Taylor to face Wade again
July 26, 2008
Phil “the power” Taylor will face James Wade again after both men came through easy semi-finals at the World Match play. Taylor defeated old foe Dennis Priestly 17-8. Taylor was in fine and in the match he twice had 7 perfect darts and had a dart at double 12 for that elusive nine darter. It didn’t come but Phil was just happy to beat Dennis.
Phil said…
“Dennis doesn’t give in. He just keeps going and going. Even when you look at the score and I am 14, 15-6 up he comes back at you all the time. Most people would give in.”
His opponent James Wade had an even easier ride against Wayne Mardle, the “machine” raced to a 17-6 win in what was a completely one sided match. Mardle was maybe tired after that epic match with Barney but nevertheless he never looked like challenging Wade.
Afterwards Wade said…
“If I can find another gear tomorrow night, which I can do, hopefully I can and it will be an entertaining night for people watching. Phil gives me inspiration. We all look up to Phil. I am not nervous, just excited, really excited and I just want to get it on.”
Murray defeats Djokovic
July 26, 2008
Andy Murray has moved into the semi-finals of the Toronto masters with a fantastic straight sets win over World number Three Novak Djokovic. The young Scot produced one of his best performances ever to win the match 6-3, 7-6.
After the match he said…
“Mentally, that’s probably the biggest one of my career. He’s going to be around for a long time. So to come through against him, especially when he beat me convincingly four times, is very satisfying.”
The win is even more impressive considering Novak has defeated Murray comfortably in the last four meetings.
Andy continued…
“The last few times I’ve played against him, I really struggled to read his game. But I’ve watched a lot of his matches lately and I’ve seen the patterns of play he likes to use and I read his game much better. He hit very few winners, I think. That was one of the most satisfying things for me.”
Murray now faces Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard continued his fine form coming from a set down to defeat talented Frenchman Richard Gasquet. The win for Rafa is the 27th win in a row. With Roger being knocked out early Nadal is getting ever closer to that number One spot.
Tevez:Let Ron Go
July 24, 2008
Carlos Tevez has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo should be allowed to leave Man Utd and join Real Madrid. The comments of Tevez will surely infuriate Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager is still fuming with the constant interest of Real Madrid.
Tevez said…
“Manchester United have great players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, of course. It’s clear that he is a very important player for us but this is a personal decision, which is up to only him. I understand Cristiano. Every footballer wants to play at Real Madrid. On the other hand, I also think that everyone wants to play for Manchester United. But if what he seeks is something else, I think that should be respected. I have not talked to him but when these things happen, neither side feels good.”
Fergie attacks Chelsea
July 23, 2008
Sir Alex Ferguson has begun the war of words with Chelsea claiming they are old and will struggle to achieve what they achieved under Jose Mourinho.
Fergie said…
“I’m not concerned about Chelsea. It would have to go beyond Mourinho’s performance to worry us. But it’s hard to see where there’s going to be a big improvement with a team that’s really very experienced. How can they accelerate beyond what they’ve done? I don’t see outstanding progress in a team that is in their 30s.”
Meanwhile Michael Essien was talking up Chelsea’s chances of winning trophies saying…
“We’ve got the best players in the world at Chelsea and by next May will be the only team in contention. Chelsea will win the title this year. Players like Ballack, Lampard and Deco are world class. It is to our advantage that we have so many players who have achieved so much.”
It will be interesting to see if Phil Scolari bites onto the bait and attacks Fergie back.
Harrington reclaims Open title
July 21, 2008
Padraig Harrington claimed back to back Open Championships with a fantastic win at Birkdale. Harrington started the day two back of Greg Norman but some mistakes by Greg and some “par golf” from the Irishman allowed him to win. There was a late surge from Ian Poulter who ended the tournament at +7. But it didn’t matter as Padraig eagled the 17th and parred the last to win the tournament by 4 shots.
After the win he said…
“I’d like to put the Claret Jug right back where it was last year, I really tried not to think about the consequences of winning today but I did think it would be nice to have the trophy back on the breakfast table again. I had a great year as Open champion, so much so I didn’t want to give it back. It’s important that you go on and win a second major. Very few people have won two majors or back-to-back majors. I was always trying to play that down but winning a second sets you apart. It’s a new level and there’s less people in that club.”
