Bendtner response delights Wenger

Posted by admin March 10, 2010 Leave a Review

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised the resolve and mental strength of Nicklas Bendtner after the striker hit a hat-trick in the 5-0 win over Porto.

Bendtner missed a series of chances in Saturday's win over Burnley but responded by leading his side to the Champions League last eight on Tuesday.

"It shows you how football can change very quickly," said Wenger.

"He came back with good focus and the same belief - that is one of his strengths as well."

Bendtner scored twice in the opening half and capped off his performance by scoring a late penalty as Arsenal overturned a 2-1 first-leg deficit by hammering their opponents to earn a 6-2 victory on aggregate.

"Nicklas had not lost the confidence, it remains relatively stable," added Wenger.

It was the first hat-trick of the Denmark international's career - and Bendtner insisted after the match that his atrocious finishing against the Clarets had not dented his self-belief.

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"Wenger, for all his cerebral approach to management, still loves one very basic human emotion of the sport. He enjoys proving people wrong"

BBC Sport's Phil McNulty

"Every game I play I put it behind me as soon as it is finished," said the 22-year-old.

"Sometimes it is one of those days and against Porto I put it right. I am happy with the hat-trick but tomorrow we move on."

Wenger also hailed Samir Nasri, who capped an excellent performance with a superb goal, turning three defenders before firing in from an acute angle.

"What he has shown in the game, he has shown in training and I have expected that to come out," stated Wenger.

"He has talent and now he starts to be efficient - great players can assist and score goals, he is starting to do that now.

"We played fluent football with a positive start and the early goals gave us the belief we needed. We suffered a bit when we did not control the game at the start of the second half when we were not focused enough.

"Overall, though, we were good to watch and won with style."

Wenger has insisted his team would not fear drawing Chelsea or Manchester United - if their English rivals are part of the quarter-final draw when it takes places on 19 March.

United take on AC Milan on Wednesday at Old Trafford with a 3-2 first-leg advantage, while Chelsea trail Inter Milan 2-1 ahead of the return fixture at Stamford Bridge on 16 March.

Wenger stated: "I don't have a choice but I do not want to say we absolutely do not want to draw an English team.

"Maybe it is a good opportunity, if we get them, to show we can do well."

In two matches against Chelsea this season, Arsenal have been beaten 3-0 and 2-0, while Sir Alex Ferguson's United side have defeated them 2-1 and 3-1 in their meetings.

However, Wenger is adamant the Gunners would have nothing to fear if they come up against either rival.

The Frenchman believes his side can prevail if drawn against their domestic rivals and added: "If we get them, we cannot do worse than we did in the championship - we can only do better.

"We will take the draw we get and also we do not have to make a negative obsession of not playing against Chelsea or Manchester United.

"We are happy to be in the last eight - it is never easy to be in the top eight in Europe. The negative side is you only have good teams now - Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, so it will be difficult.

"At the beginning of the season, nobody expected this team to be where we are but we showed we have mental strength, we have good desire and good quality.

"I believe it is more important on our side to continue to improve - there are still some weak moments in the game we can deal better with, so before we talk about Barcelona or Manchester United it is important we continue to improve, then we have a chance."

606: DEBATE

"Whoever we get will get the same treatment as Porto got tonight, so unlucky whose next on the firing line"

sunnyeo

The draw for the semi-finals will also take place on 19 March, with the first legs of the last-eight ties set to be played on 30/31 March and the second legs on 6/7 April.

The semi-final first legs are scheduled for 20/21 April, with the second legs one week later, while the final takes place at Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium on 22 May.

Meanwhile, Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira felt Tuesday's scoreline was not a fair reflection of the match.

"Arsenal turned the game around, put us under pressure and scored an early goal, that was the worst scenario we could imagine," commented Ferreira.

"They controlled the match but Porto deserved a bit more than we got. There were a couple of mistakes, which were decisive. You cannot do that against a team of such quality."

Filed under: Europe, Featured, Football, Management Tags: arsenal, article, british, chelsea, Europe, Management, meetings, porto

Clarke named in Aussie Test squad

Posted by admin March 10, 2010 Leave a Review

Vice-captain Michael Clarke has been named in the latest Australia Test squad despite recently returning home from New Zealand for personal reasons.

Clarke travelled home before Tuesday's third one-day international in Hamilton to be with his girlfriend who has been caught up in a media storm.

