Saturday, August 30, 2008

Di Natale Show As Udinese Pummel Palermo


The new Serie A season kicked off at Stadio Friuli this weekend with both Udinese and Palermo coming into the game confident of success and ready to impress.

However it was the Bianconeri who dominated from start to finish as they strolled to an easy win against an average Rosanero side to start off in the best possible way. Di Natale and Inler were outstanding throughout and the club will pat themselves on the back for having kept both players over the summer, despite tempting offers.

First Half

Udinese began the game brightly and it was the home side who came out flying from the starting blocks. Pepe did brilliantly to waltz down the wing and launch a pinpoint cross towards Inler but the midfielder’s header just flashed wide of Marco Amelia’s goal. It was obvious right from the kick off that the new Palermo goal keeper was in for a very busy after noon. Minutes later it was Fabio Quagliarella, who tested the Rosanero with a fierce drive from distance after he was fed through by Damiano Ferrotnetti, but the striker’s effort was high and wayward.

The Bianconeri played some slick football as they pushed the Sicilians back and it wasn’t long before they took a well deserved lead. Di Natale combined with Inler following a nice one touch move and the Italian international beat Amelia with a low drive into the bottom right corner. It was a superb finish by the hit-man, who grabbed the first goal of the new campaign.


It was all Udinese with Stefano Colantuono’s men showing little resistance. Quagliarella, Pepe and Pasquale all tried their luck to get on the score sheet but Amelia was in top form as he dealt with the threats. Bosko Jankovic went into the book for a needless hand ball as desperate Palermo tried everything they could to stop the Zebrette onslaught. The Sicilians looked rusty and unorganised as Pasquale Marino’s men created chance after chance. Palermo finally got some respite on 17 minutes when Edison Cavani had his side’s first strike on goal but it was off target.

The Renzo Barbera side just didn’t have enough up front early on and president Maurizio Zamparini must be regretting Amauri’s sale to Juventus this summer as his side just didn’t threaten. Udinese kept on coming forward in droves and the Friulani always looked likely of adding another. The home side looked fresh and fitter than their opponents as they ran riot on the pitch. The away side seemed nervous and stale as they struggled to get going.

The Bianconeri looked head and shoulders above Palermo and they were firmly in control although the game did get ugly towards the end of the first half as both sides began lunging in. Inler was lucky to escape a yellow card after he went in tough on Liverani as their midfield battle began to heat up. The inevitable then happened as Di Natale pounced to find the net once again. D’Agostino found the pint sized hit-man with a slick ball into the middle of the box and the striker smashed over the line, leaving Amelia with no chance.

Miccoli tried to respond with one of his trademark strikes but the ball whizzed wide. It was a super strike from Nocerino’s through pass.

Second Half

Colantuono replaced Jankovic with Mark Bresciano in order to bring some much needed creativity and vision in the middle as his side came out to fight and get themselves back into the game.

The coach’s half time talk must have worked as a different Rosanero who looked determined, incisive and better all round took to the field. Cavani fired a left foot drive from outside the box but, like his previous one in the first half, it went wide.

Palermo risked being hit on the break as the pushed forward and Di Natale was unlucky not to have grabbed a hat-trick. The away side began creeping back into the fray and Liverani almost pulled one back for his side. Coda fouled Miccoli on the edge of the box and the midfielder whipped a brilliant free kick over the wall but he saw his effort come back off the post.

The home side then began to find their first half rhythm which had gone missing for a while. D’Agostino found Quagliarella unmarked at the back post with a brilliant cross but the former Sampdoria man headed wide from two yards. How he missed is anyone’s guess. It was easier to score.

Down the other end Palermo finally managed to get the breakthrough as Bresciano pulled one back. The substitution paid off for Colantuono as he saw the Australian’s shot rifle into the top corner. However, any chances of getting back into the game were dashed as Inler scored from a D’Agostino corner a minute later. Udinese continued to dominate with Motta and Tissone trying to lob Amelia from the centre circle only to see their efforts go inches wide. They held on to take all three points and find themselves sitting comfortably at the top of the league, well at least for a few hours anyway.

Teams

Udinese 4-3-3: Handanovic, Ferronetti, Coda, Lukovic, Pasquale, Isla, D'Agostino(Tissone), Inler, Pepe(Motta), Quagliarella, Di Natale

Palermo 4-3-3: Amelia, Raggi, Della Fiore, Bovo, Balzaretti, Migliaccio(Simplicio), Liverani, Nocerino, Jankovic (Bresciano), Cavani(Lanzafame), Miccoli.

Goals: Di Natale x 2 (Udinese), Bresciano(Palermo), Inler(Udinese)

Cards: Jankovic(Palermo), Nocerino(Palermo), Coda(Udinese), Della Fiore(Palermo)

Wonder Goal Seals Gladbach Win


Borussia Mönchengladbach made up for the disappointment of losing their opening two Bundesliga matches by putting title hopefuls Werder Bremen to the sword with a highly deserved 3-2 win.

