JAVIER SAVIOLA INCREDIBLE GOAL FOR BENFICA (VIDEO)

Dana Dicairkan Minggu Depan

Manajemen Persibo harus bersabar untuk mendapatkan kucuran dana dari APBD. Meski manajemen tim sudah mengajukan pencairan dana dan penandatanganan MoU dengan KONI setempat, uang Rp 6,5 miliar itu belum bisa dicairkan minggu.

Padahal, dana tersebut sudah berada di rekening KONI. "Paling cepat selesai minggu depan. Saat ini masih kita periksa," kata Sekretaris KONI Bojonegoro Sahari.

Dia menjelaskan, saat ini Ketua KONI M. Taufik masih berada di Surabaya, sehingga belum bisa memberikan persetujuan pencairan dana itu. Selain itu, manajemen Persibo dinilai mengajukan pencairan dengan nilai terlalu besar, yakni Rp 3 miliar. Pengajuan itu untuk kebutuhan hingga Desember nanti.
"Kami berharap yang diajukan sampai dengan November saja, baru setelah ada SPJ (surat pertanggungjawaban), Desember diajukan," harapnya.

Hal ini, kata Sahari, untuk memudahkan pembuatan SPJ. Menurut dia, setelah uang cair, maksimal satu bulan SPJ h! arus dibuat dan diperiksa. "Lha kalau Desember nanti buatnya bagaimana?," tanyanya.

Dia menambahkan, besok ketua KONI, sekretaris, dan kabid organisasi mendapatkan undangan dari BPK di Surabaya. Mereka diminta diminta mendengarkan penjelasan dari KPK, Polda Jatim, dan BPK. "Ya terkait pencairan dana hibah. Baru dari situ (Surabaya, Red) kita akan dapat kejelasan," katanya.

Sementara itu, Asisten Manajer Persibo Abdul Munim menyesalkan belum bisa cairnya dana tersebut. Dia menuturkan, dana itu sangat dibutuhkan Persibo untuk berangkat ke Semarang mengikuti turnamen segitiga. "Kalau cari pinjaman lagi saya kira sudah sulit karena sudah pinjam sekitar Rp 1 miliar," ujarnya. (ade/jpnn)

W-League playoffs

Ottawa 4, Jersey Sky Blue 0
Washington 6, Toronto 1
Atlanta 5, Minnesota 2

FINAL FOUR
Rochester, Seattle, Atlanta and Washington/Ottawa

April Heinrichs leaves coaching

Former U.S. women's soccer coach April Heinrichs is leaving her coaching job at UC Irvine to join the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Heinrichs, who guided the American women to a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics, will be a team leader in the USOC's sports performance department.
She took the Irvine job in January and the UCI women struggled through a 3-13-1 season after going 2-13-1 the previous year.
Heinrichs was the women's national team coach from 2000-2005.

W-LEAGUE: Washington 2, Long Island 0

Weimer 1 goal and 1 assist.

Tony DiCicco

We spent too much money. The business plan was never right. But from an entertainment level, from a competitive level, from a player-development level, every team in three years made the playoffs; it was a different champion in every year; there were very few lopsided scores.

MotoGP :Where the riders will end in 2009?

Wednesday 04 June 2008
The hottest news around the paddock after the Mugello race is not about whether Honda will run their Pneumatic Valve in Catalunya, but where the 'free riders' will end up in 2009. I found it to be interesting because the current teams have already showed their true potential in fighting for the championship, some are loser! s like Kawasaki, Alice Ducati, and even Suzuki. One point that people seem unnoticed is Yamaha Tech3, many people complained about James Toseland's decision to join Yamaha Tech 3, but look now, who is laughing...:) He has handed his pen to extend his contract in 2009. Contrary to his teammate, Colin Edwards, he is yet to meet Herve Poncharal to talk about the new deal.. But before that happen, Kawasaki is rumored to have come to him to persuade him to go to Kawasaki, He (Edwards) said that he is free to talk to anyone he wants to about his future, but he is seems has to think a lot about moving to Kawasaki, because Colin rides for Michelin in his career in MotoGP, he never rides Bridgestone tires that Kawasaki currently using, or maybe Kawasaki will do the same like Fiat Yamaha now? one team in 2 garages? who knows. Valentino Rossi for sure will stay at Yamaha and the only thing ! that matters is his salary, currently he is paid around € 7m ! per year by Yamaha, Yamaha actually wants him to stay for 2009 badly, but by lowering his salary by just € 5m, but by his straight winning in Shanghai, Le Mans, and Mugello, then Yamaha will have to think it over. Close resource said Rossi wants € 10m per year, Yamaha pays 6 millions and the four millions from the sponsor. They must sit on the same table to solve this matter...

Ni! cky Hayden? Everybody seems think that he is over, and his 13th in Mugello is becoming clearer that his time to go has come. Ducati in 2009? by sacking Marco Melandri to Honda Gresini? only time will tell, Honda wants him in, in order to make a good sales in North America, that's for sure.

Andrea Dovizioso will for sure take a vacant seat if Hayden goes to Ducati in 2009.. his contract allows him to do so.

Chris Vermeulen? I bet he is still in Suzuki with his current team mate Loris Capirossi, both of them are helping Suzuki to develop a new bike to replace the current bike which prove sucks and just a hybrid of 2007 and new chassis.

Ant West is still in the darkness, he needs to prove more to Kawasaki factory even the bike is really crap, Hopper's complaining is the same with Ant, the bike is just spinning all the time and the latest trouble he can't down shift the gear after the straight lane, so no wonder he crashed, luckily he is uninjur! ed.

The season will still far a way to go, but it w! on't cha nge a lot to the end.

Kallis, Boucher & Prince not Picked for Cobras Pro20 Semi

Proteas stalwarts Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher & Ashwell Prince havn't been picked for the Nashua Cape Cobras' Pro20 semi-final against the Titans on Friday night.

They've concluded international duty and are therefore eligible to play for their franchises, but only Graeme Smith and JP Duminy were asked to play for the Cobras.

The reason for not selecting all the international players available to them is purely for continuity. Cobras coach Shukri Conrad says it'll be unfair to drop six players who helped the side reach the knock out stage.

This move now allows Kallis and Boucher to represent their IPL franchises in the opening round of matches starting on Friday.

Smith and Duminy replace Richard Levi and Stiaan van Zyl in the Cobras team.

Top seeds through

The top men and woman seeds in the French Open are through to the quarterfinals. Rafael Nadal beat fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 only dropping three games. Nadal has never been beaten at Roland Garros and will meet Nicolas Almagro in the quater-finals. A win in this match will get him a semi-final spot, if he gets into the finals and wins he will join Sweden's Bjorn Borg in winning four French Open titles in a row. Hot on his Nadals heels, third seed Novak Djokovic beat Paul-Henry Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to book his place in the quaters-finals.

Ana Invanovic made easy work of her match with Petra Cetkovska which she won 6-0, 6-0. Ivanovic who was runner up at the tournament last year will be looking to go all the way this year and with her performances so far, she could just have the trophy at the end

Coetzee Wants Young Guns to Stand Up

Vodacom Western Province coach, Allister Coetzee, says his young players will be rewarded for their performances this season.

The incumbent scrumhalf for Province at the moment is the young Allistair Siegelaar who, if you didn't know he's a scrumhalf, strikes you as being a front row forward. You could say he's in the mould of Piri Weepu.

But he's captured the eyes of the coach in Province's warmup games leading into the Currie Cup and will start again against the Blue Bulls on Saturday after a solid performance against the Sharks last weekend. His good play is keeping Paul Delport on! the bench, a man who has captained South Africa at lower age group level.

Another youngster who's being rewarded for his play is flanker Pieter Myburgh who stood up well against All Black captain Richie McCaw on his debut in this year's Super 14.

Wallabies to Tour SA Named

Halfback Luke Burgess and lock Nathan Sharpe have been omitted from Australia's South African tour squad due to injury. The pair, who have been involved in all three of Australia's Vodacom Tri-Nations matches to date, were left out when the 28-man touring group was named by Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans today, an ARU statement said.

Burgess was ruled out after an MRI scan this morning identified a meniscus tear in his knee. The New South Wales Waratahs halfback sustained the injury during a tackle at training yesterday.

"It was an innocuous-looking incident. Unfortunately Luke's knee blew up afterwards, was worse again this morning, and the scan has then revealed the bad news," Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says.