The 28-year-old has been named in a 14-man squad for the two Tests against New Zealand which start on 18 March.

But Cricket Australia are unsure whether Clarke will be available.

"I've talked to him over the last few days and we have a Test tour looming," said CA general manager Michael Brown.

"I would hope he's part of that group, but unless he's ready to go, there's no point going.

"We'll talk again over the next couple of days and our intention hopefully is to get him back in the side for the Test match."

There have been reports in the Australian media concerning Clarke's fiancee Lara Bingle, who is reportedly suing a former boyfriend after a nude photo of her was published in a magazine.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has already made it clear that Clarke will not be rushed into returning to the side.

606: DEBATE

"Australia are really on a roll now and it will take quite something to stop them"

alfie_nz

"He knows from all of us within the team that he has got all the support that he needs," said Ponting.

"The last thing that I said to him before he left was for him to take as much time as he needed."

The Kiwis won the first one-day international but Australia now lead the series 2-1 with two matches left to play after Brad Haddin scored a match-winning century in Hamilton.

Meanwhile, Australian National Selection Panel (NSP) chairman Andrew Hilditch expressed confidence in the Test squad, which includes fast-medium bowler Ryan Harris, who has impressed in recent months, Phillip Hughes, who struggled during the Ashes in 2009, as well as promising all-rounder Steve Smith.

"Ryan Harris, having overcome injuries at the start of the season, has played really well for Australia in the shorter formats of the game," said Hilditch.

"The NSP are confident that if Ryan gets an opportunity he has the ability to have an impact for Australia in what will be a very hard Test series against New Zealand.

"Phillip Hughes has also been in excellent form at state level and richly deserves his selection on the back of another fantastic season in the Sheffield Shield.

"Steve Smith has had an excellent Shield season, including a big century against Tasmania recently. He adds great flexibility to the squad with his exciting stroke-play, leg-spin bowling and gifted fielding."

Australia Test squad:
Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice captain), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Phillip Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Steven Smith, Shane Watson.

Filed under: Asia Pacific, Australia, Cricket Tags: article, Australia, australian, clarke, Cricket, game, michael-clarke, phillip-hughes, sheffield

Life bans for Yousuf and Younus

Posted by admin March 10, 2010 Leave a Review

The Pakistan Cricket Board has issued indefinite bans to former captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan.

Its inquiry into events during the tour of Australia found the pair had been involved in "infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team".

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik each face one-year bans and big fines.

Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal also face heavy fines while their conduct will be strictly monitored during a six-month probationary period.

On Wednesday, the PCB implemented the recommendations of an inquiry committee formed to evaluate Pakistan's dismal performance against Australia during the winter.

Pakistan must now try to defend their ICC World Twenty20 crown in the Caribbean next month with severely depleted resources, before facing what could be a chastening tour of England.

But the PCB was unrepentant, saying: "This will go a long way to arrest the continuing decline of Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan."

Filed under: Australia, Cricket, Featured, World Tags: article, bbc, continuing, Cricket, during-the-tour, mohammad-yousuf, recommendations, shahid-afridi, winter, world-twenty20

Pyramid fraudster guilty of £34m scam

Posted by admin March 9, 2010 Leave a Review

A professional gambler has been found guilty of running a

Filed under: Featured, Sports Tags: article, bbc, british, charge, content, corporation, foster, harrow-crown

Dotcom Crash

Posted by admin March 9, 2010 Leave a Review

By Jorn Madslien
Business reporter, BBC News

On 10 March 2000, the Nasdaq index of leading technology shares spiked, bursting the Dotcom bubble.

"At the time, I thought 'there's got to be a way of making money here', but off course I was wrong'"

Mark Simon, chief executive, The Chemistry Club

2001: Money targets top techs

The decade that has passed since has brought a new realism to the internet economy.

The Nasdaq has failed to recover and currently trades at less than half its peak value on 10 March 2000 as investors are once again looking for real returns and for fundamental underlying value.

But technology is playing a much greater role in most people's lives than it did when the bubble burst, so clearly many tech firms are thriving.

Some have even grown sufficiently to join blue-chip indexes instead, so the Nasdaq is perhaps no longer the best barometer of the health of what was once deemed the "new economy".

What they said then

"It may ease off here and there, we may find the Nasdaq being a little overvalued at some point, but in general it's the way of the future"

Analyst comment, 10 March 2000

Dotcom boom: What they said at the time

These days, nobody uses the term.

