell.

Villa signed a six-year contract last August, but it now seems inevitable that he will leave Valencia in the close season.

City would be prepared to pay a hefty salary to lure him to Eastlands, but Tamargo insists no amount of money would tempt Villa away from Spain.

He added: "I don't know what type of contact there has been between them, if there has been, nor any agreements that could be made, but his future will not be outside the country.

"It's not a question of money.''

Silva is being linked to Juventus and the Spain midfielder admits he is a big admirer of the Bianconeri.

"Why not?'' he told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked if he could win the Champions League with Juve next season. "Juve have so many great players. They can aim high.

"There are two Italian footballers I admire: (Alessandro) Del Piero and (Andrea) Pirlo. And Del Piero is the Juve captain.

"Juve are a great club. They have international prestige. I saw that they were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea. But they went out with their heads held high.

"The Champions League is also my dream. There is something magical about lifting that cup.

"Spanish newspapers are saying that Juventus want to buy me. They've been going on about this story for days.''

Reports suggest Juventus see Silva, who signed a seven-year contract at Valencia last June, as an ideal replacement for Pavel Nedved who is set to retire at the end of the season.

However, the 23-year-old insists he is nowhere near that level yet.

Silva said: "Why does he want to retire? For how he fights on the pitch, Nedved still seems very young.

"He has been one of the great players of European football. I am only Silva. No comparisons.''

Four bids to host Euro 2016

2009-03-11T02:47:00.001-07:00

Man Utd & Inter Milan drew 0-0 in their last 16 first leg but Jose Mourinho has lost just 1 of 5 previous visits to Old Trafford.

UEFA has confirmed that it received four bids to stage the Euro 2016 championships by Monday's deadline. They are France, Italy, Turkey and a joint bid from Sweden and Norway.

According to a press release from European football's governing body, "France, Italy, and Turkey have informed UEFA they wish to submit a single bid, while a joint bid will be presented by Norway/Sweden."

The process now continues, with UEFA looking at the infrastructure and experience of each of the candidates, and presenting them with the requirements expected of them.

"A second phase, starting on or about 3 April 2009 with the distribution of the bid requirements, will allow the candidates to develop their bid dossiers, which they will have to present to UEFA by 15 February 2010."

After that stage, UEFA will visit each candidate, and provide written evaluations of their suitability, with a final decision being made at the end of May 2010.

If Norway and Sweden's bid is successful, it would be the fourth time finals have been jointly hosted. Belgium and Holland first did so in 2000, Austria and Switzerland eight years afterwards and Poland and the Ukraine will do so in three years time.

Juventus Win Turin Derby

2009-03-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Milan Announce Beckham Deal
After weeks of negotiations Milan has officially announced that David Beckham will stay with the club through the end of the Serie A season in June. Beckham will rejoin the Los Angeles Galaxy for he second half of its Major League Soccer campaign, but how well he will be received remains unclear.

»Counterattack: Biggest Loser If Beckham Deal Is Done?
»Adriano Galliani Confirms David Beckham Deal
Juventus Win Turin Derby
A late goal from Giorgio Chiellini gave Juventus a 1-0 win over Torino in the Turin derby. The defender headed home a Pavel Nedved free kick to give Juve the lead in the 81st minute. Inter also got another win with goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Balotelli sinking Genoa 2-0.

Best Soccer Videos

2009-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

Top 5 Weird Soccer (Futebol) Goals

Soccer Moves

Best Soccer Skills ~ 2008/2009

Top 20 soccer (football) misses

WWE Watch Live

2009-03-01T00:48:00.000-08:00

WWE raw episodes 2004-2006
Watch live video from raw 2004-2006 on Justin.tv
WWE
Watch live video from THE BEST WWE SHOWS AND PPVS!! on Justin.tv

Sports Channels

2009-02-27T01:26:00.000-08:00

RUGBY
Watch live video from FNB Varsity Cup on Justin.tv

ESPN
Watch live video from Hot channel on Justin.tv

Sports Channel 2
Watch live video from Live HD on Justin.tv

Sports Channel 3
Watch live video from Bundesliga on Justin.tv

XBox Feature List

2008-11-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

Categories:

Play Games Online, XBOx Features List, XBox Games
PC Games, Play Station Games, Play Station 3

