Sportsmen aces

Ronaldo brushes off Real link

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:44:00 +0000

Mon, 06 Apr 16:15:00 2009

Cristiano Ronaldo has once again reaffirmed he is "at the right club" amid fresh speculation over his Manchester United future.
Neither the player nor his manager Sir Alex Ferguson were happy that the issue was raised again ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League tie with Porto.
Ferguson wondered aloud "how many times" more he would have to endure this line of questioning before describing the continued speculation as "pathetic". Ronaldo shrugged and said: "We always have this question."
The 23-year-old simply repeated the position he has stuck to since reaffirming his commitment to United last summer after a face-to-face meeting with Ferguson appeared to stop the rumblings linking him with a move to Real Madrid.
"I am happy at this club. I think it is the right club," said Ronaldo.
It has once again been suggested a deal has been done between United and Real for the transfer of the 2008 European and World Player of the Year this summer.
Yet at the Club World Cup last December, Ferguson claimed he would not sell Real "a virus", a position that does not appear to have softened judging by his pointed response this afternoon.
One of the reasons Ronaldo is said to favour a move to La Liga is that he has become fed up of being targeted by opposition defenders, eager to stop the former Sporting Lisbon star by whatever means possible.
Yet Ronaldo does not feel he is suffering any more than he has done at other stages since arriving in England six years ago.
"It has always been like that," he said.
"It is not only this season that defenders have kicked me to try and stop me. It is just normal."
Ronaldo played a major role in taking United back to the top of the Barclays Premier League yesterday with his two-goal haul against Aston Villa that took his seasonal tally to 20.
United are now a point ahead of Liverpool, with a game in hand.
"We are the best team in England," Ronaldo said. "We have shown that by being top of the table. That speaks for itself.
"We respect all our opponents but if we carry on winning, we will win the title again."
Indeed, United are still on track to record an unprecedented quintuple, with Ronaldo not quite being as dismissive about the project as Ferguson.
"We have a chance to win everything this season," said Ronaldo. "First we have to beat FC Porto. After that, we must carry on."

Rossi not keen on Qatar night race

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:29:00 +0000

VALENTINO ROSSI has said that although it's a great spectacle, he is not a fan of the night race in Qatar - which will be the first round of the 2009 MotoGP Championship when it all kicks off in the desert on April 12.
The eight-time World Champion said: "The bike has to be set up differently to run at night. We know that the night race does not really favour us and that running in the desert in those dark hours when the track surface is very cold could cause us more problems. Fortunately, in the last test sessions we had there we saw things about the bike and tyres that do not work so well so even thought it will be tough and slippery we will be ready."
"But I don't think that the one-make tyre will make much difference to who is fast in Qatar. I think it will come down to the bike and rider and there won't be so much importance on the tyre."
Yeah, right - and Rossi's not starting the mind games already...

WILL THE REAL KIMI RAIKKONEN PLEASE STAND UP

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:22:00 +0000

Luca di Montezemolo may have meant his comment in jest, but it has to be said, the inference behind it was undoubtedly clear.
It was back in December, reflecting upon Kimi Raikkonen's somewhat indifferent season the Ferrari president noted: "I joke we had Kimi until Magny-Cours, then he was busy and he asked a friend of his to drive."
"This friend was a very good driver. He put on Kimi's helmet, but now we finally have the proper Kimi back again."
There were certainly two sides to Raikkonen last year as he went into it as world champion, only to emerge from it leaving many questioning his desire and commitment to Formula One.
His laid-back persona, which has actually improved over time, does little to dispel the outside world's notion he has little time for the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of his sport.
Raikkonen is the kind of man who likes to turn up at a track, get behind the wheel of his car and drive. Simple as that.
If he had his way, he would love to skip the debriefs and meetings with the engineers that are required to fit hand in glove with what a driver does out on a circuit.
So this year, one wonders whether the real Kimi Raikkonen will be pushing for the title, or whether he will again hit a point where he thinks 'Ah, sod it!' and hand the car back to his 'friend'.
Di Montezemolo insists the "proper Kimi" is back, and if that is the case then that can only be good for F1 because in terms of a pure racer, there is no-one finer than Raikkonen.
As always, time will tell, but for now, Raikkonen maintains he has the desire required to again become world champion.
"I wouldn't be in F1 if I didn't have the motivation or the hunger," insisted the Finn.
"Last year wasn't exactly what we wanted, but it doesn't change how much I like F1 - I do enjoy it."
"I have a great team behind me and they let me do other things quite easily; they make everything as easy as they can for everybody."
"So I'm in a very good position, and I'm very happy to work with the team."
"I've a contract for this year and next and then I will see how I feel, how Formula One is going, and then decide about the future."
Therein lies part of Raikkonen's problem because his responses to constant queries relating to his future are always vague.
That generally results in people questioning his commitment because what he plans to do beyond the next two years generates considerable speculation.
As he mentions, Ferrari give him a free reign beyond F1, allowing the thrill-seeker within him to indulge in other passions such as rallying, karting and powerboating.
As he will be 30 when the forthcoming season comes to an end, he maybe realises time is of the essence if he is to pursue other avenues.
For now, they remain side-show events, adding: "The team is quite open to what I can do."
"There are a lot of hobbies I like that are maybe not the safest, but I always try not to take any risks, and I am happy they allow me to do them."
"I think it helps in every way as everybody is happy and to drive anything is good practice, go-kart, rally, any kind of driving."
"It is always going to help you in your own work, so it's not a bad thing."
For Raikkonen, whether he remains in F1 beyond 2010 will come down to if he is still enjoying himself, and if so, whether Ferrari are willing to maintain his status as the sport's highest-paid driver.
"I am very happy and I have no reason to go anywhere else," said Raikkonen.
"But we will see in two years' time if I'm still enjoying myself or whether I want to do other things."
"What is certain is Ferrari will be the last team I am going to race with in Formula One - which doesn't mean I will definitely quit in 2010!"
Whilst Raikkonen's long-term future might be the source of great debate, for the short term his designs are naturally on the title. "I always try to win, and hopefully we can win championships again this year," asserted Raikkonen, who at least helped the team retain their constructors' crown last season.
"But I'm not going to promise anything, put my hand on my heart, because maybe it won't happen."
"So we will just try to do the best weekend we can to get back on the top podium position."

