The Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has spent another £2 million on buying Arsenal shares.
Usmanov increases his stake in Arsenal
SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Usmanov keeps buying
The Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has spent another £2 million on buying Arsenal shares.
Usmanov increases his stake in Arsenal
Owen Hargreaves interview
With players pushed to their limits, Owen Hargreaves wonders why 'the biggest league in the world' needs to expand
Man of the world Owen Hargreaves takes issue
We have the technology ...
Avram Grant will have captain Steve Austin at his disposal after a quicker than expected return from injury
'Bionic man' Terry defies doctors' predictions to make early return
Friday, February 15, 2008
Brian Viner Interviews Martin Keown
I remember this all too well. I was with my family in The former England defender knows all about the special tensions of games between Arsenal and Manchester United. As the teams prepare for tomorrow's FA Cup encounter he talks in detail for the first time about the infamous occasion when he turned on Ruud van Nistelrooy.
"I rang my wife after the game. She's usually very supportive, but she said: "I think you've gone and done it now..."
Bashing Beckham
There must be a hundred and one justifiable reasons for criticizing David Beckham, but accepting an interview with Salma Hayek surely shouldn't be one...
David Beckham wearing thin in Los Angeles
Match of the Week: Manchester United vs. Arsenal
The outstanding tie of the fifth round is Sir Alex Ferguson's 100th as manager of Manchester United.The top two in the Premier League are also the most successful clubs in FA Cup history; United and Arsenal have won the world's oldest football knockout competition 21 times between them and have appeared in a combined 35 finals. This is the 35th time Ferguson will have come up against his opposite number Arsene Wenger. Of the 34 previous encounters United have won 11, Arsenal 13. Eight of the 10 other games finished level and two were decided on penalty shoot-outs; United won the 2003 Community Shield, and Arsenal the 2005 FA Cup final.Preview
Kevin McCarra on Il Fenomeno's Career
Ronaldo faces end of road after new injury blow.
Going Dutch
An instant hit at PSV Eindhoven, he scored 55 goals in two years, including four in a Uefa Cup tie v MyPa in 1995
The kid with braces in 1994 - BBC Images
England: FA Cup Previews
Holders Chelsea face League One (third division) Huddersfield Town for the second time in the FA Cup in three seasons. They have almost a full squad to chose from after the return of their players from the African Nations Cup and the return to fitness of Frank Lampard, John Terry and Andriy Shevchenko.Team News
Liverpool vs. Barnsley
Rafael Benitez has a defensive headache after Martin Skrtel was ruled out with a calf injury. The Liverpool manager is still without metatarsal victim Daniel Agger and must decide whether to risk Sami Hyypia with one eye on next week's Champions League clash with Inter Milan. Fernando Torres is fit again after a hamstring injury but is expected to be rested, while Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa are available after recovering from thigh and stomach injuries respectively.
Previews
Lawro's Predictions
Galaxy introduced to Camp Gullit
Martin Rogers on the strict physical regimen instituted by Ruud in L.A...
Becks and co. prepare for the the upcoming campaign...
The Real Heartbeat Of Manchester United
In Rooney, Manchester United can point to the source of their inspiration, and the heartbeat of the side. This state of affairs has seen the fiery Liverpudlian play just as big a role as the Red Devils flying winger in shaping United’s results, even though he has scored fewer than of Ronaldo's goals.
"In my day, we played without boots and we kicked around a bundle of socks...and we liked it!"
Spain: La Liga Weekend Preview
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No real mouthwatering stuff in Spain this weekend. Real travel to Seville to face Betis and could go 11 clear at the top. Barcelona face a tricky trip to Zaragoza. It's really about Champions League spots at this point...