The demise of Burgess, who is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks, leaves the Australian touring party with two halfbacks – Sam Cordingley and Brett Sheehan.

Three hookers have been included, while injured flanker Rocky Elsom (foot ligament strain) and fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper (broken hand) will also be on tomorrow's flight, with the medical opinion indicating they should be fit for the second Test of the two-game tour.

The break down of the squad is a 16-forward, 12-back split.

Deans noted that the injury situation, as it pertained to options in the second row and among the loose forward mix, had played a significant part in the decision to omit the experienced Sharpe.

The Qantas Wallabies depart from Sydney tomorrow morning and will head to Cape Town in! the lead up to the resumption of their Tri-Nations campaign a! gainst S outh Africa at Durban on August 23.

The second Test against South Africa is at Johannesburg on August 30, with the side returning to Australia the following day.

The Qantas Wallabies squad to tour South Africa is: Stirling Mortlock (Brumbies, captain), Ben Alexander (Brumbies), Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies), Berrick Barnes (Queensland Reds), Al Baxter (NSW Waratahs), Richard Brown (Western Force), Sam Cordingley (Queensland Reds), Ryan Cross (Western Force), Matt Dunning (NSW Waratahs), Rocky Elsom (NSW Waratahs), Adam Freier (NSW Waratahs), Matt Giteau (Western Force), James Horwill (Queensland Reds), Peter Hynes (Queensland Reds), Hugh McMeniman (Queensland Reds), Drew Mitchell (Western Force), Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs), Stephen Moore (Queensland Reds), Wycliff Palu (NSW Waratahs), Tatafu Polota-Nau (NSW Waratahs), Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs), Brett Sheehan (NSW Waratahs), George Smith (Brumbies), Timana Tahu (NSW Waratahs), Lote Tuqiri (NSW W! aratahs), Lachie Turner (NSW Waratahs), Phil Waugh (NSW Waratahs), Dan Vickerman (NSW Waratahs).

Issued by SA Rugby

McLaren to Appeal Spa Result

McLaren have officially lodged an appeal against Lewis Hamilton being stripped of his win at Spa-Francorchamps last Sunday. Hamilton was demoted to third place after the stewards found Hamilton got an unfair advantage from cutting the chicane when he tried to overtake Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen with only a few laps to go.

As a result, Felipe Massa was awarded the win after Raikkonen crashed on the penultimate lap.

McLaren's statement in full:

Martin Whitmarsh said: "Following our decision to register our intention to appeal the penalty handed out to Lewis Hamilton by the FIA Stewards at the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix, we hereby confirm that we have now lodged notice of appeal. Lewis describes the incident as follows."

Lewis Hamilton said: "In the closing stages of the race I was catching Kimi (Raikkonen) consistently, lap by lap, and with three laps remaining I got close enough to attempt to overtake him on the ! entry to the last chicane. I managed to get slightly ahead of him in the braking area for the first apex of the chicane. He fought back approaching the second apex - but, in doing so, he left no room for me on the inside line. The only way for me to avoid a collision was therefore to cut inside the second apex.

"I came out of the second apex in front of Kimi and so I momentarily lifted-off on the straight, to ensure that Kimi got back in front. The team also came on the radio and instructed me to allow Kimi to repass, which I had already done. As a result, Kimi crossed the start/finish line ahead of me and 6.7km/h quicker than me.

"After allowing Kimi to completely repass, I crossed from the left side of the track to the right side of the track, passing behind Kimi in the process. I then attacked Kimi on the inside of the first corner, and successfully outbraked him."

Martin Whitmarsh added: "From the pit wall, we then asked Race Control ! to confirm that they were comfortable that Lewis had allowed K! imi to r epass, and they confirmed twice that they believed that the position had been given back in a manner that was 'okay'.

"If Race Control had instead expressed any concern regarding Lewis's actions at that time, we would have instructed Lewis to allow Kimi to repass for a second time."

Breakfast Headlines

Die Springbok embleem mag steeds op die Springboktrui pronk, maar so ook Suid-Afrika se nasionale sportsimbool, die Koningsprotea. SA Rugby gaan sy besluit binne die volgende twee weke met die Minister van Sport en Ontspanning bespreek. Daar sal verder ook 'n ster op die mou van die Springboktrui aangebring word as deel van die Bokspan se teen-rassisme veldtog.

***
News from Cardiff is that Schalk Burger's been training. Bakkies Botha also came through a full training session. The first test against Wales kicks off at half past four on Saturday.
**
Now that loose forward Duane Vermeulen has officially joined Western Province, the question is: how will he fit in? He's competing against the likes of Francois Louw, Nic Koster, Schalk Burger, Hilton Lobberts and Luke Watson. Former Stormers captain, Bob Skinstad, says Vermeulen is an exciting prospect...

***
Graeme Smith will miss tomorrow's Twenty20 clash against Bangladesh, but Dale Steyn should be back in action. In form Proteas batsman, Hashim Amla, has been performing in one day internationals. He says he doesn't do anything different between tests and one dayers...

Amla says they're not underestimating their opponents...

Meanwhile, the Proteas have launched their new kit ahead of the tour of Australia in December.
***
Obafemi Martins scored both goals as Newcastle beat Aston Villa to move off the foot of the Premi! er League. This means Tottenham are back at the bottom of the ! table.***
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will make a late decision on the fitness of Fernando Torres ahead the Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Chelsea are the other English team in action tonight and they travel to Roma, with Wayne Bridge still in for the injured Ashley Cole.
***
The seventh yacht in the Volvo Ocean Race arrived in Cape Town overnight. Delta Lloyd came in about a day and a half after leaders Ericsson 4. South African Jono Swain's onboard Telefonica Blue in fifth place...

***
World Number one Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the season ending Masters Cup in Shanghai due to injury. The tournament starts on Sunday. Roger Federer's also been struggling with a back injury recently.
***
Timo Glock has denied that he let Lewis Hamilton pass h! im on the final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
***
Golfing great Seve Ballesteros is awake and talking after extensive brain surgery.

Davids steps up for the Cobras

Henry Davids' promotion to opening batsman has paid off with the Cobras man scoring 97 runs against the bizhub Highveld Lions.

I think it's just bad luck that the Cobras have to compete without Herschelle Gibbs in the line-up. His exclusion from the test squad was probably seen as a blessing, as he would have been at the franchise getting game time. Instead his month of leave (to undergo an alcohol rehabilitation program) means Shukri Conrad had to find a new opening batsman and it seems Davids could be the man for the job.
Davids' 168 run partnership with Stiaan van Zyl helped the Cobras to a 48 run win over the Lions at Potchefstroom on Tuesday.

They set a total of 295 for 8 in 45 overs and the home side was all out for 247 in the 44th over.

View from the Pitlane with Brian Sims

Formula 1. Love it or hate it, one thing is for certain; you can't ignore it! Once the cars take to the track in Melbourne, Australia on Friday morning for first practice, the pundits will be hard at it, trying to forecast the front runners for this new Grand Prix season.

With its host of rule and regulation changes, F1 promises an intriguing season, perhaps one of the most open for many years. Pre-season testing has shown that any one of five teams could be in with a realistic chance of! winning races this year.

It seems much longer than just 5 months ago that we witnessed that gut wrenching sight of Massa, jubilant in the cockpit of his Ferrari one moment as the World Title was within his grasp, in despair the next as he learnt that Hamilton had fortuitously made up the one place that would bring him the World crown. Now we're at the start of a brand new season, so what should we be looking out for this year?

There are some mouth watering cameos in store on the driver front.

Jensen Button: What an enigma. Silky smooth in a race car, but too often the lover of big boy's toys and the highlife away from the track. This season offers a trip to the last chance saloon for Jensen. As if by magic, however, the new Brawn F1 (ex Honda F1) car seems to be the set of wheels to have under you if you want to be at the front of the grid. Expect fireworks as team mate Rubens tries to leave F1 on a h! igh note and Jensen strives to silence his many critics.
!
Kimi Raikkonen: His 2008 report would surely read "underperformed, lacked motivation and did not deserve the highest retainer fee in F1". Rumours abound that with the cost cutting going on in F1, this is Kimi's last chance to repeat his 2007 World Title performance. Felipe Massa, on the other hand, got better and better last year and in that last race did all he could to secure the title, getting pole and winning the Brazilian race under tremendous pressure all weekend in front of his home crowd. His gracious behaviour in defeat won him many new fans.