Complete Dashboard Update Feature List

New Features

HD 1080p video mode support over VGA and component cables.
Xbox 360™ HD DVD Player support.
Stream WMV video from a Windows PC running Windows Media Player 11, Zune software, or Windows Media Connect.
Play video from storage devices such as USB flash drives, Xbox 360 Memory Units, etc.
Play video from CD or DVD data discs.
Xbox 360 Wireless Headset support, including battery level indicator in the Xbox Guide.
Video support for 50 Hz HDTV modes (DVD only).
Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel support.
Set up automatic downloads of newly released Xbox Live Arcade trial games.
Support for upcoming release of XNA Game Studio Express (separate download and subscription required.)
Stream music, pictures and video from a Zune device.

Xbox Live Arcade

Lightning-fast enumeration and listing of all Xbox Live® Arcade games on the console.
Find games quickly with two new sort options: Recently Played and By Category.
Have all new Xbox Live Arcade games at the ready with auto downloads. Auto downloads optionally adds newly released trial versions of games to active downloads when you enter Xbox Live Arcade.
View full achievement info in Xbox Live Arcade, including icons, achievement point details, and descriptions.
Friends leaderboard: Compare yourself with friends and view leaderboard details right from the Xbox dashboard.
Tell a friend: Send a message to a friend about your newest favorite Xbox Live Arcade game.

DVD Player

Optionally disable notifications from Xbox Live while watching DVD movies.
Improved support for audio streams on incorrectly authored DVDs.
Better handling of unreadable discs.
Updated count-down timer.
HD DVD player support.
Added zoom support for non-anamorphic content.
Added support to Family Settings to block Unrated Content

Video Player

Improved support for extended all black scenes in WMV content.
Added support for Windows Media Video 9 Advanced profile video.
Screen saver now becomes active when videos are paused.
Now shares UI and player controls with DVD player.
Improved video playback while downloading from Xbox Live.
Added skip controls (forward approx. 30 seconds, back approx. 7 seconds).
Improved messaging around unplayable video content.
Added time elapsed and time remaining displays.
Improved playback of high bit-rate HD content on fragmented hard drives.
Improved visual quality of video playback.
Added selectable display modes: default and letterbox zoom.

Localization

New locale setting for China
Improved German translations in console settings.
Improved German translations in memory area.
Improved Japanese translations in Family Settings.
Added localized text for all supported languages in pictures area
Improved Spanish translations in camera effects.
Improved locale-specific decimal denominators.
Added localization support for title menu and main menu in the DVD player.
Added localization support for “Attempting to Read Media” system message.

Memory Area

Added support for Xbox 360 HD DVD Player content..
Added new page for viewing content size by category.

Other System Improvements

Updated support for new Daylight Savings changes coming in 2007.
Improved support for games to better handle host migration in multi-player matches.
Improved Xbox Live Vision camera support for changing room lighting while zooming.
Background downloaded videos appear in video area
Improved Xbox Live Vision camera support while using VGA.
Playing photo slideshows from PC now maintains picture folder hierarchy.
Improved user experience when playing and deleting videos from the Games or Media areas.
Improved handling of invalid characters during Xbox Live signup.
Better handling of watermarks in gamer cards.
Improved text for Windows Media Connect..
Improved UI performance in Media Center Extender
Improved connection support for Buffalo WZR-G108 wireless router when using Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter.
Redownload of deleted Arcade Games no longer re-enumerates all games on the Arcade page.
Improved visual display of text in themes.
Improved support for CD playback after signing up for Xbox Live and losing network connectivity.
Improved support for long names of items memory area.
Improved handling of gamer pictures downloaded from Xbox Live.
Improved background download notifications when downloading many small items from Xbox Live.
Improved support for custom backgrounds after returning to the Xbox Dashboard from the Account Management area.
Improved network reliability between Windows Media Center Extender on Windows Vista and Xbox 360 consoles using Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter.
Improved voice chat quality in Xbox Dashboard and in-game chats.
Improved messaging when failing to connect to Windows Media Center Extender.
Improved USB keyboard support when using a USB hub.
Improved consistency of user experience when deleting various types of content.
Improved handling of low storage space for background downloads.
Improved handling of Picture streaming from attached Digital Cameras over MTP protocol
Improved error messaging for optional iPod support download when storage devices are full.
Improved handling of multi-key repeating for USB keyboards.
Expanded Family Settings to include support for blocking unrated DVDs and videos.
Added ability to clear space from storage devices in download areas.
Added support for low-speed and full-speed USB keyboards.
Improved CapsLock behavior for USB keyboards.
Improved look and feel in Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade areas.
Added redeem code option to Xbox Live signup.
Removed system message at the start of new downloads. Messages will be displayed for completed items.
Added support for CCV credit card validation field in Xbox Live Marketplace purchase areas.
Updated “More Information” instructions in the Xbox Dashboard for connecting an Xbox 360 console to a Windows PC to stream digital media content.
Added auto-scroll to long text descriptions in Xbox Dashboard UI.
Improved support for DVD insertion while playing a video file.