Hamilton wins German GP
July 21, 2008
Lewis Hamilton won a thrilling Grand Prix in Hockenheim to take the Championship lead. The young Brit was sitting in 3rd with just laps to go but managed to overtake both Felipe Massa and Nelson Piquet and win the German Grand Prix.
Afterwards Lewis said…
“I didn’t plan on making it so exciting. I would have much preferred an easy and comfortable afternoon out in front. But it didn’t work that way.”
Grand Prix Results…
1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1hr 31mins 20.874 secs
2. Nelson Piquet (Brazil) Renault +00:05.586 secs
3. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 00:09.339
4. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 00:09.825
5. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) McLaren 00:12.411
6. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 00:14.483
7. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 00:22.603
8. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 00:33.282
9. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 00:37.199
10. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams - Toyota 00:37.658
11. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 00:38.625
12. Sebastien Bourdais (France) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 00:39.111
13. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull - Renault 00:54.971
14. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Force India-Ferrari 00:59.093
15. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan) Williams - Toyota 01:00.003
16. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India - Ferrari 01:09.488
17. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 1 lap
r. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda 17 laps
r. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull - Renault 27 laps
r. Timo Glock (Germany) Toyota 35 laps
Inter bid for Lampard
July 18, 2008
Inter Milan have upped their offer for Frank Lampard to £11m. Inter have been tracking Lampard for the majority of the summer but are becoming frustrated with bid after bid being rejected by Chelsea.
Inter’s chairmen Massimo Moratti said…
“Lampard is the priority but naturally in cases like this I have been looking around for some time. If it is not possible to sign Lampard, we would take a player with the most similar characteristics. Lampard is a very serious lad. Certainly he is torn between having the pleasure of doing something new and a sense of duty towards his club. In the end it’s up to him to find a solution.”
With Phil Scolari hoping to trim his squad the new bid may be accepted and Frank may move on to a leaf in his career.
Fergie reveals Berbatov bid
July 18, 2008
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed who his sole transfer target is after signalling his intent to sign Dimitar Berbatov. Fergie revealed that Man Utd have made an offer to Tottenham for the Bulgarian striker.
He said…
”We have made Tottenham an offer on Berbatov and we have good expectations that this deal will go through. Berbatov has been impressive during a long time and would be a great addition to our attack.”
Man Utd’s only obstacle is the continued interest by Barcelona. They are monitoring the situation with Berbatov and may pounce after the sale of Ronaldhino to AC Milan.
Fergie continued…
“I think time will work for us more than against us. We will not stress this situation. We are hoping to have a constructive conversation with Tottenham in the near future.”
Many believe the signing of Berbatov may be to replace Ronaldo who has been strongly linked with Real Madrid.
Sneijder snubs Ronaldo
July 17, 2008
Real Madrid star Wesley Sneijder has made an amazing attack on possible teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Sneijder spoke about the possibility of Ronaldo joining and said how it could affect the changing room in a bad way.
He said…
“It would be bad for the dressing room as he would earn better wages than the rest of the squad. It would not matter to me but I know there are other players who would not like that. Maintaining the stability within the squad is important.”
He also spoke about how Ronaldo disappears in big games…
“To speak highly of him would be slightly disrespectful to the players that are here and have shown their class. There are already similar players to him here like Arjen Robben. I want Robinho to stay - he is almost the same as Ronaldo. People criticise him a bit and say Robinho does not play well in big games but I’ve seen Ronaldo disappear in some of United’s big games.”
Simon Says
The move from Real Madrid will not happen this season because Ronaldo is injured and Real will not want to pay £60m for a crocked player. It will be interesting to see if United supporters accept Ronaldo back and support him next season.
Portugal appoint new boss
July 11, 2008
Sir Alex Ferguson has lost his second hand man Carlos Queiroz to Portugal. Carlos has signed for Portugal and is already looking ahead to the world cup.
Carlos spoke about his departure…
”I am very proud and honoured to be able to go back and serve my country. This is a very special position that any professional would want. The first big objective is to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. I also want to thank Manchester United for the agreement reached, which made my return to Portugal possible.”
The Portuguese federation has labelled Carlos as one of the best coaches in Portugal and were happy to appoint him…
“Carlos Queiroz is unquestionably one of the top Portuguese coaches and was my first choice to be head coach. Although I have never worked with him because he was no longer with the national set-up when I arrived, I have followed his career with much interest. The experience he has gained in all the places he has worked will be important in helping us achieve the success we want.”
