Very rarely does Wembley host such exciting, closely fought cup finals these days. But in 2006 we were treated to one which we stick in the mind of football fans for years to come. Steven Gerrard, not for the first or last time, came to Liverpool’s rescue as West Ham looked certain to upset the odds and win their first FA Cup in 26 years.
Twice the Liverpool skipper scored to bring his side level, with the second being an absolute screamer inside injury time. The game looked over as a contest as early as the 28th minute when Dean Ashton added to Jamie Carragher’s own goal to put the Hammers 2-0 up.
But Gerrard did what he does best and carried his side from the brink of defeat. The game went to penalties which Liverpool went on to win (no surprise Gerrard found the net from the spot) but only after Marlon Harewood missed a sitter with seconds remaining.
Whoever thinks the excitement has gone out of the FA Cup need only to watch this clip…
[youtube gsOcq3NWH_4]
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Click on Giorgia Palmas below to see her in all her glory
Sports minister Hugh Robertson has come to the defence of the FA, after the governing body’s decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy came under scrutiny from Fabio Capello.
With the Chelsea defender set to appear in court in July in regards to Anton Ferdinand’s claims that Terry racially abused him, the FA took the nation’s captain’s armband away from the centre back, much to the distain of Capello.
However Robertson has made a public statement of support for the FA.
“It’s a difficult situation and emotions are running high, but I think up to now the FA have acted very sensibly, very reasonably and come to the right decision,” Robertson told Sky Sports News.
“There were two things they had to tackle at the end of last week. The moral case, which is very, very difficult one, because in this country you are innocent until proved guilty.
“It would have been very tough to take action on that front, but then there was also the practical side of it which is that it was going to make it extraordinarily difficult for John Terry, fabulous footballer and great captain that he is, to discharge that responsibility in the white heat of this sort of publicity during the European Championship so I believe they entirely made the right decision.
“I don’t think there’s any, any way that John Terry could have carried out the very considerable duties that are required of the national captain with this sort of thing going on in the background. Every single press conference, every single appearance, everything the England team had done during those Euros if he would have been captain would have had that as a backdrop.
“Whatever you think of John Terry the person, what you think about the case that is bound to of had a very poor effect on the team. So it was the only practical and sensible thing the FA could do,” he concluded.
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Despite having already played 54 times this season, Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere looks set to be named in Stuart Pearce’s squad for the Under-21 European Championships next month. A stout protector of his own players, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been campaigning for Wilshere to be rested for the summer for the sake of his own health and future after a long season for both club and country. Having also broken into the senior England side, Wenger has questioned why Wilshere is still involved with the Under-21s.
Wenger’s complaints look to have fallen on death ears so far. But, another player to have broken into the Senior side and originally earmarked for the Under-21 squad looks set to be rested following concerns from his club. Since his £30 million switch to Liverpool, Andy Carroll has struggled for fitness with an injury first sustained at Newcastle.
With the FA seemingly willing to rest Carroll but not Wilshere, expect a tirade of criticism from Wenger. But does the Frenchmen have a valid arguement?
Wilshere has played a great deal more games than Carroll. And, with the Championship set to take place in under two weeks and run until the end of June, Wilshere would only have around six weeks until the start of the new Premier League campaign. With Wenger stating the midfielder needs four weeks of complete rest, he would struggle to be match-fit and ready for the new season.
Carroll, meanwhile, would be allowed a full two and half months before the start of next season. But the player has struggled to play regularly since his January switch to Liverpool and would represent a gamble anyway. More importantly, were Carroll to seriously aggravate his knee injury and face a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the FA would run the risk of serious action from Liverpool over their club record signing.
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Wenger seems to undermine the importance of the Under-21 tournament itself. Whilst not as high-profile as last year’s World Cup, it would be of definite importance to the future of English football. With the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry all the wrong side of 30, it would give the next generation a great opportunity to play in a tournament together. Likewise, it would be a great experience for the likes of Wilshere and Carroll.
The FA cannot be seen to favour Liverpool’s wishes over Arsenal’s. But, Wenger must remember that Carroll has had a completely different season to Wilshere. Wenger has never been a great believer in the importance of internationals at the expense of club football, but Wilshere would be a key player for the Under-21s and the Wenger must see the influence it could have on his development.