Fernando Alonso: A superb showing in 2008 and still desperate to get the Ferrari seat that he has always longed for. Could this be his year? He would be hard to bet against. His team mate, Piquet however, has a lot to prove after a poor debut season. He needs to show some aggression that was sadly lacking last year.

Lewis Hamilton: Rated highly by his team and many past F1 Champions. Will he be as motivated this year or will a more relaxed attitude pay dividends. Lewis struggles to understand why he is not universally popular, despite winning the Title in 2008. His attitude within F1 will be watched closely. Expect more pressure this year from his team mate, Kovalainen. It seems that the new McLaren may not be as competitive as previously, so we should see the aggressive Lewis at his best as he tries to wring its neck.

Robert Kubica: In many people's view the lanky Pole is a World Champion elect. You couldn't have two more differing backgrounds than those of Hamilton and Kubica. One came into F1 having had more money spent on his previous 4 years of racing, than any other driver. The other, in stark contrast, learned to race karts with his father laying out a track in a car park in Poland, marked out be old milk ! bottles! Will the BMW provide him with the chance to challenge! Lewis? Let's hope so, as a season long battle royal between these two karting rivals would be a sight to relish.

Who would have thought that we would have three Sebastiens in F1, with 2 in the same team? It has to be the Vettel version of the Sebastien brand that carries the highest hopes for success and there will be one very determined Aussie team-mate wanting to show the world that there was too much hype over Vettels' debut year. Is Webber right? We shall see.

Then there is the Williams duo, both sons of former F1 drivers. Former Ferrari F1 Designer, Rory Byrne, tipped Williams as a good outside bet when I spoke to him recently. Rosberg has now been in F1 long enough to need to turn potential into results. Could this be his year?

Force India, now powered by the same Mercedes engines as in the McLarens (Oh Yes???), could spring a few surprises, but race wins are unlikely.

Toyota has been impressive and with Timo Glock getting quicker a! nd quicker, Trulli will need to call on all of his experience to stay in contention. Questions still surround the legality of the team's innovative rear aerodynamic diffuser, so expect protests if the team goes well.

The trouble is with F1 predictions, you can so easily end up with egg all over your face, especially at the first race and with so many changes to the cars. However, there is often an unusual result in Australia and I'm going to predict my top 3 but not in order!

• Kubica / Massa /Alonso

Things to watch out for:

• The first corners, particularly in the early Grands Prix, should see some expensive carnage until drivers learn the width of the new wide front wings

• Sebastien Bourdais may find his extensive experience of slick tyres in his Indycar racing in the USA beneficial

• A high number of hungry GP2 racers wandering the pits, putting pressure on several ! "iffy" fading F1 stars

• The new BBC TV reporting t! eam, bri nging a welcome change to the way in which F1 is presented on TV, now that ITV has lost the contract

• A lot of top ranking South African politicians swanning around the Pits at the more glamorous Grands Prix, as they endeavour to "investigate the feasibility of a SA race"


Brian Sims is the founder of the SA Motorsport Industry Association. He's a former sports commentator, pro race driver and manager of the Kyalami Racing Circuit. He was the commercial director at the Benetton Formula 1 team before its sale to Renault in 2000.

Have a listen to a 'View from the Pitlane' (our brief motorsport feature available every Thursday):

Teams seek to equal engine performance

Excerpts from Autosport.com

"Behind-the-scenes efforts by teams to make Formula One engine performance more equal are set to be ramped up in the wake of Scuderia Toro Rosso's shock victory in the Italian Grand Prix, autosport.com has learned. Sebastian Vettel caused a major surprise when he became F1's youngest ever winner at Monza, with a performance that highlighted the differences between his Ferrari-powered STR3 and the Renault-powered car of sister team Red Bull Racing.

The result has provided further evidence to those who believe that there is now a genuine performance gap between different engines on the grid. A number of manufacturers - especially Renault – have already spoken out in claiming that they have lost out by not developing their power-unit under F1's current engine freeze. Although making improvements to the engines is not allowed, manufacturers can change parts as the FIA's discretion if it reduces costs or improves reliability. Such! revisions can also have the added benefit of lifting performance. Further steps forward can be made from improved fuel and lubricants, and the airbox and exhaust design.

Sources have told autosport.com that a number of teams are so unhappy with the situation – which could leave them down on power until 2013 if the rules do not change – that they are now lobbying the FIA behind the scenes to try and level the playing field for next year."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70682

It was only a matter time, especially since you saw equal chassis have a difference in performance. That is why I was looking at the speed trap differences particularly on these last two tracks (Spa and Monza). The horsepower tracks were going to expose the difference where people can not claim downforce level settings or poor aerodynamics. Also, it is of no surprise that it is Renault that is c! omplaining the most as they have been passed by Toro Rosso and! their c ustomer team in terms of engines is Red Bull. Again, the Toro Rosso chassis which has engine power from Ferrari, is essentially a Red Bull chassis.

Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt Hails Yossi Benayoun's Intelligence & Quality

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has hailed the performances this season of team-mate Yossi Benayoun, and feels that the work rate and commitment shown by the Israeli will prove a key factor over the course of this campaign.

Benayoun also possesses a keen footballing brain and superb skill, according to the Dutch international.

"Yossi is an intelligent player with lots of quality," Kuyt told the Reds' official website.

"His biggest quality is to beat players. The way he passes them sometimes is unbelievable. He's got great skill and can do something for us in games to change things.

"Yossi can beat players and score ! goals. A lot of people will look at him and notice these qualities but he is also a team player. He puts everything into the team effort and also works really hard.

"That is really important. He's not only a skilful player but also works unbelievably hard for the team.

"For the last couple of months of last season he was really important for us, scoring goals and playing well as we challenged for the title. This season he has carried that on and is playing very well again."

Rafael Benitez To Offer Aston Villa's Emile Heskey Liverpool Return

The Daily Star claims that Rafael Benitez is set to offer Emile Heskey a return to Liverpool in the January transfer window, providing the England striker with a World Cup lifeline in the process.

Heskey has admitted that he will consider leaving Aston Villa if he continues to warm the bench, worried that his lack of first-team football at club level will affect his chances of leading the line for the Three Lions in South Africa.

And while Fabio Capello clearly prefers Heskey as Wayne Rooney's partner in crime, the former Wigan Athletic striker has only started one league match all season for Martin O'Neill.

It is claimed that Benitez is considering a cu! t-price £1.5 million bid to bring Heskey back to Anfield. The Spanish tactician is short of options up-front, relying largely on Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard for goals.

However, Heskey is likely to require some guarantee over the amount of starts he will get, before agreeing to rejoin the Reds.

Villa, meanwhile, are unlikely to sell cheaply, as the striker - for whom they shelled out £3.5m just last winter - is contracted to the West Midlands club until July 2012.

Liverpool FC Must Show Character In Man Utd Showdown - Rafa Benitez

Rafa Benitez has urged his hurting squad to show strength in adversity and turn their season around in the "perfect game".

Liverpool are currently embroiled in their worst run of form for 22 years but Benitez has remained in a bullish mood ahead of tomorrow's Anfield test against Manchester United.

There is no disputing that four consecutive defeats have left a mark on both him and his players but there is also a sense of anger in the dressing room at Melwood.

Many of the squad are disappointed with the form they have shown since the start of the seaso! n and Benitez senses the time has come for them to put it right.

A number of meetings have been held at the Reds' training base in the last couple of days and the manager is hoping for a result that will put all talk of an Anfield crisis on hold.

"In 25 years (as a coach) you have good moments and bad moments; this is a bad moment but still I have confidence in the squad," said Benitez.

"It is a question of starting to win again and then everything will change.

"We have had some discussions on how to improve things and the conclusion is very simple. We just keep going on to the pitch, giving the players positive advice and say 'Come on, we can do this! We have done it before in the past!'

"We have some players who know the only way to improve is by doing it themselves. If we put them all together, the team will play better. They are desperate to improve.

"I have been really impressed with the attitude of some! of the important players and they are really quite positive. ! We now n eed good players on the pitch and good characters."

Should Liverpool lower United's colours for the third game in succession, the gap between the sides would be cut to just four points.

However, the contrasting form of each team could not be more different, as United have not been beaten since August 19 and are top of the table.