Indeed, even on 10 March 2000 one analyst said: "A lot of people are tired of hearing about the new economy versus the old economy".

At the time, the Nasdaq had risen 24% since the end of 1999 while the Dow Jones index of leading industrial shares had fallen 13%.

And the analyst, who was with Prudential Securities, was convinced the Nasdaq would smash through the 6,000-level within 12 to 18 months.

"If you're an astute observer, your portfolio will reflect what's new and exciting and dynamic," he said at the time, insisting that "a lot of those are the companies that are in the Nasdaq".

Another analyst, from the since collapsed Lehman Brothers, was equally eager to justify the Nasdaq's strength.

"It may ease off here and there, we may find the Nasdaq being a little overvalued at some point, but in general it's the way of the future," he said on 10 March 2000.

Greed and fear

Oh, how wrong he was.

And how we all laugh as we look back at a time when the talk was more important than the walk, and when scruffy entrepreneurs were courted by greedy venture capitalists (VCs), their ties hidden in their pockets.

"I remember walking into a First Tuesday event at Lords Cricket Ground, and there were thousands of people there creating a very special energy," recalls Mark Simon, founder of The Chemistry Club, which at the time brought together VCs with budding entrepreneurs.

"At the time, I thought 'there's got to be a way of making money here', but off course I was wrong'."

Poor infrastructure

But it is easy to be wise after the event.

And it is equally easy to forget that in fact there were plenty of good ideas around at the time.

"A lot of the business plans were deeply flawed," acknowledges Mr Simon.

"But a lot of the ideas that were around at the time would have worked had there been broadband."

What are your memories of the Dotcom bubble What did you think of the ideas that were around at the time Send us your comments and opinions using the form below.

A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.

Filed under: Business, Chemistry, Cricket, Featured Tags: analyst, bbc, british, Business, Chemistry, companies, Cricket, find-the-nasdaq, future, health, ideas, money, nasdaq, the-time, time

US woman on ‘jihad terror’ charge

Posted by admin March 9, 2010 Leave a Review

A Pennsylvania woman in her late 40s has been charged with terror offences including using the internet to recruit militants for deadly attacks abroad.

Colleen LaRose - also known as Fatima LaRose and "Jihad Jane" - was arrested in Philadelphia in October 2009.

A federal indictment accuses her of agreeing to kill a Swedish citizen and travelling to Europe for this purpose.

However one of the prosecutors told the Associated Press the indictment did not link to any "organised terror groups".

A Department of Justice statement said Ms LaRose and five others "recruited men on the internet to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe, and recruited women on the internet who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe in support of violent jihad".

Ms LaRose, a US citizen born in 1963, is charged with "conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements to a government official and attempted identity theft."

Attorney Michael Levy was quoted as saying Ms LaRose's appearance "was considered to be an asset because it allowed her to blend in."

He said the case "demonstrates that terrorists are looking for Americans to join them in their cause, and it shatters any lingering thought that we can spot a terrorist based on appearance".

If Ms LaRose is found guilty, she could face a life term in prison and a fine of $1m.

After she was arrested on 15 October, she made an initial court appearancebut did not enter a plea, AP reported.

Filed under: America, Europe, Sports, World Tags: America, americas, bbc, british, internet, known-as-fatima, not-responsible, pennsylvania, philadelphia, prosecutors, said-the-case, swedish, the-prosecutors

Galapagos tension

Posted by admin March 9, 2010 Leave a Review

By Irene Caselli
Puerto Ayora

When Marjorie Macias Rizzo was offered a job on the Galapagos Islands in 2006, she was excited.

She had never been to the islands before and she was interested in her new job: data manager for a three-year project on sustainable development.

She was aware of the strict laws regulating migration from mainland Ecuador, so upon leaving her native town of Esmeraldas, on Ecuador's northern coast, she braced herself for a lot of bureaucracy.

But what she did not expect was to end up working illegally in her own country.

Complications arose after her first year working in Puerto Ayora, the largest town on the archipelago situated 1,000km (621 miles) from the mainland.

Renewing her temporary residence visa took longer than expected, despite Ms Macias having the right contract and filing her application in time. The visa expired and she found herself working without the appropriate papers, just as the migration authorities started cracking down on immigrants.

"I felt as if I were in a foreign country," she says. "I couldn't focus on my work, I didn't want to go out.