There is nothing that irritates Premier League fans more than players diving to the ground as if they have been hit by a sniper rifle. Yet some attempts at conning the referee are so ridiculous that you cannot help but laugh. Following on from yesterday’s part one, enjoy ten more of the most embarrassing below-
El-Hadji Diouf v Blackburn
Not even El-Hadji Diouf’s manager Sam Allardyce could justify the Senegalese striker’s dive to win a penalty against Blackburn in 2005. Simply conceding:
“He’s been doing it all his life.” Well fair enough then.
[youtube RiBXMPkYfXI]
Didier Drogba v Liverpool
Chelsea’s Ivorian striker Didier Drogba continues to defy the laws of physics with his inability to stay on his feet in and around the penalty area. Although this has improved slightly in recent seasons.
As one of the league’s most blatant offenders, strong as an ox Drogba continues to baffle fans with his constant theatrics. This collapse against Liverpool is one of the worst-
[youtube GgbU2zejzgk]
Cristiano Ronaldo v Blackburn
Having already earnt a reputation for being cocky and arrogant, Portuguese winker Cristiano Ronaldo does himself no favours by constantly throwing himself on the floor before glancing, wide-eyed in the direction of the referee.
Ronaldo dived so much throughout his Premier League years that he could easily have a whole top ten all to himself. Diving is considered to be part and parcel of the game in Spain and Ronaldo will fit in perfectly with the top La Liga diving experts.
[youtube LJZVd4Zsv8Y]
Continued on Page TWO
Oleksandr Aliyev v Arsenal
Here’s Dynamo Kyiv’s former attacker Oleksandr Aliyev rolling around on the ground before spotting that nobody was taking any notice of him and promptly getting back on his feet.
The ITV commentator sums up his embarrassing behaviour perfectly by saying: “I’m sorry mate you’ve been caught!”
[youtube VzeKiEtp0m0]
Knut Fostervold
Former Grimsby defender Knut Fostervold should have won an award for this brilliant piece of acting while playing for Molde FK.
After being struck in the face, Fostervold delays his swan dive for a few seconds before launching himself to the ground in emphatic fashion. His dive was brilliantly parodied by Villa striker John Carew in a later match.
[youtube WwST-t-YyCs]
Morten Gamst Pedersen v Arsenal
Even Match of the Day host Gary Lineker had to laugh at Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen pathetic dive against Arsenal.
The Norwegian winger even looked around to see the referee’s position before throwing himself onto the deck, despite Bacary Sagna being nowhere near him.
[youtube 0I8p_CRR3Bk]
Continued on Page THREE
Dida v Celtic
With seconds remaining in Celtic’s 2-1 win over AC Milan in 2007, a home fan ran onto the pitch taunting Brazilian goalkeeper Dida before giving him a light tap on the shoulder.
The stopper gave chase before being blown over by a gust of wind and falling to the floor. Dida then waited for a stretcher to carry him off the field before holding an ice pack to his eye in what was surely the most ridiculous dive ever seen in football.
[youtube DZviLX37sMY]
Unknown v America
A youth game between Alt Juniors and America in South America produced a dive of epic proportions despite there being aroung three metres between the attacker and last defender.
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Despite also being offside the referee actually awards the utterly ridiculous penalty decision.
[youtube UP2SiBJO6tE]
David N’Gog v Birmingham
French youngster David N’Gog was accused by Birmingham of cheating to win a penalty for his side last season with a tumble in the penalty area.
“I was absolutely nowhere near him,” an enraged Carsley said. “It’s a joke. I’m sure he [Ngog] has got a family, well if I went home having done that, I’d be embarrassed.
[youtube vpYyfrP84BI]
Steven Taylor v Aston Villa
After finding himself stuck in no mans land with striker Darius Vassell bearing down on goal, Newcastle defender knew his only option to keep the ball out was with his hands.
Yet to disguise his skulduggery, Taylor subsequently clutched his chest as if he had been shot, before slowly slumping to his knees. His acting was woeful however and he was immediately shown a red card.
[youtube vl3HnU0HOhk]
Click here to VIEW PART ONE of the worst football dives of all time
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Resignation – something tendered by the now former President Christian Wulff on Friday morning. No one at Bayern Munich will offer theirs yet but in deepest Badem-Wuttemberg, Germany’s most successful club slipped further behind Borussia Dortmund in the race for the title.
The Reds are now third, the same position they finished last season after another tepid away showing. Jupp Heycnkes, who was in charge last year at runners up Bayer Leverkusen, is unfamiliar to poor showings on the road. With his previous employers, he enjoyed the best away record in the division in the 2010/2011 season.