Saturday 16 February 2008 (all times local)
20:00 Betis - Real Madrid
20:00 Espanyol - Sevilla
22:00 Zaragoza - Barcelona
Sunday 17 February
17:00 Levante - Osasuna
17:00 Villarreal - Racing
17:00 Almeria - Murcia
17:00 Valladolid - Mallorca
17:00 Recreativo - Deportivo
19:00 Getafe - Valencia
21:00 Atletico Madrid - Athletic
Previews
News: Henry struggling to adapt on the wing
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Nigel Winterburn Gets Us All Excited for Manchester United vs. Arsenal
Manchester United and Arsenal meet in the FA Cup for the fourth time in a decade on Saturday.
What: FA Cup fifth round - Man United vs. Arsenal
Where: Old Trafford
When: Saturday 16 February
Kick-off: 1715 GMT
Replay if required: Wed 27 February, 1945 GMT
'Expect key battles all over the pitch'
The return of the Argentinian trailblazers
Foreign stars in English football are 10 a penny these days. But when Villa and Ardiles joined Spurs 30 years ago, it wasn't such plain sailing.
Marcela Mora y Araujo reports...
Hey Spurs fans! Buy this shirt here!
Giovanni Trapattoni - All The Facts
* Born March 17, 1939, Cusano, Milan, Italy.
* As an AC Milan player, wins two league titles (1962, 1968), two European Cups (1963, 1969), the Copa Italia (1967), and the European Cup Winners' Cup (1968). Leaves A.C Milan in 1971 for FC Varese before retiring having won 17 caps.
Ronaldo hurt as Milan held by Livorno
More on Ronaldo's injury in a separate post below...
European champions AC Milan missed the chance to go fourth in Serie A when they were held 1-1 at home by Livorno on Wednesday and their disappointment was compounded by a serious-looking injury to Ronaldo.
European champions AC Milan missed the chance to go fourth in Serie A when they were held 1-1 at home by Livorno on Wednesday and their disappointment was compounded by a serious-looking injury to Ronaldo.
| 2007/2008 Italian Serie A | ||||||
| CLUB | GP | W | L | D | PTS | GD |
| Inter Milan | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 33 |
| Roma | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 48 | 18 |
| Juventus | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 44 | 23 |
| Fiorentina | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 38 | 13 |
| AC Milan | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 37 | 17 |
| Udinese | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 33 | -2 |
| Sampdoria | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 31 | 3 |
| Atalanta | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 30 | 2 |
| Genoa | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 | -6 |
| Palermo | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 | -8 |
| Napoli | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 27 | -1 |
Copa Libertadores: River Lose in Lima
Former Argentina captain Diego Simeone watched his new River Plate team lose 2-0 at Peru's Universidad San Martin in his first Libertadores Cup game.
Ranking MLS's Top 20 Players
Martin Rogers takes a stab at ranking the best who ply their trade on American (and Canadian?) soil...
The Top 20
Ronaldo Career Virtually Over
Forgive me, but I was under the impression that his career was virtually over years ago...
Ronaldo was immediately rushed to hospital where tests revealed that he had completely severed the tendon in his left knee.
Howard Content at Goodison
Now in his second season, the 28-year-old New Jersey native is the Toffees' undisputed No. 1 keeper and is tied for fourth in the Premier League clean sheets stakes.
Take away the so-called big four - Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and city rival Liverpool - and he leads the way along with Portsmouth's seemingly ageless David James.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Clint's Goal for Ergotelis
This is what things look like at the bottom of the Greek Division. Mathis knocks one home to earn a point for his bottom-of-the-table club...
Giovanni Trapattoni appointed as Republic of Ireland manager
Good news, this. Ireland have gotten themselves a top man who is proven on the international level. And it'll fascinating if Capello and Trap end up squaring off. Let's see how the Irish progress.
Giovanni Trapattoni, the seven-times Serie A winner and former Italy coach, has been confirmed as the new manager of the Republic of Ireland.
"Hah Hah! Here come the Irish!!"
Americans on the Continent: Bradley Scores Again, Cletus Plays
Michael Bradley scores yet again and Clint Mathis notches his first tally in Greece...
Josh Wolff, 1860 Munich (2. Bundesliga) vs.