"I was always afraid that a policeman would find me and arrest me."

Forcible repatriation

Ms Macias' experience is not uncommon. Since the tourism boom in the 1990s, the Galapagos have become a popular destination for Ecuadoreans from the mainland, attracted by higher salaries.

Tough residency requirements were put in place in 1998, but they were not implemented strictly. Arranged marriages were a common way for people to obtain permanent residency status for themselves and their children, and many others were entering the islands as tourists and staying on to work.

As a result, the population was growing at a rate of 6.5% a year, compared with 2.2% on the mainland, taking the islands' population up to about 30,000 in 2007.

When the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) placed the archipelago on its list of endangered World Heritage sites in 2007, it was a wake-up call for the local authorities.

Officials began a largely unpopular campaign to clear the islands of the 5,000 people they believed should not be there. Those without residency or work permits were given 48 hours to leave. About 1,000 people were repatriated to the mainland, many of them forcibly.

For Jorge Torres, the governor of the islands, migration control, although unpopular, is the lesser evil.

"These actions are quite negative because here we have very little resources available," he says.

That seems hard to believe on an archipelago whose diversity and natural riches inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution during his visit in 1835, and which continues to attract visitors from all over the world. But the islands do not cater for the human species as well as they do for the rest of their inhabitants.

Tap water is not drinkable, so large quantities have to be imported from the mainland. Large quantities of food and fuel also reach the islands on boats that bring with them mosquitoes, flies and rats that are threatening the islands' native species.

In Santa Cruz, the most populated island, there is no sewage system. The waste water is slowly penetrating the underground water reserves, contaminating them and the coastal waters.

There is also a problem with the disposal of the growing amounts of rubbish. Despite an efficient recycling system, the rubbish, once sorted, has to be shipped back to the mainland because it cannot be treated here.

Growing tourist industry

Environmentalists and politicians seem to agree that this is the result of years of neglect of the human population and an excessive focus on conservation.

"For years everybody dedicated themselves to conservation on Galapagos, and all the revenue went towards that," says Fabian Zapata, former director of the regional planning agency.

"We were trying to save the blue-footed boobies and the giant tortoises, but we forgot about human beings. We forgot that we need to give them education and skills, and infrastructure."

Now that the problem of overpopulation is being slowly tackled, the focus can now shift towards making life on the islands more sustainable, says Governor Torres. That can be achieved by developing alternative sources of energy and giving the local population the right skills to take care of the environment.

What about tourism In 2007, Unesco mentioned tourism as one of the main threats to the Galapagos ecosystem. But the tourism industry, the main source of income on the archipelago, keeps growing - the number of tourists quadrupled between 1990 and 2009, rising to more than 160,000 visitors last year.

This year, Ecuador's National Assembly is due to reform the current law that regulates the administration on the archipelago.

Mr Torres hopes that the new legislation will allow for even stricter rules on migration, but he says there are no plans to limit the number of tourists that can enter the islands.

"People here need to live and feed themselves. Tourism represents a great opportunity," he says.

"We have to manage well the number of tourists, but we also need to have enough of them to sustain our economy."

Ms Macias agrees on the need to take care of the islands but says that even if her experience with the authorities was not the worst, it still marked her for good.

"Some people were rounded up at night and shipped off on a cargo ship because they couldn't afford to buy a plane ticket," she says. "I spent almost a whole year without the right papers trying to explain who I was, why I was here … That made my life impossible."

Her project comes to an end in July and she says she has no intention of staying.

Filed under: Cycling, Politicians, World Tags: americas, article, bbc, blue, Cycling, education, governor, number, Politicians, tourism

Arsenal 5-0 Porto (6-2)

Posted by admin March 9, 2010 Leave a Review

By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at the Emirates Stadium

Nicklas Bendtner struck a hat-trick as Arsenal outclassed Porto to overturn a first-leg deficit with ease and clinch a place in the last eight of the Champions League.

Bendtner - heavily criticised after a succession of misses in Saturday's win against Burnley - scored twice in the first half to wipe out the 2-1 lead Porto were protecting from the first game in Portugal.

Andrey Arshavin was instrumental in both goals as Bendtner added the final flourishes to Arsenal's flowing attacking moves that enabled them to take control almost instantly.

Porto applied brief pressure after the interval, with Manuel Almunia saving from Falcao, but Arsenal completed the formalities and cruised into the quarter-finals with two superb goals inside three minutes just after the hour.