However, Bayern’s off colour showing at lowly Freiburg means his side have only won two of their last eight away matches in the Bundesliga. Their opponents on Saturday evening deserve credit for their determined performance. It might just irk Freiburg fans though that they’re the bottom placed side in Germany’s elite, in the knowledge their team can perform to that standard.
Two of their relegation rivals also had the challenge of trying to upset another two of the division’s high fliers. However, neither the recently wretched Hertha Berlin nor Kaiserslautern were able to overcome either of the league’s Borussias. Both victories were narrow which is of credit to the basement battlers. Hertha were greeted with the news on Friday that Otto Rehhagel would take over the vacant manager’s position or should it be Captain Otto?
He told Bild: “The Hertha ship has not sunk, but it has a large leak. I always have the last word. I am now there for Hertha, day and night, and I am always punctual.” His imminent arrival was unable to prevent Kevin Grosskreutz from grabbing a 1-0 win for Dortmund, maintaining the Champions position at the top.
Monchengladbach moved into second meanwhile as they emerged victorious at the Betzenberg, in a game which had two outstanding goals. Hermann put the away side ahead before a beautiful intricate move ended in Arango using the outside of his left foot to curl the ball past Kevin Trapp. Leon Jessen’s 30 yard thunderbolt halved the deficit but the counter attacking demons of Gladbach held on, meaning the Foals moved ahead of Bayern Munich for the first time since August.
The one place where Bayern have found consistency is at home, winning nine of their eleven at the Allianz Arena. However, Schalke visit next weekend.They’re now the top scorers in the Bundesliga having beaten Wolfsburg 4-0 on Sunday. Next weekend’s match-up will see the league’s top goalscorers, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Mario Gomez go head to head. Should the Royal Blues win, they’ll move above their hosts. Huub Stevens must seek inspiration from the forces above – no, nothing supernatural, just Gladbach and Dortmund who have both won in Munich this season
Each of the top four have key players missing currently and the table shows who’s currently coping the best. Lying just four points off the top, it would be foolish to rule Bayern out of the title race, although they are starting to lose vital ground on leaders Borussia Dortmund.
However, they haven’t had the panache of Champions. As Captain Philip Lahm stated after Saturday’s game, “If we continue to play like we did today, it will be hard to win the title.” Whilst they are not resigned to losing the title just yet, anyone connected with Bayern Munich will have felt more than an air of resignation after their latest performance.
For more on the Bundesliga, follow @arhindtutt on Twitter.
Matchday 22 Results:
Hoffenheim 1-1 Mainz
Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 Augsburg
Hamburg 1-3 Werder Bremen
Hertha Berlin 0-1 Borussia Dortmund
Kaiserslautern 1-2 Gladbach
Nuremberg 2-1 Cologne
Freiburg 0-0 Bayern Munich
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The Sun reports that Tottenham winger Niko Kranjar will interest Lazio, Roma and Juventus in the summer that is according to Kranjar’s agent. The Croat was a regular in the Tottenham starting eleven last season – but this season has found his opportunities more limited largely due to the emergence of Gareth Bale and Steven Pienaar.
This season the 26 year old has only started 10 Premier League games. The winger has two years left on his contract and expressed his concern about a lack of first team football and is becoming disheartened by the lack of first-team football this season.
Kranjar turned down a move to German side Werder Bremen in January. However, he may be more interested in a move to one of these Italian giants – especially if Spurs can not give the player assurances about his future.
Kranjar’s agent Adrian Aliaj says “Niko is not happy with the situation at Tottenham at the moment. He wants to play. It is a shame that a man of Niko’s quality is on the bench. He is loyal to the club and he has a contract but it’s difficult for him. Some clubs are interested in Italy are interested in him. Lazio, Roma, Juventus – they are all interested, as well as some teams in Spain and Germany.”
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Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard is set to be sidelined for another fortnight as he struggles to recover fully from recent hernia surgery.
The 32-year-old has not featured for the Blues since the 2-0 win at home to Stoke City a month ago and will definitely miss the Champions League clash with Marseille this week.
Lampard is also highly unlikely to feature in the showdown with Arsenal next weekend and he is a major doubt for England European Championship qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley on October 12.
Meanwhile, Lampard’s Stamford Bridge team-mate Didier Drogba has dropped a major hint that he may not end his career with the Blues.
He told The Sun:“When I signed a new contract at Chelsea, I always said I wanted to finish my career here. But I am well placed to say that anything can happen.