Yet that serves only to give Liverpool more motivation to record their first victory since September 26 and Benitez expects Anfield to be bouncing ahead of kick-off.

"To play against a good team like United could be dangerous but I think it could be the perfect game for us," said Benitez. "The motivation will be there. The players know how important it is. We are playing United; our fans will be pushing from the beginning. It will make a massive difference if we can beat United. The mood will change. We have got to send the right messages from the first whistle."

Benitez will not make any decisio! n on his starting line-up until the last moment, as he will give Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson every chance to prove their fitness. Benitez confirmed: "It will be a late decision with Fernando, Stevie and Glen. They will continue to work with the physios."

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Lange clinches one title

By John Hopkins
with files from Richmond Racing

GUTHRIE, OK -- Darcy Lange bounced back from a rough outing Friday night to score two wins on Saturday and edge closer to his second straight U.S. National Arenacross title on the weekend.

The Courtenay, BC racer also wrapped up the Dash For Cash championship with a victory in that race Saturday.

With two events left in the Arenacross season Lange holds a commanding 118-point lead over teammate Jeff Northrop, 580-462. Suzuki rider Branden Jesseman is third in points with 413. The series continues at Denver's Pepsi Centre this weekend before wrapping up in Columbus Feb. 11-12 at the Nationwide Arena.

Poor starts and crashes marred Lange's Friday night at Guthrie's Lazy E Arena and he finished eighth in the 125 main and 12th in 250.

But he won both his heats and dominated both feature races on Saturday. He now has 23 wins out of 32 features this season.

Jesseman took the 125 main on Friday while Northrop grabbed the 250.

Montreal's Marco Dube was 14th in the 125 class on Friday on his Amsoil / FXR / M2R Honda. He sits 20th in overall points with 95.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

PowerSports tour hits Winnipeg

From WPSA

WINNIPEG, MB — The PowerSports Snowmobile Tour will stage the seventh round of its 2005-2006 championship at CanWest Global Stadium in Winnipeg. The event is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25-26 at the CanWest Global Park, home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club.

The announcement was made by Tour race director and Winnipeg resident Blair Bodley as well as Goldeyes CFO Jason McRae-King. Jamie Anseeuw, team manager for multiple-time PowerSports Snowmobile Tour champion Blair Morgan Racing Team, also participated.

Tickets will start at $15 for a one-day, Saturday-only pass, and a Sunday-only pass is $25. Two-day weekend adult passes are $35, while a family two-day ticket (two adults and two children) is just $99. Pit passes can be purchased for $10 per day. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster (204-780-3333) or visit www.wpsaracing.com for more information.

Though the Tour competed here last season, this year's event is the first at CanWest Global Park, which is situated in the heart of downtown Winnipeg.

"We're pleased to return to Winnipeg this season and we're looking forward to racing at CanWest Global Park," said PowerSports Entertainment CEO Rick Murphy. "Winnipeg is a vibrant city and represents a key Canadian market. We're expecting this to be a marquee event on the PowerSports Snowmobile Tour."

"We're excited to welcome the PowerSports Snowmobile Tour to our beautiful ballpark," said McRae-King. "Snowmobiling is an important part of the local recreation scene and the PowerSports Snowmobile Tour is the pinnacle of snowmobile racing. We're also pleased this event will help showcase CanWest Global Park as a year-round facility. This should be an exciting ! event for our fans, our city and the racers alike."

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

John Wall to make Decision Soon

Reports are indicated that John Wall could be making his decision on where he will bring his talents as early as some time this week. Although as many of you who have followed Wall know this could change at the drop of a hat. Several outlets have confirmed that Wall is down to UK and Miami. Although Duke is still potentially in the running. Duke is where a lot of his AAU camp and "posse" would like him to end up more than likely so they can stay as close to him as possible and cash in on their lottery ticket when he is drafted. I am still thinking that Wall is leaning more towards playing for Miami. There are two very different situations with Kentucky and Miami. He can come to Kentucky and play on a team with a lot of talent, a group that has the potential to contend for a title. Or, he can go to Miami where they will compete in the ACC, probably make the tournament, but Wall will be the absolute go to guy and get all of the shots. Kentucky will have a number of top notch p! layers in the stable next year that could help Wall, but also will take some of Wall's opportunities for scoring. I don't think either choice will affect his NBA recruiting, unless he completely bombs out his freshman year. From what I have read NBA scouts look at efficiency more than just pure scoring. So if Wall goes to Miami and puts up 40 every night, they are going to look at his shooting percentage. It may fare better for Wall to come to Kentucky and become a more efficient player. But I still think that he is leaning toward heading to South Beach. So for now as usual it is a wait an see game with John Wall.

Holmes Star Ricardo Johnson Commits to Ohio U

There are a number of reports circulating that Holmes Senior forward Ricardo Johnson has committed to Ohio University. Ricardo was the MVP of the Kentucky State Tournament where he lead the Holmes Bulldogs to their first State Championship last season. Johnson is the first commitment from a very talented Holmes senior class which includes Jeremiah Johnson and Elijah Pittman. Ricardo also received an offer from Bradley and was being recruited by a number of smaller D-1 programs. Congratulations to Ricardo and good luck in your senior season at Holmes.

UFC 81 Fight Predictions

Frank Mir v. Brock Lesnar

TB: I'm trying not to let my loyalty to Mir as a fan cloud my judgement here, but it's hard based on the sheer strength and size of Lesnar. There's no question that Lesnar will look for the takedown immediately and instill some serious ground and pound. This is where Frank Mir needs to be the old champ Frank Mir. And we saw flashes of that brilliancy against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74. Mir looked to be in good shape, and he actually initiated the takedown and immediately worked for a submission before locking in a kimura.

Can he do this against Lesnar? His brutal TKO to Marcio Cruz would imply no. However, that was his first fight back from the serious motorcycle accident and Lesnar is too inexperienced not to leave a limb hanging out there for Mir to grab at and lock in on. My prediction? Mir survives an early storm and uses his jiu-jitsu prowess to keep Lesnar in full guard before locking in an arm-bar and n! early breaking it until the fight is stopped.

TB: Mir by submission late in Round 1.

RK: I got to agree Bess. Lesnar's MMA debut didn't last long, and I believe the guy he beat takes the trash out in my building. Mir is one of the best BJJ fighters in the world, and almost in a league of his own as a heavyweight. Will Mir be able to take down Lesnar? Probably not, but Mir works miracles on his back. If this was Lesnar's 4th or 5th fight I'd give him a better chance, but he's never been in the cage with a guy the caliber of Frank Mir.

Take a look back at the 1999 NCAA wrestling heavyweight final between one Brock Lesnar vs. Stephen Neal. How about the paths those guys took? It's going to be a great weekend for one of them, but not Lesnar as he loses his first fight in the UFC as Neal captures another Super Bowl ring.

RK: Mir by submission in Round 1.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (#2 in Keefe UFC rankings) vs. Tim Sylvia (#3 in Keefe UFC rankings)

RK: This is obviously for the interim heavyweight championship, which will likely never be unified as Randy Couture is showing no signs of fighting again in the UFC. Big Nog is one of the all time great Pride champions, and is one of the most well known fighters in Japan. He has had only 1 fight in the UFC which was a decision victory over Heath Herring, where he was almost knocked out with a high kick. He has fought some of the best heavyweights in the world including Fedor, Cro Cop, Werdum, and celebrity rehab's own Ricco Rodriguez, but all of them in a ring. We have seen many Pride fighters struggle in the octagon, a place where Tim Sylvia is very comfortable.

Sylvia is trying to become just the first 3-time Champ in the UFC. After losing the belt to the Natural he bounced back with a decision victory over Brandon Vera. Sylvia beat Arlovski two in a row after losing to him 3 years ago, which rank as two of his signature ! wins. In his last 4 fights Tim is 3-1 all of which have gone to decision. I think this one will be no different, but in a boring main event with two big name fighters, he loses to the Pride vet.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wins by decision.

TB: Sorry, Rich, but I have to disagree. Big Nog hasn't submitted a high profile fighter since Heath Herring in their second fight back in PRIDE. And while he has fought the best in the world, Sylvia has continuously fought the best the UFC has to offer…and for the most part, whether you like or not, he's won. And this is his home court in the Octagon.