Samir Nasri, taking on Cesc Fabregas' midfield mantle in the absence of Arsenal's inspirational captain through injury, embarked on a weaving, angled solo run that took him past a succession of Porto defenders to score.

Substitute Emmanuel Eboue quickly added the fourth as Arsenal launched a sweeping counter-attack from a Porto corner, Arshavin again making life easy for his team-mate to go around Helton and score.

Bendtner crowned a night of personal glory and an emphatic victory for Arsenal when he scored from the spot with virtually the last kick of the game after Eboue was hauled down.

606: DEBATE

"I said I'd eat my hat if Nicklas Bendtner came good. Well, it tastes awful "

gunnergitcha

Porto, a short spell at the start of the second half aside, were flimsy opposition. Greater challenges will lie ahead for Arsene Wenger's side - but the victory margin was a fair reflection on their superiority in front of an elated Emirates gallery.

Wenger used his programme notes to launch an impassioned defence of Theo Walcott following criticism of his disappointing performance for England against Egypt - but decided to start with him on the bench.

Arsenal hardly missed him in a turbo-charged start that established the foundations for a first 45 minutes that saw them in charge of the tie by the interval.

Arshavin's header had already brought a fine save from Helton at his near post before Bendtner put his wayward weekend finishing behind him to give Arsenal the lead after 10 minutes. Nasri's pass sent Arshavin through, and when Nuno Coelho collided with Helton as he challenged the Russian, Bendtner was lurking to steer home the loose ball.

And it was Arshavin's creativity that unlocked Porto again and set Bendtner up for his second 15 minutes later. He tormented Porto with some trademark sleight of foot before providing Bendtner with the easiest of chances.

Porto had shown some threat on the break, but the real danger was coming from Arsenal and Arshavin should have tightened their grip on the game 12 minutes before half-time, only to fire carelessly over the top of an open goal after fine work by Nasri.

As Arsenal continued to carve open the Porto defence, Helton twice came to his side's rescue as he saved low down from Bendtner, then dived at his post to push out Abou Diaby's header.

Porto had their best chance after 54 minutes when Hulk set up Falcao, but his finish was straight at Almunia, who held on at the second attempt.

Nasri then made two crucial contributions at either end of the pitch to ensure Arsenal's safe passage into the last eight. He distinguished himself in defence by clearing Porto substitute Cristian Rodriguez's header off the line, then unveiled a moment of supreme skill to wrap up Arsenal's win after 63 minutes.

He slalomed in from the right flank, twisting and turning past three Porto defenders to flash a finish across Helton into the far corner, and Eboue was able to put further polish on Arsenal's performance when he added the fourth three minutes later.

Arsenal have been victims of swift counter attacks from Everton, Manchester United and Chelsea in recent weeks, but this time the boot was on the other foot as Arshavin led the charge from a Porto corner to play in Eboue, who rounded Helton to score.

And Bendtner was not to be denied a first senior hat-trick when Arsenal were awarded a penalty with only seconds left. He snatched the ball and slid his penalty past Helton to provide the perfect finale to a wonderful night for Wenger's side.

Filed under: Europe, Featured, Football Tags: arshavin, article, bbc, bendtner, british, egypt, emirates, Europe, game, helton, interval, polish, porto, russian, time

Live – Tuesday football

Posted by admin March 9, 2010 Leave a Review

GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times GMT)

To get involved use606or text us your views & comments on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide). (Not all contributions can be used. Messages will be charged at your standard operator rate)

By Chris Bevan

From avenkat10 on Twitter:"Porto have come a long way since that 4-0 battering v Arsenal in 2008. They drew 2-2 vs Manchester United last year with a good display."

1931: Portsmouth first team coach Paul Groves on how the possibility of his side being docked nine points for going into administration will affect their battle against relegation from Premier League: "We'll just do what we can on the pitch. That's why this game is so important to us. It's a game we can get three points from and one where we can get ourselves very close to the pack."