Nadal, Djokovic reach Indian Wells 4th round

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:15:00 +0000

18 March 2009, Wednesday
INDIAN WELLS, California: Novak Djokovic maintained his title defense by handling Tommy Haas of Germany 6-2, 7-6 (1) to ease into the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday.
Haas had reached the quarterfinals for the last two years but third-seeded Djokovic did enough in the second set to stay on top and swept the last seven points of the tiebreaker.
"I'm still finding the rhythm and everything," Djokovic said. "I don't want to put any extra pressure on myself."
"I'm playing a very solid game for now and saving lots of energy and being focused, not underestimating my opponents and going step by step. The game, for now, it's quite fine."
He was on course for a repeat semifinal with top-seeded Rafael Nadal, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Dmitry Tursunov. Nadal's powerful groundstrokes kept the Russian off-balance and on the run, and Tursunov had troubles of his own, making 37 unforced errors.
Nadal said he didn't play very well against Tursunov.
"He didn't give me a lot of rhythm. He played good shots, but at the same time, he made mistakes," Nadal said. "I had more mistakes than usual."
"But I won 6-3, 6-3, so it's a good win."
Nadal next plays Argentine star David Nalbandian, who has a 2-0 record against the Spaniard. Nalbandian withstood 11 aces from Viktor Troicki of Serbia to win 6-4, 6-2.
Later, Andy Roddick beat Nicolas Kiefer 6-4, 7-6(4) in their night match.
Down 3-1 in the tiebreaker, Roddick turned on the power. After Kiefer double-faulted, Roddick evened it with a service winner and added a 135-mph ace to go in front. An overhead gave him a 5-3 lead, and he went on to win the tiebreaker 7-4 with still another big overhead.
Another Argentine advanced, sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, who had to sweat through a tight third set featuring four breaks of serves against Jurgen Melzer of Austria before cruising through the tiebreaker to win 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (2).
Del Potro, who won four consecutive tournaments last year, will meet John Isner after the American wild card accounted for the struggling Marat Safin 6-4, 6-4.
In the women's field, Vera Zvonareva's yearlong surge took her past Li Na 6-4, 6-4 and back into quarterfinals.
Zvonareva, the second-highest seed left at No. 4, had lost to Li in the quarterfinals here two years ago. But since then, she'd beaten Li twice, including for the singles bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. On Tuesday, Zvonareva converted all three of her break chances against the unseeded Chinese while Li, who'd removed Amelie Mauresmo and Patty Schnyder, missed three break points in the second set.
The Russian has reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells for the fourth time in five visits, but has never advanced further. In her path will be a first-time match with ninth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, who beat Polish wild card Urszula Radwanska 7-5, 6-3.
Radwanska's older sister, seventh-seeded Agnieszka, won against Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-0, 5-7, 6-3.
Zvonareva played in the most finals last year — eight — and held down a top-10 ranking. Then she reached her first Grand Slam semifinals at the Australian Open, cracked the top five, and followed that with the title at Pattaya City, Thailand last month.
The 18-year-old Wozniacki, the first Danish woman to win a singles title, was through to her fifth quarterfinals of the year.Top-seeded Dinara Safina put away American veteran Jill Craybas 7-5, 6-4 for the sixth time in six meetings, and faced eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus next. Azarenka, who won the singles and doubles titles at Memphis last month, beat Shahar Peer of Israel 7-5, 6-4.
Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova achieved her best career result by reaching the quarterfinals, leading Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-3, 3-0 when the Spaniard retired with a left hip strain.
The 17-year-old Pavlyuchenkova beat second-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the previous round.

Federer keen to renew rivalry with Nadal at ATP Indian Wells

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:10:00 +0000

INDIAN WELLS, California (AFP) — Roger Federer, bested by Rafael Nadal in a five-set final at the Australian Open in January, is keen to renew his rivalry with his Spanish foe at the Indian Wells Masters series.
Federer's appearance in the California desert, where men's play begins Thursday, marks his first tournament since falling to Nadal in Melbourne, as the 13-time Grand Slam champion nursed a nagging back injury.
Now he said he's rested and ready to bid for a fourth title in the event he won in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
"I love playing matches against him, especially those five-setters, seeing if I can hang with him physically without a problem," Federer said Wednesday. "He's the greatest challenger I've ever had."
"I am really motivated because I don't know how much better he can play," Federer added. "I don't know how much better I can play, but I am right there and he's playing the tennis of his life."
Nadal's victory in the first Grand Slam of the year marked the Spaniard's first hardcourt Grand Slam triumph.
He also denied Federer a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam crown. But the 27-year-old Swiss, who broke down in tears in the wake of that defeat, said he wasn't unhappy with his performance there.
"I thought I played a great match for four-and-a-half sets," he said. "I think I played great off the baseline, I just didn't serve great and I think that cost me the match also."
As the top two seeds Nadal and Federer are slated to meet in the final here, but also in the mix is defending champion and third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia and fourth-seeded Briton Andy Murray.
Djokovic beat Nadal in the semi-finals last year, then beat surprise finalist Mardy fish in the final. Fish had shocked Federer in the semis.
Nadal is a prior champion, his 2007 triumph ending Federer's three-year reign.
Murray will be playing his first tournament since he withdrew from the quarter-finals in Dubai last month with a virus.
Federer confirmed Wednesday that he hasn't arrived in California with a new coach.
Australian Darren Cahill, former mentor of Andre Agassi, travelled to Federer's base in Dubai to work with him, but decided he didn't want to pursue the job.
"He said the travel was tough for him," Federer said. "He took the decision for me."
Federer said he will continue to work with Severin Luthi, Switzerland's Davis Cup captain, on a part-time basis.
"He's the Davis Cup captain and we've been working the last one and a half years together. So nothing really changes," he said. "I just continue with the great team that I have."

Kimi plays down Ferrari reliabilty issues

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:45:00 +0000

March 13, 2009, 6:08 AM EST
Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen is adamant the team will sort out the car's reliability issues.
Raikkonen's F60 has not handled the new Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) well, but the former World Champion is unconcerned.
He said: "I think that once we've solved these small problems with the reliability, we can say that we've got a very good package available".
"I would have liked to make a second race simulation, after the one we did in Bahrain in February, but it's better that some things happen in testing and not at a grand prix."
"Sure, we have had some minor problems with the reliability, but nothing we can't resolve at the (factory)."
He added: "From our point of view I can say that I'm satisfied with what we've done at the test sessions during the winter."
"The car behaves very well and that's what is most important. We've checked that on different circuits."