As far as the style matchups, the only real advantage in this fight for Nogueira is the submission game. But Sylvia is 5 inches taller and has a significant reach advantage over Nog and will look to use that in the standup game. We saw against Jeff Monson that he has good submission defense, and I look at Couture's five round dominance as Sylvia ! being defeated by the guy who is arguable the best heavyweight! in the world. That, Big Nog is not.

Sylvia will be taken down once or twice, but will neutralize the ground attack with his long frame. Eventually, Nogueira will run into too many punches trying to come in and hit the mat. From there, Sylvia will rain down blows until the fight comes to a halt.

TB: Sylvia by a shocking (T)KO in the 3rd round.

Nathan Marquardt (#4 in Keefe UFC Rankings) vs. Jeremy Horn

RK: Jeremy Horn has 79 wins in mma, but has not fought in the UFC since May of 2006. Horn was a replacement for Thales Leites. Horn certainly won't be intimidated in this once as he has been in cage or ring with the likes of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Ricardo Arona, Babalu Sobral, Forrest Griffin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Anderson Silva, and Matt Lindland. Check out that list again.

Marquardt had been undefeated in the UFC until he was rewarded a middleweight title shot aga! inst Anderson Silva. He lost at the end of the 1st round via TKO. Everyone has looked bad against Silva, so I throw that fight out. Marquart will get back on the winning side of things with a victory over Horn.

RK: Nathan Marquardt wins via submission 2nd round.

TB: I agree here, Rich. While Horn has an impressive resume of opponents and over 100 fights in MMA, 79 of which he has won, he's only 3-3 in his last six fights over the past two years and has been nowhere near as active as he once was; try six fights in '05, seven in '04 and a whopping 10 in '03!

Marquardt, meanwhile, was just another victim in an endless line of futile attempts at Anderson Silva. He had been a force up until that point and still is, in my view. He will be the stronger fighter and hasn't been submitted since '03. Marquardt will control the fight on the feet and work some ground and pound while being cautious and respectful of Horn's ground acumen.! In the end, he does enough.

TB: Marquardt win! s by Dec ision.

Rob Yundt v. Ricardo Almeida

TB: Don't know who Ricardo Almeida is? Not surprised if you didn't follow MMA until the big boom a couple years ago. This guy walked away from the sport at 27 to focus on other interests after scoring a six-fight win streak. The last three wins were over Ryo Chonan, Nathan Marquadt and Kazuo Masaki. Pretty good.
Don't know who Rob Yundt is? Neither do I, and neither does anyone outside of Alaska. This was a pretty good fight when Alan Belcher was involved, but Yundt steps in on short notice and will be overmatched. I think he goes for broke early but Almeida scores a takedown and works for his opponents back. Ultimately, Yundt succumbs.

Almeida by Submission (Rear Naked Choke).

RK: Almeida does have a nice win streak going Bess, but it was back in 2003-2004, and he hasn't fought in the UFC since January of '02. I think he's going to have to shake off a lot! of rust. Rob Yundt? Almeida could fight Brian Sharkey and I think in his first fight in over 3 years it would still go to decision. I'm sure the UFC is hoping for an early stoppage so Almeida can get in the mix in their soft middleweight division. He wins, but not impressively.

RK: Almeida by decision.

Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau

RK: Battle at 155 here. Griffin is trying to cement himself as one of the best lightweights in the UFC. After losing to Frankie Edgar (his only MMA loss) he has rattled off two impressive wins over Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares both by decision. Tibau has won 4 straight fights, 3 of which in the UFC and is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter. Tibau has more experience than Griffin, but I like Tyson to win a hard fought out decision.

RK: Tyson Griffin by decision.

TB: I can't help but remember Thiago Tavares lackluster decision win at UFN 12. Reas! on being, I think this will mirror that, but only for the 1st ! round. N either of these fighters has shown the ability to finish opponents regularly and for the first five minutes it will be a battle of attrition. But Griffin has fought some aggressive opponents and uses that experience to maintain control until he lands a big shot and goes in for the kill out of nowhere in the 2nd round.

TB: Griffin by (T)KO in the 2nd round.

Terry Martin vs. Marvin Eastman

RK: Marvin Eastman via KO 2nd round.

TB: Marvin Eastman via KO 1st round.

Tim Boetsch vs. David Heath

RK: Tim Boetsch via submission 2nd round (but will let go unlike Babalu)

TB: David Heath by Decision.

Keita Nakamura vs. Rob Emerson

RK: Rob Emerson via decision.

TB: Keita Nakamura by submission in 1st round.

Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley

RK: ! Chris Lytle via submission via 1st round.

TB: Chris Lytle by Decision.

NBA 08-09 Preview

Tonight the NBA season kicks off with a trio of games including the Boston Celtics raising their 17th banner before their showdown with LeBron and the Cavs. Also tonight marks the NBA debut of one Greg Oden as the Blazers face the Lakers. I'm looking forward to another great basketball season, many teams have improved themselves thanks to free agency, trades, and the draft. I will get on record now with my picks for playoff teams and individual awards. (playoff teams in bold)

Eastern Conference

Atlantic:
1. Boston Celtics
2. Toronto Raptors
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. New York Knicks
5. New Jersey Nets

The Celtics will miss James Posey, but not enough to effect them winning the division again. The 6ers made the most noise bringing in Elton Brand, but I like Calderon running the point for a Raps team that, if healthy, have the best 4-5 du! o in the East with Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal. Mike D'Antoni will actually keep the Knicks out the basement. The Nets will struggle and eventually trade Vince.

Central:
1. Detroit Pistons
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Indiana Pacers
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Chicago Bulls

Pistons got the same crew back, and the Cavs added Mo Williams which should make it a good battle at the top. Pacers are sneaky good with the likes of Danny Granger and a surprisingly good Mike Dunleavy, I think they beat out the Hawks and Wiz for the 8 seed. I liked the Bucks pick up of Richard Jefferson at first, but even he and Michael Redd will need more help, losing the aforementioned Mo Williams is going to hurt. The Bulls have plenty of guards, and they'll also have plenty of losses.

Southeast:
1. Orlando Magic
2. Miami Heat
3. Atlanta Hawks
4. Wash! ington Wizards
5. Charlotte Bobcats

Can the He! at turn it around? I think they can. Wade looked great in the Olympics and will be one of the best players in the NBA all season. It may be tough but they need to keep Marion happy, by letting him shoot, and throwing him oops. Dwight Howard will continue to improve, scary right? Wizards have the 2nd best "Big 3" in the East, but how many games will they play together? They're certainly an X-factor.


Western Conference:

Northwest:
1. Utah Jazz
2. Portland Trail Blazers
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Oklahoma City Thunder

Deron Williams will miss the start of the season, but once again the debate of who is the best PG in the league will come down to him and CP3 at the end of the year. I know I'm not alone in liking the Blazers, how can you not? Great young team that could be stalled by injuries once again. Nuggets will score plenty of points, but the loss o! f Camby makes them even worse defensively, they'll battle for the 8th seen to no avail.

Pacific:
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Phoenix Suns
3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Sacramento Kings

Lakers look like the clear cut favorite bringing everyone back from the Western Conference championship team plus Andrew Bynum. After that it could get interesting. A full season with Shaq and Grant Hill in Phoenix with a new coach. Nash and Amare are good enough to get any team to the playoffs. Corey Maggette is now on the Warriors with Baron Davis and Marcus Camby playing for the Clips. The injury of Monta Ellis significantly impacts their chances of a post season appearance.

Southwest:
1. New Orleans Hornets
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Houston Rockets
4. Dallas Mavericks
5. Memphis Grizzlies
The Celtics lost James Posey and the Hornets found h! im. He c ould very well be the missing piece. Ron Artest comes to Houston to shake things up a bit. If Yao and T-Mac stay healthy (goodluck) they could be a major player. The Spurs are the Spurs, and the Mavs have Dirk and a new head coach. Put everything together and you got the toughest division in basketball, and the only one with 4 playoff teams.