1928: TEAM NEWS Portsmouth v Birmingham:
Portsmouth make one enforced change from the side that beat the Blues on Saturday with Aruna Dindane replacing the injured John Utaka. As expected, Birmingham boss Alex McLeish shuffles his pack and January transfer signing Michel makes his first start for the club as one of four changes from the weekend. Stuart Parnaby comes in at right-back for Stephen Carr while Chucho Benitez returns up front as James McFadden drops to bench. Seb Larsson is also rested so Craig Gardner starts in midfield.1927: Sunderland boss Steve Bruce on Bolton striker Kevin Davies: "He is very clever and very, very good at what he does. I tried to sign him on a couple of occasions, unsuccessfully, but I like everything that goes with him as a footballer. He is big, uncompromising, gets on with it, tough as they come. He is a handful, that's for sure."

1925: TEAM NEWS Sunderland v Bolton:
Lee Cattermole retains his place in midfield for Sunderland after passing a late fitness test on a hamstring injury. The only change for the Black Cats from their 0-0 draw with Fulham last Sunday sees Steed Malbranque take the place of Kieran Richardson. Bolton make only one change themselves from the side which beat West Ham last Saturday. It is an enforced one, with Ricardo Gardner replacing the suspended Tamir Cohen in midfield.1923: Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira on his side's hopes of progressing to the last eight of the Champions League: "We know their away goal puts them in a very good position. For that reason we need to fight, be positive, get a good result and qualify. Last year we reached the quarter-finals and our objective is to do that again. I want to put right the fact that Porto have not won in England before - there's always a first time for everything."

1921: TEAM NEWS Fiorentina v Bayern Munich:
Fiorentina defender Massimo Gobbi is suspended so loan signing Da Silva Dalbelo Felipe comes in. Centre-back Martin Demichelis is missing for Bayern Munich after breaking his jaw on international duty with Argentina last week. David Alaba comes in to make his first-team debut and ease the German side's defensive problems.From redandblackT-The legend of Herbert Kilpin on 606:"Ties hanging in the balance... teams with away goals will go through I think!"

1920: Here's a fact for you. Sunderland are the only Premier League team without a win in 2010, which might just be a reason why they are sliding towards the relegation zone at an alarming rate. Bolton are still in the battle at the bottom of the table too, but things are looking up for Owen Coyle's men after back-to-back wins over Wolves and West Ham... another victory for Wanderers tonight would put them eight points clear of the bottom three.

1918: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on his side's task against Porto: "I do not think anyone will be complacent. We know it will be a tricky game, but we believe we can do it. We have good confidence, we are in a good position, so let's go for it. We have scored away from home which is still a massive advantage, and that is why were are confident we can do it.

1917: I need some help from you lot tonight as well, obviously. It's easy to get involved too:Tweet me gently on Twitter,text me on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide) or join the chat on 606.I know you want to.

1915: Speaking of the Football League (see 1911), here's the aptly named Football League Danny with more about what's in store for us tonight: "Some highlights for you - West Brom return to second in the Championship if they at least draw at home against struggling Sheffield Wednesday. Play-off hopefuls Swansea and Cardiff visit Watford and Ipswich respectively. In League One, Leeds can boost their top-two credentials with a win at Tranmere, while MK Dons will breathe new life into their play-off campaign if they can beat fifth-placed Swindon. In League Two, Chesterfield (3rd) host Notts County - two places and three points beneath them."

1915: TEAMS Sunderland v Bolton:
Sunderland: Gordon, Ferdinand, Turner, Mensah, Hutton, Malbranque, Cana, Cattermole, Campbell, Jones, Bent. Subs: Carson, Bardsley, McCartney, Zenden, Da Silva, Kilgallon, Mwaruwari.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Robinson, Ricketts, Knight, Steinsson, Gardner, Wilshere, Muamba, Lee, Kevin Davies, Elmander. Subs: Al Habsi, Samuel, Taylor, Riga, Klasnic, Andrew O'Brien, Weiss.
Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)1913: BBC Sport's Phil McNulty at The Emirates: "Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has launched an emphatic defence of Theo Walcott in his programme notes, describing the criticism he received after his disappointing display for England against Egypt as "unbelievable." It does not mean Walcott starts tonight though. He is on the bench, while Nicklas Bendtner gets the opportunity to make amends for his succession of awful misses against Burnley - which really were unbelievable."

From stattylegend on 606:"I'm sick of this constant Pro-Arsenal coverage!!! BRING BACK STEVO"

1911: There is plenty else going on too. Oh yes. In the Premier League, Portsmouth host Birmingham and Sunderland take on Bolton and, if that's still not enough for you, there is a fullish programme in the Championship and a sprinkling of League One and League Two games too. You could almost call it a feast of football. Almost.