PC Games

2008-11-24T03:47:00.000-08:00

Categories:

Play Games Online, XBOx Features List, XBox Games
PC Games, Play Station Games, Play Station 3

PC GAMES

Play Station Games

2008-11-24T03:12:00.000-08:00

Categories:

Play Games Online, XBOx Features List, XBox Games
PC Games, Play Station Games, Play Station 3

Play Station Games

Command And Conquer 3 Kane’s Wrath

Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath features a new strategic layer to gameplay that allows players to establish bases, build customized armies, and attack their enemies on a global scale.

Capcom’s Rocketmen: It Came From Uranus

Capcom’s Rocketmen: It Came From Uranus will be released on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 for Xbox Live Arcade and Thursday, May 15 for PlayStation Network. This expansion will be sold for 400 Microsoft Points or approx. $5 will feature 3 maps, 3 main weapons, 2 secondary weapons, and new enemies

Play Station 3

2008-11-24T02:45:00.000-08:00

Categories:

Play Games Online, XBOx Features List, XBox Games
PC Games, Play Station Games, Play Station 3

Hardware

Sony Conference

Sony's Richard Marks tells GameSpot about the PlayStation 3 design.

Watch It »

The PlayStation 3 system will be available with two different hard-drive options in Japan and the United States in November 2006, and in Europe and Australasia in March 2007. The later date for the European and Australasian launches (as well as those planned for Russia, the Middle East, and Africa) has been blamed on delays in blue-laser diode production. The console will hit Japan first on November 11. The 20GB model will sell for 49,980 yen (about $429), roughly $85 lower than the 59,800 yen price Sony originally announced for the console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006. Sony will let Japanese retailers name their own price for the 60GB version. The PlayStation 3 will launch in the United States on November 17. In the US, the 20GB version will retail for $499, and the 60GB version will retail for $599. In Europe, the 20GB version will retail for 499 euros, and the 60GB version will retail for 599 euros. In Australia, the 20GB version will retail for AU$829.95, and the 60GB version will retail for AU$999.95.

The new PlayStation 3 console has an elegant design featuring clean lines and pleasing curves. In contrast to the Xbox 360's puckered "inhale" shape, the PS3 sides expand outward, barely containing the hardware inside. Designers had to build the case around the advanced cooling system built to handle heat output from the Cell processor, the Nvidia GPU, and the system power supply. PC or even Xbox 360 owners would expect a system with as much power as the PS3 to sound like a small aircraft on power up, but the system is actually remarkably quiet. "When it starts to notice a heat issue, it can ramp up the fan RPMs, but in general, it's as quiet as the PlayStation 2 was," according to Sony's Richard Marks.

The 60GB PlayStation 3 will have chrome trim.

Early prototypes showed consoles in white, black, and silver--but initial models will only be black. Sony used material choice to add extra sophistication to the console design. The console exterior appeared to be a glossy, opaque black in official preview images, but the system casing is actually a very dark, semi-transparent black similar in style to the PSP's exterior. The curved top of the console suggests that the PS3 will need to sit at the very top of your equipment stack if placed horizontally. The console will weigh in at a solid 11 pounds. In comparison, the Xbox weighs 8.5 pounds and the Xbox 360 weighs 7.7 pounds. The PS3 measures 12.8"(W) x 3.8"(H) x 10.8"(L), which is in line with the other consoles.

Like the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 will be able to stand vertically or sit horizontally on an AV rack. PS3 owners will be able to reposition the console while the system is running without worrying about accidentally damaging a game or movie disc. "We've been doing that for six years now, I think, so we're confident that we'll have no issue with that," said Marks.