Playoffs:

Eastern Finals: Celtics over Raptors
Western Finals: Hornets over Jazz

Finals: Celtics over Hornets

Awards:

MVP: Chris Paul, Hornets

Rookie of the Year: Michael Beasley, Heat

Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett, Celtics

6th Man of the Year: Lamar Odom, Lakers

Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan, Trail Blazers

All-NBA 1st Team:
Chris Paul, Hornets
Kobe Bryant, L! akers
LeBron James, Cavaliers
Amare Stoudemire, Suns
Dwight Howard, Magic

All-NBA 2nd Team:
Deron Williams, Jazz
Dwayne Wade, Heat
Chris Bosh, Raptors
Kevin Garnett, Celtics
Tim Duncan, Spurs

All-Rookie Team:
Michael Beasely, Heat
Greg Oden, Trail Blazers
Derrick Rose, Bulls
O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
Eric Gordon, Clippers
Rudy Fernandez, Trail Blazers*

*Some how left him off, the next day had to add him. Watching the Olympics I said he could potentially win the ROY over Beasley and teammate Oden. Also we've seen at least 6 guys be named to the All-Rookie team before, so I'm keeping 6.

-Keefe

Just Bleed

For those of you that watched UFC 100, or have been following the post event coverage, you've probably heard or seen about "Filthy" Tom Lawlor's win over C.B. Dolloway. It was an impressive performance, locking in a guillotine choke that at first glance, did not seem tight enough to finish the fight. But Lawlor calmly transitioned himself into better position to tighten the hold and dim the lights on Dolloway for a quick submission win.

But what you may not have seen, or if you did, not understood, was Lawlor's showmanship at the weigh-in. He showed up with "Just Bleed" painted on his chest in white, and "UFC" in green on his forehead. Check out the picture below...

I'll be honest, I had no clue what the hell this was all about when I first saw it. I thought he was just being an idiot and trying too hard to be funny. But I did a simple Google search, and I gotta tell ya, I'm a HUGE Tom Lawlor fan now. Watch the video below from UFC 15 to find out why exactly Tom Lawlor did this...

How can you not love tha! t guy??? And not love Tom Lawlor for a) knowing about that - I! mean it happened at UFC 15...Lawlor was 14 like I was. I had never even heard of UFC at that point. Great stuff, and well played by "Filthy". For the record, he also came out to "Who Let the Dogs Out" with Seth Petruzelli - the man who beat Kimbo Slice - at the end of a dog leash. Solid, solid stuff.

-Bess

Atalanta 0-0 Catania

Scuffles between Serie A rivals Atalanta and Catania fans and the late sending to the stands of home coach Antonio Conte overshadowed a turgid on-field battle at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.

Supporters clashed prior to the match, causing a series of disturbances, and Conte was also punished for showing his frustration late on but there was nothing as newsworthy occurring on the pitch as each side continued their winless starts to the campaign.

Both sides are! rooted at the wrong end of the table after five games, rock-bottom Atalanta with a single point and Catania with just two, and from the quality on show this evening getting out of relegation trouble may be a tough task.

The match began in a scrappy fashion that was soon to become the norm, with Cristiano Doni responsible for the only moment of craft in the opening 10 minutes.

He found space and unleashed a 25-yard strike that may have tested Mariano Andujar had it not first taken a heavy deflection on its way to the goalkeeper.

Doni continued to press, and was enjoying comfortably more success than his team-mates.

After 14 minutes he burst into the penalty area before shooting from 18 yards out. He would certainly have scored had Nicolas Spolli not showed impressive awareness to get back and block Doni's goalbound effort on the line.

Catania took 20 minutes to forge their own first shot on goal.

Ezequiel Carboni was the man to try ! his luck, going for the target from 35 yards out.

Andre! a Consig li in the Atalanta goal looked like he was caught wrong-footed by the attempt and was glad to see it squirm just wide of the post.

The match descended into defensiveness from there on, neither side committing bodies forward at the risk of conceding.

A snap-shot from Atalanta winger Jaime Valdes was the best either side could muster in a tedious 15-minute stretch but it was never likely to beat Andujar.

Valdes tested the goalkeeper with a better effort eight minutes before the interval but the Argentinian was in position early and dived to beat the ball away from goal.

There was a hint of a chance two minutes after the restart when a scramble in the Catania area saw the ball break to Tiberio Guarente. The midfielder was able to get a shot away amid the scrum but Robert Acquafresca was able to block it before it reached the target.

That stop ushered in another period of conservatism, with both sets of players woefully short on inspiration, an! d Doni was cautioned after 62 minutes when he attempted to add some impetus with a theatrical fall in the penalty area.

Instead of a spot-kick, though, he was rewarded with a yellow card.

The referee ruled in Doni's favour five minutes later when he won a free-kick in shooting distance. He took a chance himself but Andujar was, once again, not found wanting.

Valdes headed an inviting cross wide with 12 minutes remaining in what was the final genuine chance for his side.

Takayuki Morimoto, after 81 minutes, and Giuseppe Mascara one minute from the end, had chances to send the visitors home happy but neither could improve on what had gone before.

Conte, meanwhile, was banished from the touchline after remonstrating with officials in the closing minutes.

Elena Dementieva and Venus Williams suffer early exits at Pan Pacific Open

Elena Dementieva and Venus Williams became the latest high-profile casualties at the Pan Pacific Open after suffering defeats at the hands of Kateryna Bondarenko and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova respectively.

The reigning Olympic champion and world No 3 join Dinara Safina, Carlone Wozniacki and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsov on a list of big-name players to have crashed out of the tournament in the early stages.

Dementieva, who was beaten 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 by Bondarenko, blamed some questionable line calls and exhaustion for her lo! ss to a player she had not conceded a set to in four previous meetings.

"There were way too many bad calls from the chair umpire today," she grumbled to reporters. "I'm surprised they don't have a challenge system at such a big event."

The 27-year-old, a second-round loser at the U.S. Open earlier this month added: "I played way too many matches in the U.S. Open series.

"I would have liked to have an extra week to get refreshed for this event. I just didn't have the energy."

Bondarenko broke Dementieva four times in the final set, including the last game when the Russian double faulted on match point but she refused to blame the loss on her service game.

"There was nothing wrong with my serve, I was serving good today," said Dementieva. "I was trying to fight back all match - I tried to make a break at 2-all."

Bondarenko will play Li Na in the third round after the Chinese player posted ! a 7-5, 6-0 win over Russia's Vera Dushevina.

Will! iams mea nwhile lost to her Russian opponent in two sets 7-6 (8-6), 7-5.

Manchester United 2 Bolton Wanderers 1

The Premier League game between Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Saturday, Oct 17 2009.

Antonio Valencia netted his first goal since his £17 million summer move to Manchester United as the champions returned to the top of the Premier League with a narrow victory against Bolton.

The Ecuadorean midfielder, recruited from Wigan as Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement on the right flank at Old Trafford, confirmed the three points! for United by adding to Zat Knight's own-goal opener on 33 minutes.

With Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher and Nemanja Vidic all sidelined due to injury, Bolton might have gone into the game hopeful of recording their first victory at Old Trafford for seven years.

But Gary Megson's team were left with an uphill battle from as early as the fifth minute following Knight's unfortunate own goal.

Patrice Evra's cross from the left flank was headed goalwards by Michael Owen on the edge of the six-yard box, but the former England forward's attempt looked unlikely to trouble goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen until it deflected off Knight and diverted into the corner of the net.

Bolton captain Kevin Davies wasted a good chance to equalise on 14 minutes when he headed wide from close range and it proved a costly miss with Valencia doubling United's lead 19 minutes later.

Valencia played a one-! two with Gary Neville in the Bolton penalty area before gui! ding a f irm right-foot shot past Jaaskelainen from ten yards.

At 2-0, United should have extended their lead to ensure a much more comfortable winning margin.

Owen, starting his first league game since August, twice shot wide after being teed up by Berbatov early in the second-half.

And the Bulgarian forward was denied a spectacular goal on 57 minutes when Jaaskelainen reacted brilliantly keep out his scissor-kick from Valencia's cross.

With United's back four once again showing signs of frailty, Bolton stepped up their attacking intent as they searched for a route back into the game in the closing stages.

And a mistake by United captain Neville led to Matt Taylor's 75th minute header that set up a nervous finale for the hosts.

Neville's poor clearance from Davies's cross saw the ball return to the Bolton captain, who delivered perfectly for Taylor to head past Edwin van der Sar from six yards.

Van der Sar was then rescued by referee Mark Clattenburg moments later after Ivan Klasnic appeared to have scored for Bolton.

The Dutch goalkeeper dropped the ball under a Ricardo Gardner challenge before Klasnic tapped in at the far post.

Gardner's challenge seemed a fair one, but replays suggested a handball by the Bolton midfielder could have been the reason for Clattenburg's decision to blow for an infringement.