Nadal and title holder Djokovic go through

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:36:00 +0000

March 16, 2009 -- Updated 1523 GMT

World number one Rafael Nadal needed a little over an hour to thrash Michael Berrer of Germany 6-2 6-1 in his opener at the Masters Series tournament at Indian Wells.
Nadal hooks a trademark forehand during his routine win over Berrer.
The 22-year-old Spaniard dropped just five points on serve during the 67-minute match and grabbed five of his 14 break point opportunities to wrap up a routine second round win.
Nadal, who received a first round bye, will next play Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who struggled to a 7-6 4-6 6-3 win over American qualifier Michael Russell in an earlier match on Sunday.
Nadal, beaten by Novak Djokovic in last year's semifinals in California, is looking to reclaim the title he won in 2007 and was happy with his form.
"For me it was perfect," he said.
"I played a very comfortable match. I had the break in the first game of both sets. That's really important. I felt well on the court, playing good."
Third seed Novak Djokovic also enjoyed a straight sets 7-5 6-4 win against Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina.
Djokovic is finding form after a slow start to the season and was boosted by his win in Dubai last month.
"Winning Dubai meant a lot for my confidence level and for my game overall," he told the official tournament Web site www.bnpparibasopen.org.
"I've changed my racket. Probably that was the big reason for mental instability in certain stages at the start of the year. I was thinking about that more than my game. Luckily for me, it has changed."
Seventh-seed Andy Roddick battled to a 6-3 7-6 win over Austrian qualifier, but ninth-ranked Gael Monfils of France made a shock exit to American John Isner, who won 6-7 6-4 6-4.
In the accompanying WTA tournament at the same venue, top seed Dinara Safina won her third round match.
The Russian, who can go top of the world rankings by reaching the final, beat Peng Shuai of China, 7-5 6-4.

The Portuguese winger finally seems ready to commit to the Red Devils...

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:27:00 +0000

15 Mar 2009 13:33:28
Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly ready to begin contract negotiations after allegedly giving up hope of moving to Real Madrid. The former Sporting Lisbon star is reportedly in talks with the Red Devils over a new £180,000-a-week contract which may put to bed rumours of the Portuguese player's moving to the Spanish champions. The 24-year-old winger was heavily linked with a switch to Santiago Bernabeu last summer, with the player himself seeming to want to move at times, but the transfer fell through as United wanted to understandably keep hold of their most prized asset. His current contract, in which he earns £110,000 a week, still has three years left to run, so it is expected that if a new deal is signed, it will keep him at the club for another six years at least.After Madrid's appalling showing in the Champions League this year, losing to Liverpool 4-0 at Anfield earlier in the week, it is expected that they will try again for Ronaldo in the summer, but it is also thought that United will rebuff any bid for the Portugal international. According to FIFA transfer rulings, the winger could potentially also buy out his contract at the end of next season for £16 million if he wishes, meaning a new contract would be in the Red Devils' interests as much as Ronaldo's. However, despite the ongoing rumours of Ronaldo being unhappy at the club, the winger seems content with his current situation. Speaking to The Sunday Express, Ronaldo said, "I’m happy. United is still the best team in Europe and the Premier League is the most competitive and I feel happy here." Ronaldo moved to Old Trafford in 2003 for a fee of £12.24m, and has gone on to make 188 Premier League appearances for the club, scoring an astonishing 79 goals in the process.

New top of the range helmet to celebrate Rossi's eighth world title

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:42:00 +0000

16 Mar 2009, Monday

ITALIAN Helmet manufacturer AGV has just announced a spring release for a new Rossi replica helmet christened the 'Celebr-8', a version of the lid used by Valentino Rossi to commemorate his eighth MotoGP World Championship win at Motegi last year.
The helmet will be a limited edition of the GP-Tech design, the firm's top-of-the-range lid designed and produced with Rossi's input.
All the graphics and painted touches used by Rossi will be present on the replica including the number eight, symbols of the sun and moon and his famous 46 logo, in addition to the chequered flag that symbolised the finale of Rossi's title journey.

New-look Nadal loses to Murray

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:13:00 +0000

Monday, January 4, 2009 at 8:43 PM EST

Andre Agassi, who wore wild colours (including fuchsia), jeans shorts and rakish bandanas in the early years of his career, finished it in the blandest white-and-black outfits imaginable.
Could a similar transition be happening with Rafael Nadal, 22, the swashbuckling Spaniard whose bronzed biceps in his sleeveless Nike tops have become his trademark?
The No. 1-ranked Nadal played the grandly named Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last week in a traditional white tennis shirt with short sleeves and gold and blue on the front. Also gone were his signature pirate pants, replaced by traditional white shorts.
After several years of distinctively exposing his bulging, sweaty muscularity, he looked as if he were in a straitjacket in conventional tennis garb.
In the six-man event, Nadal won his semi-final over Nikolay Davydenko, but was beaten 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 by Britain's Andy Murray in Saturday's final.
The day before, Murray had edged Roger Federer 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(6).
Murray, who spent most of December in the Miami area packing on six pounds of sinewy muscle while training with his fitness team, is clearly in the same conversation – until further notice – with Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic when potential winners of major tournaments are being discussed.
Ladbrokes, with an obvious bias because it is a British-based betting firm, has Murray behind only Federer in its odds for the Australian Open, which will begin Jan. 19. Federer is 5 to 2, Murray 11 to 4, Nadal 10 to 3 and Djokovic 5 to 1.
Murray has stirred huge interest in Britain, with many of his compatriots viewing him as a grittier, more salty-tongued (on-court) version of the retired Tim Henman.
A battle rages on European sports websites, exemplified by the following post after Murray won on Saturday: “Andy is a great player who deserves to be where he is. We are all the first to criticize the Brits with no killer instinct and yet the minute we have a great passionate player [okay with a few bad words] we jump on his back. I say ‘Go for it Andy … !!!'”
All the acclaim for the No. 4-ranked Murray, a rare talent and an entertaining player to watch, could be premature. He, as defending champion, Nadal and Federer are all playing the Qatar Open in Doha this week. With ranking points on the line, and a possible rematch with Federer in the semi-finals, Murray may have to beat No. 2 and No. 1 all over again Friday and Saturday.
While Murray, Nadal and Federer play in the Persian Gulf, Djokovic is top seed at the ATP event in Brisbane, Australia.
Ranked No. 3, Djokovic is a minuscule margin (5,305 to 5,295 points) behind Federer and could replace him at No. 2 if he outperforms the Swiss this week.
But being No. 2, and thus seeded No. 2 at the Australian Open, is not such a big deal because the top four are so evenly matched. If Federer slipped to No. 3, he would avoid facing the fourth-seeded Murray, who beat him in three of four matches last year, in the Melbourne Park semi-finals.
Canadian singles content this week is limited to Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., who is the fourth seed at the WTA Tour stop in Auckland, New Zealand. Fellow Quebecker Stéphanie Dubois was beaten in the Auckland qualifying while Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., were ousted in the first round of qualifying in Brisbane.
The top seed in Doha, Nadal, who missed the end of last season with a problem in his right knee, was not devastated after losing to Murray. “For me, it was a very good test,” he said. “Playing 2 hours and 45 minutes at the best level is good. I forgot about my knee injury. I am looking forward to the year.”
That's good news for Nadal's legion of fans, even if some will be disappointed his new fashion look is a little less rugged and carnal, a little more gentrified and discreet.