FC Kaiserslautern, A, 1-2 win (83 minutes, 0 goals)
Wolff’s goalless drought continues. He is closing in on a full season without a goal. Luckily, 1860 weren’t in need of his services and were able to take care of Kaiserslautern on the road. Josh was rated at 4.5.
UEFA Cup Midweek Preview: Round of 32
Wednesday 13 February 2008 (CET)18:00 Zenit - Villarreal
18:45 Galatasaray - Bayer Leverkusen
19:00 AEK Athens - Getafe
20:00 Brann Bergen - Everton
20:30 Werder Bremen - Braga
20:45 Anderlecht - Bordeaux
20:45 Marseille - Spartak Moscow
20:45 PSV Eindhoven - Helsingborg
21:00 Rangers - Panathinaikos
21:45 Sporting Lisbon - Basel
Thursday 14 February
19:00 Aberdeen - Bayern München
20:30 Zürich - Hamburg
20:45 Rosenborg - Fiorentina
21:00 Bolton - Atletico Madrid
21:00 Slavia Prague - Tottenham
21:45 Benfica - Nürnberg
Europe's secondary club competition resumes action tonight and there are still some strong teams involved. Preview
Update: Premier League Wants Global Games
I've been ignoring this story for a while because it's so bloody absurd. But, now that various national associations are offering their opinion, let's catch up on where it stands...
Asian Football Federation: It's not a good idea
MLS: Let's wait and see
Australia: No thanks
Norman Hubbard: Global game has delusions of grandeur
David Conn: Money-making attempts will hurt the Premier League
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Tim Vickery in South America
The BBC's Latin American expert looks ahead to the Copa Libertadores...
Boca versus the Brazilians is a good banner for the Copa Libertadores 2008
Quotes of the Week + Top Chants
"Ghana are finding it difficult to impregnate the Cameroon defence."Eurosport commentator during the Ghana-Cameroon Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.
"Jim Bullard, Bullard,
He's better than Steve Gerrard,
He's thinner than Frank Lampard,
Jim Bullard, Bullard."
Fulham fans salute Jimmy Bullard
All the Fun
Hahnemann Demands Reading Steel
Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has urged his team-mates to stand up and fight as they bid to avoid relegation.
Teams of the Week in Spain and Italy
La LigaArjen Robben (Real Madrid): A stunning return to action! Los Merengues were supposed to struggle without Ruud van Nistelrooy, and after their defeat last week, but the Dutchman came into the side with nothing short of a miraculous effect. Goals, assists, step-overs, swerving runs, he produced it all for the Bernabeu faithful.
Serie A
Clarence Seedorf (Milan): He came as a substitute in the second half and changed the game in favour of Milan with some shots from the distance and, more importantly, with the precious assist to Paloschi.
Phil Ball in Spain
Last week's column was based on the fact that I'd seen a whole host of games at the weekend, but arriving back in Spain on Sunday meant a quick catch-up on Saturday night's events and a few clips of the goals from the various summary programmes that proliferate on Spain's main football evening. No problem in coming to some conclusions though, the chief one being Almería's win over Real Madrid last week - the one that had supposedly opened up the league - was a theory found a little wanting, seven days down the line.
Sid Lowe in Spain
Arjen Robben has struggled with injuries all season, but he finally showed Real just what they'd paid €36m for...