Bolton threw everything at United in the closing minutes and Klasnic flashed a 20 yard shot wide of Van der Sar's post in the 90th minute.

Lee powers NSW to Airtel CL T20 title

New South Wales were crowned the inaugural Airtel CL T20 winners after they snapped Trinidad & Tobago's fairytale campaign with a 41-run victory.

In a high-voltage summit clash in Hyderabad on Friday night, New South Wales had the last laugh with Brett Lee as their star performer.

In ! the title showdown featuring top two teams of the tournament, it was a battle between Caribbean flair and Australian profressionalism.

Put into bat, NSW fumbled and faltered in their innings to slump to 83 for six in the 12th over before finding a messiah in Lee, whose whirlwind 48 off 31 balls, along with Steven Smith's 33, guided them to 159 for nine.

Trinidad & Tobago's chase never gathered momentun and Kieron Pollard's (! 26 off 1 5 balls) last ditch attempt was not enough as the Caribbeans side folded for 118 in 15.5 overs.

After his batting heroics, Lee (2/10) was in the thick of action again, claiming two quick wickets to reduce T&T to 21 for three in the first eventful 14 balls.

Lee's second delivery castled the scoreless Wiliam Perkins and the blond pacer returned to catch Lendl Simmons off his own bowling in the next over.

In between, Adrian Barath hit Steve Smith's first three balls for successive fours followed it with a six before returning caught behind off the last delivery.

For T&T, crisis further com! pounded as Dwayne Bravo (17), and captain Darren Ganga (19) and Denesh Ramadin (16) fell when the team needed them most.

Pollard (26) tried to replicate the form he had shown in the league match against NSW but Nathan Hauritz had other ideas and for T&T, the match was over when Pollard fell in the 15th over.

Earlier, NSW discovered a batting hero in Brett Lee whose stunning 48, along with Steven Smith's 33, took the Australians past the 150-mark after they had slumped to 83 for six inside 12 overs! .

Put into bat, NSW never really got going with Ravi Rampaul (3/20) and Dwayne Bravo (2/27) polishing the top order before some poor shot selections did the middle order in.

Down the order, Steven Smith, however, refused to throw in the towel and Lee then came up with a 31-ball blitzkrieg, studded with four fours and five sixes, before falling in the last ball of the innings.

David Warner and Phil Hughes ! have been key to New South Wales' success in the tournament so far but the left-handed opening pair, for once, proved they too had feet of clay.

Rampaul cleaned up Hughes (3) with the first delivery of his second over and then Bravo combined with an airborne Dave Mohammad to cut short Warner's (19) stay just when the stocky left-hander had started looking his ominous self.

Both the in-form NSW openers back in the hut inside five overs with the score reading a mere 32, this was clearly not the best of starts for the Australian side.

Simon Katich (16) decided to punish Bravo, hitting him for two sixes -- one miscued shot so! ared over long-on ropes and another effortless pull cleared fi! ne leg - - in the same over before the pacer returned to settle score.

Three balls later, Moises Henriques (4) joined his captain in the hut, holing out in the deep off Kieron Pollard, and NSW were clearly in a hole at 49 for four.

Dave Mohammad removed Ben Rohrer (16) with his first delivery and Rampaul returned to disturb Daniel Smith's timbers in the next over before Lee joined Smith in the middle to steady the ship.

Even after Smith returned, there was no containing Lee who swung his bat to good effect to help the side cross the 150-mark that had looked a distant dream at one stage.

Click here for Scorecard

Teams:

New South Wales: PJ Hughes, DA Warner, DLR Smith†, MC Henriques, SM Katich*, BJ Rohrer, SPD Smith, B Lee, NM Hauritz, SR Clark, DE Bollinger.

Trinidad & Tobago: A Barath, WKD Perkins, LMP Simmons, D Ganga*, DJ Bravo, KA Pollard, D Ramdin†, S Ganga, ND Stewart, D Mohammed, R Rampaul.

Azarenka powers to victory

Victoria Azarenka made short work of Jelena Jankovic on her Sony Ericsson Championship debut in Doha.

The Belorussian raced to a 6-2 6-3 win over her Serbian opponent in one hour 22 minutes in the opening match of the tournament, which features the top eight players in the world.

It was Azarenka's second win over Jankovic in their fifth career meeting, and her success on her opponents' serve proved key.

Azarenka broke twice in the first set and three times i! n the second to pave the way for victory.

The 20-year-old won 50% of points of Jankovic's first serve and 60% on her second, carving out nine break opportunities.

She faced just two break points of her own, losing one.

Azarenka and Jankovic are in the White Group along with Russian Dinara Safina, the world number one, and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.

The Maroon Group gets under way later today with Elena Dementieva taking on Venus Williams and Serena Williams facing Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The top two players from each group advance to the semi-finals.

Murray eases through in Spain

Andy Murray did not have to be at his best as he wrapped up a comfortable victory in the first round of the Valencia Open 500.

Facing Spanish wildcard Daniel Gimeno-Traver, the Scot overcame a sloppy spell in the first set to secure a 6-3 6-1 win.

World number four Murray raced into a 3-0 lead before taking the first set with three breaks of serve, and improved in the second set to break twice more and wrap up a 6-3 6-1 win in a match which lasted exactly an hour.

Home hope Juan Carlos Ferrero was dumped out after a stirring comeback from Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas.

Ferrero led 6-2 5-2 and looked set to close out victory inside an hour, but his 23-year-old opponent roared back to take the second set on a tie-break.

A second-serve ace then brought about his first match point and, though that was saved, he took the second to complete a 2-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-3 win.

There was better news for eighth seed David Ferrer, who came through a tight all-Spanish clash with Nicolas Almagro.

A late second break gave Ferrer the first set 7-5 and, after dropping the second on a tie-break, he stormed through the decider to win 7-5 6-7 (3/7) 6-2 in two hours, 17 minutes.

Seeded Frenchmen Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils enjoyed straight-sets wins, fifth seed Simon seeing off Russia's Igor Kunitsyn 6-3 6-2 in just over 54 minutes.

Monfils, one place below his compatriot in the seedings, dropped only one game more in a! 6-4 6-2 triumph against home wildcard Marcel Granollers.

!

Seven th seed Tommy Robredo of Spain was pegged back after a flying start, but still saw off Belgium's Christophe Rochus 6-0 5-7 6-3.

Juan Monaco beat fellow Argentinian Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-3 6-2 and countryman Leonardo Mayer completed a bad day for Russia by hammering Igor Andreev 6-3 6-3 to set up a clash with top seed Murray.

DI CARLO: AI PIANI ALTI SIAMO SOLO OSPITI

di Marco Spinelli
fonte: corriere di verona

A chi non è mai successo, a scuola, di prendere un bel voto nel primo compito dell'anno per poi sentirsi dire dal professore: "Siamo solo ad ottobre, ragazzo, la pagella si stila a giugno". Mimmo Di Carlo è il professore: il suo Chievo, l'alunno promettente. Dopo sette giornate, i Mussi sono sesti in classifica e vedono l'Europa. Giocano un calcio ordinato, aggressivo, efficace. A Veronello coltivano i loro segreti tattici e vicono la settimana di so! sta della ripresa con il neo promosso Bari
Di Carlo, che sensazione prova guardando la classifica? "Quella di essere 'ospiti' in un quartiere di lusso che non ci appartiene. Da quando alleno è il miglior piazzamento raggiunto da una mia squadra. Ma è troppo facile, oggi, dire che il Chievo è da Uefa: e a me le cose facili insospettiscono…"

Santoruvo: "Persa una grande occasione, ma non molliamo"

di Andrea Ranaldo

E' un Santoruvo amareggiato quello che si presenta ai microfoni dei giornalisti dopo il pareggio contro il Crotone: "Bisogna accettare il vedretto del campo, anche se avremmo meritato di più. Ci sono stati alcuni episodi che ci hanno sfavorito, come il gol annullatomi ingiustamente. E' un peccato perchè abbiamo perso una buona occasione, ma in campo abbiamo dato tutto. Applausi comunque al Crotone, che ha giocato a viso aperto pur creando pochissime occasioni vere. Ora andiamo ad affron! tare una doppia trasferta difficile, così come è difficile l'intero campionato: non esistono squadre materasso, ed ogni partita va giocata al 100%."