- globesports.com -

Murray makes perfect start to year with win over Nadal

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Sunday, 4 January 2009

British No 1 looks lean and mean as he takes title in Abu Dhabi exhibition event.

It may have been only an exhibition tournament, but Andy Murray could hardly have made a better start to what he hopes will be a momentous year. Having beaten Roger Federer, the world No 2, in Friday's semi-finals at the so-called "World Tennis Championship" in Abu Dhabi, Murray went on to beat the No 1, Rafael Nadal, 6-4 5-7 6-3 in yesterday's final.
The winner-takes-all first prize of $250,000 (about £172,000) – added to an appearance fee that may well have been in excess of that figure – gave the 21-year-old Scot good reason to smile after his victory, though he will take greater pleasure from the fact that he looks set to hit the ground running in 2009. He now heads along the Gulf coast to Doha for the Qatar Open, which begins tomorrow and willbe his only tournament before the Australian Open in a fortnight's time.
Following his breakthrough season last year, when he climbed to No 4 in the world rankings and reached his first Grand Slam final, Murray again spent the off-season concentrating on physical work. He was in Miami for most of December with his coaching and fitness team, spending many hours on the track and in the gym.
Just as his improved physical condition was a major factor in his results last year, so Murray's fitness was evident against Nadal, who has been making his first appearance since suffering the knee injury that kept him off court at the end of last season and forced him to miss Spain's Davis Cup final victory over Argentina.
It was Murray's first meeting with Nadal since he beat him for the first time in the semi-finals of last year's US Open. "It was a tough match," Murray said afterwards. "He made me do a lot of running, and in the first week of the year you obviously feel it in your body a bit. I worked really hard in November and December to give myself the best chance in Australia. I've never been past the fourth round before, but I'll give it my best shot."
The two men served up some thrilling tennis for the capacity crowd at Zayed Sports City, though it would be wrong to draw any major conclusions from the match. The players rarely read anything into exhibition events, which they sometimes use to try out particular shots and strategies.
While the tennis can be spectacular – as it was yesterday – this is often because the players take risks and go for shots they would not try in serious competition. The results of exhibition matches do not go into the record books and players can be happy to lose, knowing they have not shown their full hand.
Doha, which Murray sees as ideal preparation for Melbourne, will be a different matter. Playing there provides a good level of competition and leaves him a week in Australia to prepare for the year's first Grand Slam event. Murray won in Doha last year, beating Nikolay Davydenko and Stanislas Wawrinka on his way to the first of his five titles in 2008. Two years ago he reached the final, losing to Ivan Ljubicic.
This year's field is stronger than ever and includes Nadal, Federer, Andy Roddick and seven other top-50 players. Murray's first opponent will be Spain's Albert Montanes, the winner to play Philipp Petzschner or Jérémy Chardy. Murray is seeded to play Dmitry Tursunov in the quarter-finals and Federer in the semis, with Nadal heading the other half of the draw.
After Doha, Murray will fly on to Melbourne. The Australian Open is played on hard courts, his favourite surface, but has not been the most productive of tournaments for him.
On his debut three years ago, Murray lost in the first round to Juan Ignacio Chela and was unhappy about what he saw as the media's weight of expectation on his shoulders. The following year was better, a run to the fourth round ending with a five-set loss to Nadal, but there was more disappointment last year, when he again went out in the opening round, although his conqueror, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, went on to beat Nadal en route to his first Grand Slam final.

Ferguson: Ronaldo Must Learn To Keep Cool

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:07:00 +0000

Saturday, 03 Jan 2009, 10:19 hr

Sir Alex has warned Cristiano Ronaldo that he must learn to keep his temper.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Cristiano Ronaldo that he must lean to keep his frustrations in check and understand that he will be a target for opposing defenders.
The Portuguese winger has cut a frustrated figure on plenty of occasions this season and has been involved in a series of controversial incidents.
Ronaldo has launched petulant kicks at Stoke City’s Andy Wilkinson and Tottenham Hotspur’s Michael Dawson and also clashed with Middlesbrough captain Emanuel Pogatetz earlier this week.
Whilst the Ballon d’Or winner often appears provoked, after having been at the receiving end of tackles by the opposition, his manager insisted this is something he must get used to.
“Of course I can understand Cristiano’s frustration,” the United boss told The Guardian, “He has produced little moments of displeasure at the treatment he is getting and they have been trivial things, but because it is Ronaldo, it is magnified.”
Despite scoring eight league goals already this season, Ronaldo has struggled to quite reach the heights of last seasons success, which may be adding to his frustrations.
Yet Ferguson insists that if Ronaldo is to accept his position at the top of the game he must also accept being a target for opposing players. He said: “But that’s the penalty for being a great player. He has to understand that.”
Manchester United travel to Southampton tomorrow for the third round of the FA Cup, although they are likely to be without Ronaldo who is expected to be rested as Ferguson rotates his squad.

Blundell tips Raikkonen to take '09 title

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:52:00 +0000

Saturday, 03 Jan 09, 09:33 AM
Mark Blundell takes an early gamble and says Kimi Raikkonen will be champion again in 2009.
Kimi Raikkonen will win the 2009 FIA Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship - that's the prediction of Crash.net columnist and former ITV-F1 pundit Mark Blundell.
Raikkonen endured a largely torrid season in 2008 and, while he definitely had the speed to set a record-equalling ten fastest laps, he was forced to play second fiddle to Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, who only lost out on the title by one point following a dramatic final round showdown in Brazil with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Despite all that, however, Blundell reckons the 'ice-man' could come good again this year.
"I might be completely wrong here but, for some reason, I think Kimi Raikkonen might turn things around and come back stronger than ever," MB told Crash.net Radio in his exclusive 2009 F1 season preview.
"I am going to put my money on him again for the title - like I did for 2007. Let's wait and see. I might change that prediction when it comes to the first race and when we see what goes on in winter testing!"
As for how Raikkonen performed in 2008, Blundell added that he was shocked by Kimi's form, or lack of it.
"I was very surprised in '08, because I felt Kimi would go on again after pulling the championship off," he admitted. "There was a lot more still to be done and there was no pressure on his shoulders because he had delivered. I thought he would be right there and in contention."
"At the beginning of the season, he was up there and all was going according to plan. But then, all of a sudden, things dropped out and he went below the radar".
"On many occasions, we saw Kimi struggle in qualifying trim, but then gradually, as the race went on, you would see him and the Ferrari getting it together and coming on strong and pulling off fastest lap after fastest lap."
"But it was all too late then - that was very costly. He never collected enough points when it mattered."