“When I was at Marseille I said I would finish my career there but, one week later, everything changed.”
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Striker Drogba, 32, still has another two years left on his current contract, having joined the Blues in the summer of 2004 and gone on to score 136 goals in 267 appearances in all competitions.
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Aston Villa winger Marc Albighton has stated that he is not a cheat, despite Wolves fans venting their frustration against him at the weekend.
Karl Henry was sent off for kicking out at the Villa midfielder in Alex McLeish’s side’s 3-2 win over the Molineux club, and Albrighton was given a hard time by the home fans after the incident.
Despite this, Albrighton has maintained that he was the victim and should not be accused of playacting.
“It [the kick] was pretty hard and it winded me. It’s something I wouldn’t want again,” he told Mirror Football.
“It hurts, definitely, when I read the papers on Sunday and Monday. It does hurt a lot, especially when people in the crowd call you a cheat when I was the victim, on the floor getting kicked.
“But that’s football, part and parcel of the game these days, and you have to take the criticism thrown at you. It spurs you on to do even better when people are booing you and calling you a cheat.
“I think he probably saw the red mist and lost his head a little. He’s probably a really nice guy off the pitch although I don’t really know him.
“Something stupid came over him. I’m not saying it’s right to go around kicking people on the sly but in the heat of the moment, these things happen. The emotions are high and the pressure is there,” he admitted.
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Tottenham are known for shooting themselves in the foot and this afternoon proved no different as they threw away more vital points at White Hart Lane.
Harry Redknapp must wonder what the hell is going on at the moment as the North Londoners slowly become the draw kings of the Premier League. The amount of points thrown away at home is arguably what they’ll look back and regret come the end of the season, should they miss out on a top four finish. They certainly had their chances in the game to put the game to bed, but like many times this season have failed to do so. The result means that their hopes of Champions League qualification are out of their hands and they’ll have to hope results go for them elsewhere.
So how do Tottenham fans feel about the performance today and what are the five things we learnt about Spurs this afternoon?
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Described by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as ‘a centre-back of quality and experience, and at the right price’, the signing of French international Sebastien Squillaci from Sevilla certainly appears to be an astute addition to The Emirates set-up.
The Gunners completed the signing of the veteran central defender on Thursday and the former Lyon star will compete with fellow new signing Laurent Koscielny for a place in the heart of Wenger’s defence, alongside Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen. It leaves 23-year-old Swiss international Johan Djourou as the club’s fourth choice defender.
Central defence has been a problematic position for the North London side over the last few seasons, with Wenger so far failing to find the perfect combination at the back as he attempts to bring the club its first trophy since 2005. A side so intent on delivering free-flowing, attacking football needs solidity in defence and Arsenal fans have urged Wenger to finally solve his side’s back four frailties. Wenger has moved to address this over the summer and the experienced Squillaci could be the answer having impressed in spells at Monaco, Lyon and Sevilla.
Wenger lost an astonishing four centre-backs over the summer with William Gallas, Sol Campbell, Mikael Silvestre and Philippe Senderos all moving on. The arrivals of Squillaci and the highly-rated Koscielny from French side Lorient will ensure Arsenal have more than enough cover to cope with these departures.
However at the age of 30, Squillaci cannot be viewed as the long-term answer to Arsenal’s defensive problems. While Wenger has previously refused to sign players over the age of 30, it is a positive sign that he believes Squillaci can continue to deliver in the latter stages of his career. The £5m signing is expected to start ahead of the less experienced Koscielny this season and he will bring some much needed experience to the Arsenal side following the departure of Gallas to arch-rivals Tottenham on a free transfer.
Squillaci is renowned for his anticipation and heading ability and this should make up for what he lacks in pace. Wenger believes his new defender will give his side a more physical edge and will have no problems adapting to the physicality of the Premier League:
“He is a real defender and is good in the one against one, good in the air, and can score goals on set-pieces as well. I believe he will be suited to the English game,” revealed Wenger.
Squillaci has made over 350 appearances in club football and has been capped 21 times for France. He also has three French league titles to his name and was a key member of the Monaco side in their remarkable run to the 2004 Champions League final. His experience will be invaluable in the Arsenal dressing room.
While Arsenal fans were expecting a big name signing in central defence they can be pleased with Wenger’s business in the transfer market. Squillaci still has at least three years left at the highest level and will complement Vermaelen perfectly. The Frenchman is physically and mentally strong enough for the challenges of English football and will certainly be a force for Premier League strikers to reckon to with.
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