Robben rocks the Bernabeu as Valladolid are routed
England: Senderos gives Gunners room at the top
Arsenal 2 - 0 BlackburnGunners go five points clear
| Premier League Table | ||
| February 11, 2008 | GP | PT |
| Arsenal | 26 | 63 |
| Man Utd | 26 | 58 |
| Chelsea | 26 | 55 |
| Everton | 26 | 47 |
| Liverpool | 25 | 44 |
| Aston Villa | 26 | 44 |
| Man City | 26 | 44 |
| Portsmouth | 26 | 41 |
| Blackburn | 26 | 39 |
| West Ham | 25 | 37 |
| Tottenham | 26 | 32 |
| Middlesbrough | 26 | 29 |
| Newcastle | 26 | 28 |
| Sunderland | 26 | 26 |
| Bolton | 26 | 25 |
| Wigan | 26 | 23 |
| Birmingham | 26 | 22 |
| Reading | 26 | 22 |
| Fulham | 26 | 19 |
| Derby | 26 | 9 |
Forget poignancy, Arsenal prefer to deal in title significance
African Cup of Nations: Stars showcase their skills in Ghana
The African Nations Cup has showcased some of the world's best footballing talent over the past month. The likes of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Samuel Eto'o are well known across Europe, but there have been some other stars to emerge from Africa's flagship tournament this year. As Egypt retained their trophy, the following players can be safe in the knowledge that they have impressed perhaps enough to earn themselves a big move in the near future.Brian Brendell (Namibia)
In a Brave Warriors side playing in just their second-ever Cup of Nations, Brendell was an impressive spearhead. He found the net in Namibia's games against Morocco and Guinea and was a constant threat with his elusive running and movement. Indeed, had Brendell been a little more composed in front of goal, he could easily have added to his tally. However, at just 21, he has plenty of time ahead of him to hone his potential. That development is almost certain to come at a bigger club than the one for which he currently plies his trade, FC Civics of the Namibia Premier League.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Harry fears losing Diarra
He's just brought Lassana Diarra to Portsmouth but boss Harry Redknapp has conceded he could face a fight to keep him at Fratton Park
Redknapp's Diarra fear
Can new star Alberto Paloschi cut it?
Eighteen-year-old Alberto Paloschi needed just 18 seconds of his Serie A debut to make his mark for the Rossoneri. But will the club keep faith in youth? Signor Bandini reports.
Can Serie A's latest new kid on the block hang tough with Milan?
Tonight's EPL game
"The team as a whole had a personality and a mental toughness from the beginning of the season" says Arsene Wenger
Wenger backs Arsenal self-belief
Arsenal v Blackburn
Collina unhappy
Top bald Italian ref is sad about the lack of hand shacking and other Euro news
Collina unhappy with Serie A referee
Marseille keep up good form
Marseille continued their run of good form under Gerets, this time with a win against Nice
Marseille end Nice home run with 2-0 win
Werder tie with Bayern
The top of the table clash in Germany didn't disappoint, with two excellent goals, a missed penalty, a dodgy off-side and 1000s of yellow cards
Werder Bremen hold Bayern to 1-1 draw in Munich
Spain: La Liga Reports
Real Madrid banged seven past Valladolid. That, coupled with a draw from the Barcelona/Sevilla contest, means that the title race is all but over.
Reports
Fans fight back
The idea is fucked on some many levels it beggers belief. Where do you start? That it's driven by insatiable greed? That it's almost unworkable? That it's outstandingly insulting to other domestic soccer leagues?
Premier League's priorities are all wrong
Supporters threaten boycott of Premier League sponsors
Richard Scudamore reneges on foreign fixtures
Italy: R Mehdi's Serie A Reports
The weekend went fairly true to form as Inter squeezed past a resilient Catania side thanks to another goal that shouldn't have been, Roma dispatched Reggina, Milan beat Siena and Buffon kept Juve in it long enough for Iaquinta to grab the winner against his old team.
Reports
England: Premier League Round-Up
The goalkeeper produced a wonderful display to almost singlehandedly keep the home side at bay
James eyes World Cup role and Bolton won't argue
The Brazilian, Afonso Alves, made his debut but Jeremie Aliadiere grabbed the winning goal
Jeremie Aliadiere signs up for samba role
Newcastle Utd thrashed by Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa
Shades of '92 as Newcastle face up to fight for survival
Spurs are entering a crucial period when they will attempt to translate potential into prizes
Time for Tottenham Hotspur to show their bottle
The manager is warming to the thought that his side might yet be involved in the title race
Everton's David Moyes left in two minds
Robert Green may be "England’s No 6", but it is outfield players where national team has problems
Dull, overlong and no one cared for the ending
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