Murray and Nadal reach Capitala final

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:12:00 +0000

Friday, 2 January 2009 12:31 PM ET

Andy Murray will face Rafael Nadal in the final of the inaugural Capitala World Tennis Championship in the United Arab Emirates.
Murray edged Roger Federer in the semifinals 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6), continuing his stellar play against the former no. 1-ranked superstar. Since losing to Switzerland's Federer in the 2008 U.S. Open final, Murray, of Britain, has won five of their last seven head-to-head matches.
"We had some close matches in the past. He beat me in the U.S. Open last year, but hopefully I will beat him at a Grand Slam," Murray said.
The two exchanged breaks in the first set, but Murray's late double fault gave the first set to Federer. Murray turned it around in the second set, breaking Federer early and jumping out to a 3-0 lead. He took the set 6-2. The final set needed a tiebreaker. Federer saved three match points and rallied to even it at 6-6, but Murray took the next two and closed out the match 8-6.
Federer tried to experiment by serving and volleying, but he was often beaten as he approached the net.
"I have realized that I will win some and lose some," Federer said. "As long as I enjoy the game, I don't mind the losses. But I surely want to win the big games."
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal defeated Russia's Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-3 in the other semifinal.
Nadal and Federer received first-round byes in the exhibition event, which is not part of the ATP Tour but features six of the world's top 10 players and offers a winner-take-all prize of $250,000 US.
The final takes place on Saturday.

Rafael Nadal will stay No1, says Marcos Baghdatis

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:08:00 +0000

Wednesday, 31 Dec 2008

RAFAEL Nadal's irrepressible will is likely to make it too tough for Roger Federer to grab back the world No1 ranking, according to Australian Open hero of three years ago Marcos Baghdatis.
The 23-year-old Cypriot has voiced what many are quietly thinking, based on Nadal's extraordinary results this past year.
The Spaniard played 93 matches this year and lost only 11. He claimed eight ATP singles titles, including two Grand Slams - his fourth French Open, plus Wimbledon.
In contrast, Federer lost 15 matches in 2008 and won four titles, including the US Open, but it was the first time in four years the master strokemaker had not won two or more Grand Slams. Baghdatis feels the change in the wind as well.
"The only thing I can say is Rafa had an unbelievable year and it was amazing for me to see him win Wimbledon, that was a big surprise," Baghdatis said, after a training session in Brisbane yesterday with former top-10 French player Richard Gasquet. "You have to give credit to the guy (Nadal). The last few years he has worked a lot on his game - he's more aggressive, he's coming more to the net - and if he continues that way it will be tough for Roger to come back to the No1 spot."
With Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga clawing at Federer's heels in the rankings, the 2009 tennis season looks like being one to savour, Baghdatis said.
"I'm not saying Roger cannot do it because he's one of the best talents in this game and maybe the smartest one," Baghdatis said.
"But it's going to be a great battle. For me it's a nice feeling knowing I am going to play against these guys again, fighting against them and one day I might make it like them."
It has been a hellish year for Baghdatis. A bulging disc in his back limited him to just 12 tournaments, as a result his ranking fell to No98. A drop which forced him to seek a wild-card into next week's Brisbane International.
But he has picked up Federer's former coach Peter Lundgren and is determined to get back to his best of world No8 in August 2006. More importantly his back has been pain free for more than a month.
"I just tried to stay positive. I told myself it was a bad year and to forget about it and just try to come back and get to the top 20," Baghdatis said. "Basically my objective is to get to the top five just once in my lifetime."
He said he was the fittest he had been since emerging on the ATP scene in 2003 and he and Lundgren had worked on his ability to stay focused during each point. But that can be hard when the stands are chanting your name, which was the case when a wave of patriotism helped carry Baghdatis to the 2006 Australian Open final - where he stumbled against Federer.
"It's more in Australia," Baghdatis said of the following he seems to attract every time he ventures south. "I don't know why, maybe because the Greeks and Cypriots here are more into their old country. When they moved here they didn't forget about their home countries."
No one can forget Baghdatis's last trip to Melbourne. He and Lleyton Hewitt battled in the third round of the Australian Open for four fours and 45 minutes before the Australian won out in five sets at 5am.
"No nightmares," Baghdatis said, when asked about the match. "But I didn't forget it, that's for sure. It's not the toughest for me - that was against Andre (Agassi) in the US Open in 2006."
Baghdatis ultimately fell to Agassi 7-5 in the fifth set.
It seems wherever Baghdatis goes, emotions follow.
"I love playing here (in Australia). I don't know why but the people are great - they are friendly and not stressful, it's a pleasure being here," he said.
The Brisbane International starts on Sunday with Djokovic the men's No1 seed and fellow Serbian Ana Ivanovic, No1 in the women's.

Manchester United Have A Ploy To Keep Cristiano Ronaldo - Reports

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:57:00 +0000

Saturaday, 02 Jan 2009, 12:27 hr

Man United fans can breathe easier in the New Year after Cristiano Ronaldo pledged his future to the club. But the war of words is not quite over yet…

The Cristiano Ronaldo-Manchester United-Real Madrid soap opera finally looked all but over right on the last day of 2008, appropriately, after the Portuguese sensation himself publicly declared that he wanted to remain at Old Trafford.
But the feud that has been brewing between the recently crowned Club World Cup champions and the Madrid-affiliated press shows no sign of dying down, after Marca uncovered a campaign by United to ensure Ronaldo would have no reason to swap the Theatre of Dreams for the Santiago Bernabéu.
The sceptical Spanish paper believes that after manager Sir Alex Ferguson had convinced Ronaldo to stay at United in July, he ordered all those associated with the club to do two things: discredit Real Madrid’s image while continually heaping praise on the superstar Portuguese.
Marca booms that Ferguson himself has taken care of all the the bad-mouthing, while the club’s official website has spent every month since the start of the new season awarding some form of accolade or another to Ronaldo.
It would seem that Los Blancos themselves have already moved on from the whole debacle by focusing their resources on other transfer targets, but some of the press in Spain, on the other hand, are still finding it difficult to let the matter go.

WRC stars give Rossi verdict

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Tuesday, 9th December 2008

Sebastien Loeb and Jari-Matti Latvala assess Valentino Rossi's Wales Rally GB performance.