Chiusura, con un pizzico di polemica, dedicata ai giornalisti, non troppo teneri sul rendimento dell'avanti ciociaro: "A volte leggo cose un po' strane... Penso che alcuni di voi vengano a vedere gli schemi che proviamo in settimana, e quello che faccio in partita è abbastanza chiaro. Io devo cercare di sfruttare le occasioni che mi capitano, se poi mi va male che faccio due gol, e uno mi viene annullato...pazienza! Il Frosinone ha comunque l'attacco più forte del campionato, e non vorrei che qualcuno lo avesse dimenticato."

ARIATTI: CLUB MODELLO, GRUPPO UNICO

di Marco Spinelli
fonte: L'arena

Mimmo Di Carlo guarda in panchina. Spesso lo cerca. Quasi sempre lo toglie dal mazzo, per giocarsi al momento giusto la carta jolly. Luca Ariatti è uomo per tutte le stagioni. Dove lo metti, lui sta. Del resto, Giovanni Sartori lo aveva presentato proprio così: "Lo consideriamo valida alternativa per la mediana. Gioca in più ruoli. Questi giocatori valgono doppio". Detto e fatto.
Mimmo lo ha messo addirittura al posto di Mantovani. Cause di forz! a maggiore, certo. L'ex centrocampista del Lecce, però, si è sempre disimpegnato alla grande. Chiude, copre, riparte, si adatta

E Di Carlo lo considera mai il dodicesimo uomo. "Mi avevano scelto proprio per questo", ammette Ariatti, "e io penso di avere dimostrato la mia duttilità. Giocare esterno o interno di centrocampo non fa differenza. A me interessava capire in fretta il mondo Chievo" . E poi: "Penso di essermi inserito abbastanza bene nel gruppo. La filosofia è quella giusta, e mi è bastato poco per capire il significato della favola Chievo. Qui c'è una società modello, unica per modo di gestione e davvero molto trasparente. Vince sempre e comunque il gruppo. E io ho avuto la fortuna di entrare in contatto con un ambiente che trovo davvero molto stimolante"

Ariatti poi si lascia andare ad una previsione: "Magari qualcuno toccherà ferro", annuncia, "ma il promettente inizio di stagione può essere il preludio ad un grande campionato. Credo esistan! o tutte le componenti per poter fare bene. Il Chievo ha confer! mato sub ito quanto di buono aveva fatto negli ultimi set-sette mesi dello scorso campionato. Se non hai qualità e sostanza risulta difficile riconfermarsi"Il centrocampista gialloblù sponsorizza poi un suo compagno di squadra. "Non conoscevo bene Frey. Devo dire che a vederlo giocare mi ha proprio impressionato. Mi piace per come interpreta la gara, mi piace per quello che fa. Sono convinto che se continuerà su questa strada potrà fare il definitivo salto di qualità. E Chievo è l'ambiente giusto per rendere il massimo"

Ventura aggiusta la mira ai 'galletti'. Prime parole di inizio settimana. La strada che porta alla sfida con il Chievo è ancora lunga. Giampiero Ventura pensa, però, a mettere subito in ordine i suoi pensieri.
Il suo Bari ha ottenuto otto punti in sette partite, offrendo anche scampoli di calcio molto divertente. Nelle ultime gare i pugliesi hanno smarrito la via del gol, ma la tendenza resta pur sempre buona.
La conferma arriva anche dal tecnico ! genovese: "Il bilancio mi piace definirlo positivo in generale perchè abbiamo fatto parlare di noi, abbiamo fatto buone gare e abbiamo dimostrato che se vogliamo possiamo ritagliarci uno spazio tutto nostro. Si dice che il Bari in Italia è una della squadre che gioca meglio. Ed è chiaro che questo è un motivo di soddisfazione. Come in tutte le cose, però, si può sempre migliorare anche se credo bisogna anche dire che abbiamo raccolto meno di quanto abbiamo prodotto. Se devo trovare un neo lo ricerco in quelle palle gol abbastanza clamorose che non abbiamo concretizzato. Se avessimo dimostrato maggiore precisione sottoporta, avremmo una classifica assolutamente straordinaria e si parlerebbe del Bari in termini ancora più entusiastici. Sono anche soddisfatto della voglia e dello spirito di sacrificio che hanno questi ragazzi"

E allora qual è la ricetta per uscire dall'equivoco? Ventura non ha incertezze: "Dobbiamo solo dare serenità ai nostri giocatori", dice, "che! vogliono tanto dare qualcosa di importante a Bari. Sanno che ! possono fare meglio". Ventura parla anche dell'ex gialloblù Antonio Langella, fin qui impiegato piuttosto poco: "Se dobbiamo parlare di chi gioca poco, allora dovremmo farlo anche di Belmonte che è andato una sola volta in panchina o Diamoutene. Il Bari sta aspettando il migliore Langella, alla fine credo che sia il campo a parlare. E noi", confida l'allenatore dei 'galletti', "aspettiamo Antonio a braccia aperte"

Vucinic,Doni ok .Totti forse

di Rocco Fortunato

fonte:laroma24.it

Vucinic sì, Doni più sì che no, Totti più no che sì. Ovvia­mente a Ranieri non può che far piacere sapere di poter contare sul montenegrino e probabilmen te sul portiere titolare, ma altret tanto ovviamente non può essere felice del rischio, sempre più con creto, che il suo capitano sia co stretto al ruolo di spettatore, do menica prossima, a San Siro, con tro il Milan, in una partita che lo stesso allenatore ha definito fon damentale per capire cheRoma è e sarà.

CAUTELA - Ieri, gio vedì, era stato indi cato come il giorno in cui si sarebbe ca pito di più circa le possibilità che Totti potesse mettersi a disposizione di Claudio Ranieri. Il capitano gialloros so è sceso in campo, ha corso quasi una trentina di minuti, insieme al suo pre paratore personale Vito Scala, avver tendo sempre meno fastidio alla piccola lesione al menisco riportata nel corso della partita contro il Napoli. Questo vuole di re che il fastidio però c'è ancora, anche se minimo. E a due giorni dalla sfida con i rossoneri non si possono dare garanzie. Fosse sta ta una partita senza ritorno, tipo quella della passa! ta stagione con tro l'Arsenal all'Olimpico, Totti sarebbe sicuramente disponibile a scendere in campo, ma pur con tutto il rispetto per il Milan, la ga ra di domenica prossima a Mila no, non può essere considerata senza ritorno, dopo ci saranno al tre trenta partite di campionato e si spera ancora parecchie di Eu ropa League e coppa Italia. Ri schiare, anche minimamente, non avrebbe senso prendendo in con siderazione il totale della stagione che per i giallorossi domenica ! ri prenderà con un ciclo di tre par tite a settimana, una ogni! tre gio r ni per le prossime tre settimane. Rischiare una ricaduta oltre che colpevole sarebbe molto più pe nalizzante che disertare San Siro. Oggi, comunque, Totti aumente rà i carichi di lavoro, mentre do mani dovrebbe esserci il nuovo contatto con il pallone. Se si regi streranno progressi importanti e, soprattutto, si avrà la certezza di non correre rischi, allora Totti po trebbe anche partire per Milano. In caso contrario, rimarrà a Ro ma per preparare la gara di Euro pa League aLondra contro il Ful ham di giovedì prossimo.

IN CAMPO - A Mila no, invece, è prati camente certa la presenza di Mirko Vucinic. Il monte negrino ieri ha svolto tutto il lavo ro con il resto del gruppo, non ha più fastidio al ginoc chio, sarà a disposi zione di Ranieri. E, ovviamente, sarà uno dei due titolari delle maglie di at taccante. Ci sarà da decidere il suo compagno offensivo. Poche le chance di Baptista che pure si è rivisto in campo ad Anzio per un tempo, sarà un ballottaggio tra Okaka e Menez con il primo che al momento sembra leggermente favorito.
L'altra novità della formazione anti-Milan, potrà essere il rientro in campo in una partita ufficiale di Doni. Il brasiliano, dopo il test di Anzio, sembra aver cancellato le ultime perplessità ed è pronto a dare la sua disponibilità a Ranie ri che, dal canto suo! , si è dimo strato ottimista per ilrecupero del portiere titolare. Doni non gioca dal derby del girone di ri­torno del passato campionato, so no circa sei mesi di stop, ma pare che Ranieri voglia assolutamente accelerare il suo rientro