1909: Tonight's other Champions League tie sees Fiorentina attempt to turnaround an identical 2-1 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich.The German side were extremely lucky to edge their first meeting through Miroslav Klose's late (not to mention blatantly offside) headerbut will probably be encouraged by Fiorentina's poor recent form, and inability to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 17 games.

1908: TEAMS Portsmouth v Birmingham:
Portsmouth: James, Finnan, Ben-Haim, Hreidarsson, Belhadj, Brown, Wilson, O'Hara, Webber, Piquionne, Dindane. Subs: Ashdown, Mokoena, Mullins, Diop, Owusu-Abeyie, Kanu, Basinas.
Birmingham: Hart, Parnaby, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Gardner, Ferguson, Michel, Fahey, Jerome, Benitez. Subs: Taylor, Murphy, Larsson, McFadden, Queudrue, Tainio, Jervis.
Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire)1907: Oh, and despite that impressive stat (see 1901), don't go thinking Porto are somehow invulnerable either. Far from it actually, especially when it comes to playing on these shores. They have never won a match in England and have lost on their last six visits to London,including a 4-0 tonking by Arsene Wenger's mob in September 2008.

1906: TEAMS Fiorentina v Bayern Munich:
Fiorentina: Frey, Felipe, Kroldrup, Natali, De Silvestri, Zanetti, Montolivo, Vargas, Jovetic, Marchionni, Gilardino. Subs: Avramov, Donadel, Pasqual, Santana, Comotto, Bolatti, Keirrison.
Bayern Munich: Butt, Alaba, Badstuber, Van Buyten, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel, Ribery, Robben, Gomez, Muller. Subs: Rensing, Altintop, Olic, Gorlitz, Klose, Pranjic, Tymoschuk.
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

1905: Still, just the one goal will do for the Gunners tonight as they look to overturn the 2-1 deficit from the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash with the Portuguese champions. If you've forgotten what happened in that game, I will remind you using just two words:Horror story.Or, alternatively: Lukasz Fabianski.

1904: TEAMS Arsenal v Porto:
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Campbell, Vermaelen, Clichy, Nasri, Song, Diaby, Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin. Subs: Fabianski, Eduardo, Walcott, Denilson, Silvestre, Eboue, Traore.
FC Porto: Helton, Fucile, Rolando, Bruno Alves, Pereira, Ruben Micael, Coelho, Raul Meireles, Varela, Falcao, Hulk. Subs: Nuno, Guarin, Belluschi, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Maicon, Miguel Lopes.
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

1902: ...Sorry. I'm only joking about Bendtner, of course. And I do think the gag doing the rounds that his shirt number (52) also shows the number of chances he needs to find the net is a bit cruel,even if it was accurate on Saturday...

1901: Greetings. I will begin with some bad news for Arsenal fans. Porto have never lost a European tie on any of the 24 previous occasions they have won the first leg at home. It gets worse too;Gunners talisman Cesc Fabregas is out with a hamstring strain,and Nicklas Bendtner is fully fit..

This article is from the BBC News website.

Filed under: Europe, Featured, Football, World Tags: bbc, black, british, champions, championship, chat, egypt, Europe, european, game, german, leeds, news, shirt

Ghanaian player dies after game

Posted by admin March 9, 2010 Leave a Review

Ghanaian football authorities have confirmed that a player has died after collapsing on the pitch during a game.

Bartholomew Opoku, 19, was playing for top-flight side Kessben in their clash league with Liberty on Sunday when he fell to the ground.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment but died on Monday.

"It's a massive tragedy and the whole club is in shock. There was no hint he was unwell," Kessben spokesman Fred Acheampong said.

The cause of death is unknown.

The news comes just three days after former Nigeria Under-23 international Endurance Idahor passed away during a match in Sudan.

The Al Merreikh striker collapsed and died during a league game with Al Amal.

It was later announced that he had suffered a heart attack.

The former U-23 international started his top flight career with Nigerian side Julius Berger before joining rivals Dolphins in 2004.

He clinched the move to Merreikh in 2006 and was sent on loan to Saudi side in 2008 before returning to the Sudanese side.

Idahor finished as top scorer during his first season in Sudan.

He scored 118 goals in 176 appearances for the Omdurman side.

Filed under: Africa, Football Tags: article, endurance, julius-berger, merreikh, nigerian, not-responsible, omdurman, sudanese