WRC stars Sebastien Loeb and Jari-Matti Latvala, first and second in the 2008 Wales Rally GB, have given their verdict on the performance by six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi. Rossi made his third WRC appearance in the three-day event, which concluded on Sunday, and - unlike in his 2002 debut - reached the finish. Rossi completed one of the WRC's toughest events in twelfth position, one place behind his 2006 Rally of New Zealand ranking, but finished much closer to the top. In NZ, Rossi had been 20min 38.8sec behind Marcus Gronholm, but he crossed the Welsh finish line a much-improved 13min 10.4sec behind Loeb.
Loeb is the reigning five-time (consecutive) World Rally champion and, like Rossi, recently proved his talents extend beyond his chosen sport with an impressive performance in an F1 car. The Frenchman, who admitted he would struggle in MotoGP, said that Rossi had faced a huge challenge, but clearly improved as the rally went on - the Italian having been just 45th at the end of stage one. "I think Valentino at the moment is a world champion in motorbikes and for sure it is very hard for him to arrive like this in a world championship rally. It is like me arriving tomorrow in MotoGP. I think I would be far behind!" said the Citroen driver. "At the end of the rally he was getting better and better and for sure he improved. But I hope he had some fun and I think he came for that. I spoke a bit with him and he was struggling a bit with the notes and I understand that. At this speed you need some experience. But he was getting better." Latvala, like Rossi, was driving a Ford Focus WRC car. The Finn, part of Ford's official WRC team, insisted that Rossi had done a 'good job' and believes that his own career path proves there is no overnight success in WRC.

"For me Valentino did a good job," said Latvala, who finished 12.7sec behind Loeb after 17 competitive stages. "I remember when he was here the first time, because it was my first World Rally in 2002, and I had a feeling that year that there was too much pressure for him to suddenly arrive and do a great performance. "He is doing it the right way now, by having fun and starting slowly and improving step by step and gaining in confidence. That is the way you have to come in the WRC. "Take me for example. I have been here now since I was 17 and I am now 23. So now I am starting to be able to fight against Sébastien but it took so many years, six years, to get where I am.
"So for me, Valentino's performance was good and I am really happy to see how he is improving and if he does more World Rallies in the future he could reach quite easily a top ten position," Latvala declared. Rossi has already stated that he would like to return to Wales Rally GB in 2009. Prior to the start of the 2008 event the Fiat Yamaha rider, who has now done three gravel-based WRC events, also revealed that he would like to one day enter an asphalt rally."I would really like to do a tarmac rally - like Corsica perhaps. For me now it is impossible because it is in the middle of my racing season," said the 29-year-old. Rossi will remain a Yamaha MotoGP rider for at least the next two seasons.

Rossi eyes possible full-time rallying future

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:20:00 +0000

Monday, 8 Dec 2008, 11:58 AM
Record-breaking MotoGP star Valentino Rossi has confessed that he could see himself switching across full-time to rallying following his successful outing on Wales Rally GB at the weekend - but not just yet...
Valentino Rossi has evoked a possible full-time future in rallying after finishing a highly commendable twelfth on his second appearance on Wales Rally GB at the weekend - but added that he hopes to remain in bike racing first for 'more than two years'.
The record-breaking, six-time MotoGP World Champion participated in the end-of-season event for Stobart VK M-Sport, aboard a Ford Focus RS WRC 07 adorned by his traditional #46, and he improved from 45th position following Friday morning's opening stage to be setting consistently competitive times come the end of the rally.
That earned Rossi praise from his fellow drivers and observers, and whilst he has insisted that his Ferrari Formula 1 tests of late have been purely 'to have fun', the man from Urbino did confess that rallying has always a been a great 'passion' of his and that one day he could foresee a switch from two wheels to four, and from the circuit to the gravel tracks and forests.
"It's very different, but not particularly tough," the 29-year-old told Crash.net of having swapped between MotoGP, F1 and rallying in the space of a matter of weeks. "I decided to do this because I have a great passion for cars and for rallying, and I had this month to use for gaining experience and, in the end, to have fun. This is the main target.
"I think in Formula 1 it would be very difficult for me to have a future, because I'm quite old, but for rallying it's not impossible. I think it would be difficult to win rallies or become a world champion, but maybe with more experience and a good programme it would be possible to get some good results when I stop bike racing.
"I don't know when I will stop with bikes, though, sincerely, because if I continue to stay at this level, I'm enjoying riding a lot and my place is over there. I hope to stay more than two years."
Renault F1 managing director Flavio Briatore suggested last week that MotoGP 'would not be half of what it is' without Rossi

Cristiano Ronaldo Can Repeat Ballon d'Or Win - Sir Bobby Charlton

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Wednesday, 10 Dec 2008 15:21 hr

One-man Cristiano Ronaldo Appreciation Society Sir Bobby Charlton can't stop heaping praise on the United winger...

Sir Bobby Charlton is joined by Denis Law, the late George Best and now Cristiano Ronaldo in the ranks of Manchester United players who've lifted the Ballon d'Or. Charlton will hand the Golden Ball - awarded to the man judged to be the European Footballer of the Year - over to Ronaldo along with Law on the Old Trafford pitch on Wednesday evening ahead of the Champions League dead-rubber clash with Aalborg. The Red Devils legend couldn't be happier to do so, and has tipped the flamboyant Portuguese maestro to lift another golden gong before long - a feat the retro United trio didn't manage between them. "It won’t be the last one he wins," Charlton predicted. "He is a fantastic player - head and shoulders above anyone else last year. I have had to shake his hand more than once for various awards he has won over the past year, and he deserves every one. He has the world ahead of him for the next 10 years. I get excited by watching him. If you are struggling, he can turn a game with one bit of skill. He used to be over the top, but he has learned now. All kids love players who do something special, my grandson included. That is why Ronaldo gets compared to George Best so often - everyone should emulate him." It's official, then. Sir Bobby is predicting a decade of dominance for Ronaldo and another crop of mini-Cristianos to take over when he's finally done pawing the Ballon d'Or. Get used to it.

Ronaldo's Staying

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:41:00 +0000

Tuesday, 09 Dec 2008

'Happy' winger wants to remain at United, help them win more trophies.

Four months and one European Player of the Year award after his 'dream' move to Real Madrid failed to materialise, Cristiano Ronaldo said on Sunday that he wants to stay with Manchester United and help the English team win more trophies.
The Portuguese winger, who had been sought by Real after this year's European Championship, was in Paris - accompanied by United manager Alex Ferguson - to collect the Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) award from France Football magazine.
'I've been playing for Manchester United for five years, I feel at home. There have been prizes won by this club collectively and individually,' Ronaldo said. 'I'm happy at Manchester and want to stay.'
He joined United in 2003 and scored 42 goals last season to help them win the English Premier League and Champions League titles.
The 23-year-old made it clear he wanted further success with United.
'I am an ambitious person. I don't want it to stop here,' he said. 'I think we have to keep trying to win trophies, collectively and individually.
'I am on the right track. I am the Golden Ball winner today, which motivates me even more.'
Ronaldo, who beat strikers Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Fernando Torres of Liverpool to the prize, is also looking to make progress as a player.
'It's always special to reach this level, the important thing is to stay there,' he said. 'The idea is to keep progressing, collectively and individually as well.'
Ferguson believes that Ronaldo can only improve, saying: 'He's only starting his career. We expect him to improve.'
'When a player gets to 26, that's when he begins to mature. So these next three or four years for Cristiano will prove my point.'
Ferguson is so sure of Ronaldo's capabilities that he wants to keep the player at Old Trafford for a longer time.
According to the Daily Express, United have opened talks with the player for a new £40 million (S$90.8 million) deal to keep him at the club for the next five years. The first round of discussions was held last Friday between Ronaldo, Ferguson and United chief executive David Gill. The paper reported that after two hours of discussions, Ferguson left in an 'upbeat mood', giving Ronaldo and Gill the chance to talk alone.
Ronaldo signed a five-year, £120,000- a-week upgrade in April 2007, when Real were sniffing around. But, should a new deal be struck, an extra £30,000 could be added to that, putting him on £8 million a year.
Despite Ronaldo pledging his future to United when the Real talks subsided, it seems Ferguson is not willing to take any chances on the player's current contract, which still has three years to run. The Scot is all too aware that Real are prepared to spend as much as £50 million on the winger and so ensuring another five years would end all chances of any similar speculation in the near future.

Cristiano Ronaldo's dramatics against Sunderland could win him a BAFTA

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Sunday, 07 Dec 2008 3:56PM GMT

Cristiano Ronaldo will be presented with the Ballon d'Or before Manchester United's Champions League encounter with Aalborg on Wednesday, but his next award might well be a BAFTA if he continues to allow the theatrical side of his game to overshadow the talents that have justifiably led to his selection as European Footballer of the Year.
Perhaps it is the number seven shirt, or it could be his burgeoning arrogance, but it seems that Ronaldo is beginning to develop the persona of Eric Cantona and all of the madness that goes with it.
As Ronaldo disappeared up the players' tunnel at Old Trafford with twenty-five minutes still to play in this tense Premier League clash against Sunderland, Sir Alex Ferguson was caught by the television cameras frantically relaying a message to the bench from his telephone in the directors' box.
Ronaldo had left Ferguson and everybody else inside Old Trafford open-mouthed with his decision to substitute himself due to the pain of a hip injury sustained moments earlier in a collision with Andy Reid. Instead of waiting for the bench to arrange a replacement, Ronaldo kicked the ball into touch, motioned he had had enough and he walked off the pitch, towards the corner flag and up the tunnel. Ferguson defended Ronaldo's bizarre exit by suggesting that his unilateral decision to leave the field was the 'sensible thing to do,' but one wonders whether lesser lights such as Ji-Sung Park or Darren Fletcher would have dared to do something similar.
But Ronaldo's non-footballing contributions have begun to detract from his obvious talents in recent weeks. Visibly annoyed by the verbal abuse aimed in his direction by Stoke City and Aston Villa fans last month, Ronaldo was lulled into making his point to the fans with pointless gestures and his arm-throwing reaction to his heavy-handed treatment at the hands of Villarreal's belligerent defenders two weeks ago betrayed a man growing increasingly irritated by the attention his rise to prominence has brought.
Roy Keane would probably have castigated Ronaldo for downing tools had he still been patrolling United's midfield. Those days are long gone, however, just like his time as Sunderland manager is now confined to history.
The Irishman probably spent Saturday evening walking his dog rather than watching his former players frustrate United to the point of almost emerging with a draw, but had he witnessed the performance, Keane would have admired Sunderland's spirit, if not their injury-time downfall.
Sunderland did no create a single goalscoring chance, but when Vidic reacted quickest to tap in the rebound when Michael Carrick's deflected shot bounced back off the post, it was United's twenty-third scoring opportunity.
Scoring so late in games has been a signature of United's successful teams of the past and Dwight Yorke, who contributed to many of those dramatic injury-time victories during his own spell at Old Trafford, admitted that their winner was painfully inevitable. The Sunderland midfielder said: "When you go for ninety minutes, you know the game is not finished there and, when the four minutes of added time went up, I thought of what I'd seen happen before so many times in this stadium."
"We defended and were resilient for such a long time, but it's a cruel game and we are all bitterly disappointed."

Cristiano Ronaldo now sees his future with Manchester United

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:03:00 +0000

Monday, 8 December 2008

PARIS — Four months and one European Player of the Year award after his "dream" move to Real Madrid failed to materialize, Cristiano Ronaldo said Sunday he wants to stay with Manchester United and help the English team win more trophies.
Ronaldo, who had been sought by Madrid after this year's European Championship, was in Paris - accompanied by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson - to collect the Golden Ball award from France Football magazine.
"I've been playing for Manchester for five years, I feel at home. There have been prizes won by this club both collectively and individually," the Portugal winger said. "I'm happy at Manchester and want to stay."
Ronaldo joined United in 2003 and last season scored 42 goals to help the club win the Premier League and Champions League titles. Speaking after receiving the award during a television show, the 23-year-old winger made it clear he wanted further success with United.
"I am an ambitious person. I don't want it to stop here," Ronaldo said. "I think we have to keep trying to win trophies, collectively and individually. I am on the right track. I am the Golden Ball winner today, which motivates me even more."
Ronaldo, who beat strikers Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Fernando Torres of Liverpool to the prize, is also looking to make progress as a player.
"It's always special to reach this level, the important thing is to stay there," he said. "The idea is to keep progressing, collectively and individually as well."
Ronaldo was rumoured to be heading to Madrid during Euro 2008, but after a back-and-forth between the Spanish club and United, Ronaldo said in August that he would stay in England.
On Sunday, Ronaldo took time to praise his United teammates for helping him reach the summit of European football.
"Without my team I couldn't have won it, and I have to thank them also," he said.
Ronaldo has not fared as well on the international stage, and is desperate to help Portugal win a major title after losing the Euro 2004 final to Greece, and getting knocked out by France in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup.
"I want more for the Portugal team, also, which has played well in the last few years but not won a major title at international level," Ronaldo said.
Ferguson, meanwhile, was eager to lavish praise on Ronaldo's achievements, which also made him the first United player to win the Golden Ball since George Best in 1968 - and fourth overall after Denis Law in 1964 and Bobby Charlton in 1966.
"It's a long time since we won one, 40 years ago," Ferguson told Sunday's edition of Telefoot, adding that he feels the best is yet to come from Ronaldo. "Of course, he's only 23. He's only just beginning. When players get to 26 they start to mature."

Cristiano Ronaldo sets his goals as Manchester United steal victory

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:53:00 +0000

Monday, 8 December 2008

Even during a match that promised constant attacking, Cristiano Ronaldo seemed distracted. For a man so self-regarding as the Portugal forward, it may not have helped his focus when, every few minutes, Old Trafford’s electronic advertising hoardings ringed the pitch with 50-odd images of his head and torso.
His left hip was his most prominent body part on Saturday. The winger took himself off, kicking the ball into touch and walking straight down the tunnel a few minutes after suffering a knock to the joint in the second half, leaving Manchester United briefly with ten men as they hastily arranged a substitution.
Ronaldo was fit enough to travel with Sir Alex Ferguson, his manager, to Paris officially to receive the European Player of the Year award yesterday. He shed a tear of emotion, denied reports that he had ever described himself as the best player in the world and emphasised to his club that they must continue to excel if they hope to keep him.
“I have played for five years with Manchester United, a club where I feel at home,” he said. “I arrived there very young, and I have won individual and team titles. I have this individual reward which makes me happy. It is the culmination of work which I put in place a long time ago, but I am ambitious. It is imperative that I continue to win both individual and team titles.
It is always a special thing to reach this level of excellence. But the hardest thing is to stay at that level. I am very ambitious and a very strong character and have a winning mentality. I want to continue to improve like the best players do. I must carry on my apprenticeship, individually and collectively. This Ballon d’Or is the first step on a journey that will go further.”
United are going to White Hart Lane on Saturday, six points off the summit of the Barclays Premier League with a game in hand. Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra are suspended and Ronaldo is a doubt. Rooney’s absence will at least allow Ferguson to give Carlos Tévez a rare start. This was a contest tinted by an ending.
Dwight Yorke said that he was “shocked, surprised and saddened” by Roy Keane’s resignation as Sunderland manager last Thursday. “I’m very sad to see him go. I really genuinely believe he could have turned things around, but for whatever reason, he decided not to,” the midfield player said. Yorke helped to prepare the team for this game with Ricky Sbragia, the caretaker manager.
Sbragia said that, in essence, he had used Keane’s tactics. Perhaps this was one reason why Keane chose the week of a trip to his former club to quit: to escape the damning reality that his £80 million transfer spree had bought a team whose best hope of avoiding a heavy beating at Old Trafford was a game plan worthy of a lower-league side visiting in the cup.
Sunderland played 4-1-4-1, 9-0-1, call it what you will. Given his apparent enthusiasm for communicating by text message, Keane possibly describes it as “evry1 in dfns”. They were tactics that resemble the club, withdrawn and diffident. The game was not so much one-way traffic as a permanent snarl-up in and around the Sunderland penalty area.
Within the opening minutes, it was clear that the visiting team’s main ambition was to belt the ball as far away as possible. This is not an unusual attitude for away teams at Old Trafford but Sunderland took it to extremes. No shots on target and only three attempts on goal to United’s 31.
After the match, the instinct of some analysts was to praise Sunderland for workrate, cohesion and for almost pinching a point at a stadium where United have won ten matches in succession. It can be argued that this approach was sensible and realistic given the club’s fragility. But you can find teams in Coca-Cola League Two who know how to park the bus in front of goal, then clamp it.
That Sunderland only broke in injury time was more down to United’s failure to unscrew them earlier. Ferguson called for timekeeping duties to be taken away from referees, bemoaning the four minutes’ added time allotted by Mark Halsey as too brief. But United only needed a few bonus seconds, Nemanja Vidic being the most alert when Michael Carrick’s deflected shot bounced off a post.
In the wider context, Ferguson feels that United have ample time. “The fixture list has been horrendous for us, playing away from home after every European tie. We’ve coped well,” he said. “If we get within two or three points of the top two [by the turn of the year] we have a marvellous chance.”

Cristiano Ronaldo's handball – five desperate excuses from Sir Alex Ferguson

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:46:00 +0000

Thursday, 04 Dec 2008 8:02AM GMT

Player of the Year in just about every football honours list this year is Cristiano Ronaldo, who should give much credit to his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Not only has the Scot kept Ronaldo at arguably the best football club in Europe, he is also willing to make a fool of himself in defending the indefensible.
Below are Ferguson's excuses for Ronaldo handling the ball on his own team's corner and being sent off for two yellow cards. Alongside are rebuttal comments, with thanks to Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, for suggesting the difficult alternative courses of action open to Ronaldo as he rose to meet the ball.
"He tried to stop the ball from hitting his face" – why not head it?
"He thought he had heard a whistle" – even if true, why not head it?
"He got a little push as well" – it was their defender's fault; still, why not head it?
"And it is not as if he punched the ball" – since when was this the standard by which this offence was judged?
"The crowd played a part and he got sent off" – it was the crowd's fault, though presumably he is surely not further claiming that they forced his player to handle the ball, nor get him booked first time round.
Five desperate excuses; none with any weight, but all with the same theme – it wasn't his fault. Yet another example of the buck-passing highlighted in many previous columns; I'm only surprised that the referee was not blamed.

Valentino Rossi could be star in a car

noreply@blogger.com (nsabrina) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:39:00 +0000

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The MotoGP legend has what it takes to be a success on four wheels.

WHEN Valentino Rossi finished the first day of the Wales Rally GB in the top 25, claims that the six-time MotoGP world champion was offered a Formula One race drive by Ferrari for 2007 were lent credibility.
Ferrari have not confirmed any such offer was made. Neither are they likely to, despite the insistence of Rossi’s MotoGP team manager, Davide Brivio, that the rider turned down the deal. But Rossi’s performance on Friday suggested his instinctive control of fast-moving machinery is unaffected by the number of wheels. If, as the 29-year-old acknowledged, the time to contemplate a permanent switch to F1 has passed, a season or two behind the wheel of a world rally car remains on the cards.
David Richards, the commercial supremo of the world rally championship (WRC), would love to have the charismatic Italian competing in the sport, though Rossi remains equivocal.
Having won the MotoGP world championship again last season, he has a contract with Yamaha to complete next year and has made it clear he would like that to be extended. Only in the unlikely event that it is not extended might he be tempted to follow Mike Hailwood and John Surtees in proving it is possible to excel in different motorsport disciplines.
Surtees is the only man to have won the world title in motorsport’s two premier disciplines. He held the 500cc motorcycle crown four times before winning the 1964 F1 championship in a Ferrari. Hailwood won nine motorbike world titles in seven years, including the 500cc championship four years in a row from 1962 to 1965. Having taken part in his first F1 race in 1963, he switched to cars full-time in 1969.
Rossi also has an example closer to home: his father, Graziano, took up rallying after his promising riding career was cut short by an accident.
Rossi, whose Ford Focus RS WRC car is carrying the logo of the BBC’s Children in Need charity, said swapping between motorbike and rally car was not a problem. “It’s different, but not difficult, and my main target is to have fun,” he said. “The big difference is that to go fast in MotoGP, you have to be absolutely a part of the bike. In the car you can’t move. You are more like a robot.”
Starting day two was an improvement on his first official attempt in 2002, when his Rally GB ended in a ditch on the second stage.