Goals from Matmour, Friend and Baumjohann set them on their way, but they were left to fret a little at the end after late goals from Claudio Pizarro and Diego.

FIRST HALF

The first half began at a fine tempo with both sides quickly settling to their task. Borussia looked to find target man Rob Friend, whereas Werder were happy to stroke the ball about looking for the space. Gladbach lined-up with a new three-man back line in an attempt to secure their first points of the season.

The game jumped to life in the 12th minute with Gladbach hitting the opening goal. Hot prospect Marko Marin was the architect providing a magical ball for Matmour to run onto. The Algerian found himself bearing down on an isolated Tim Wiese and his unleashed a ferocious shot that left the keeper with absolutely no chance.

Werder were having more possession but a committed Gladbach defence was allowing them no space at all at shutting them out. The visitor’s best chance arose quite by accident when Ndjeng inadvertently deflected the ball to Pizarro, but the Werder front man was twice denied by an alert Heimeroth in the Gladbach goal.

The home side then sprang to life in an attacking sense and began to cause Werder all sorts of problems at the back. A superb piece of combination play (reminiscent of Werder at their best) led to the second goal.

Ndjeng overlapped on the right and a fine move culminated with him putting across an excellent cross, which Rob Friend headed in with aplomb after beating Prödl to the ball at the near post.

Diego tried a few efforts from distance, but Werder as an attacking force were just not cutting the mustard. At the other hand, Matmour and Marin were lively and causing lots of problems at the other end.

SECOND HALF

Thomas Schaaf made a double switch at half time bringing on Hugo Almeida and Mesut Özil on in an attempt to claw back the two-goal deficit. A brighter start was made by the visitors with Clemens Fritz firing a shot goalwards less than 60 seconds after the restart. Heimeroth was there to claim though.

Bremen were certainly in a different gear at the start of the second half. Daems had to clear at the last minute after Boenisch effort, while Baumjohann also cleared well from a Pizarro header.

Despite the home side’s clear two-goal advantage the game was still finely balanced. Just as Werder trainer Thomas Schaaf sent on the more attack minded Martin Harnik for Prödl, Gladbach hit them with their third goal of the afternoon- and what a goal it was!

Alexander Baumjohann picked the ball up in his own half and set off on a powerful run towards the Werder goal. He shrugged off a challenge from Torsten Frings before rounding both Naldo and Boenisch and firing past a static Tim Wiese. If Lionel Messi had done that the world would be talking about it! Let’s hope Baumjohann gets just as much credit.

The excitement and goals however were not at an end though and Werder made it a nervous finish for Jos Luhukay and the Gladbach fans with two late goals of their own.

Almeida headed on a corner which was cleared off the line by Baumjohann. The ball however hit Brouwers and flew back goalwards, only for Heimeroth to fish the ball off the line once more. Werder striker Claudio Pizarro was on hand though to poke home.

Then in the last minute Diego curled home a superb direct free kick to make it 3-2, but it was a case of too little, too late for the visitors and the Fohlen ran out deserved winners, while Werder remain winless after three games.

Goals

1-0 Matmour (12)

2-0 Friend (30)

3-0 Baumjohann (71)

3-1 Pizarro (79)

3-2 Diego (89)

Borussia M’gladbach: Heimeroth, Daems, Brouwers, Callsen-Bracker, Ndjeng (Kleine 86), Paauwe, Alberman (Levels 75), Matmour, Baumjohann, Marin (Coulibaly 77), Friend

Werder Bremen: Wiese, Fritz, Prödl (Harnik 70), Naldo, Boenisch, Baumann (Özil 46), Frings, Jensen, Diego, Rosenberg (Almeida 46), Pizarro

Yellow Cards:

Daems, Matmour / Naldo, Jensen, Diego, Pizarro

Anything Less Than Scudetto Is Failure - Ancelotti


Today Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti held his first pre-match press conference of the new Serie A season, and immediately made it clear that anything less than a Scudetto victory will be considered a failure.

"The objective is only to win the Scudetto, everyone must know that," he said. "We don't like to finish second. The pressure on me? I'm fine with it, actually I can't wait to get started."

Compared to last season, when Milan were frequently short on strikers due to unexpected injuries, the situation up front seems to be much different this time around.

"We have seven striker available and it won't be easy to manage them," Ancelotti continued. "It won't be easy but it won't be impossible either, because I have faith in the players' professionalism, they know some of them will have to stay out of the team.

"Sheva? He is very motivated, probably he has realised some of the mistakes he has made and now he has a lot of desire to well again here. Ronaldinho? There's a lot of expectation for him, but he still has to understand how the team plays, which is normal, the process of integration into a team is always gradual. Right now he will still lack the chemistry with the other players, which will come with time."

Finally, on the goalkeeper issue, Ancelotti revealed that for the time being he will count on Christian Abbiati: "All three are working well, and competition can be stimulating, but tomorrow we will start with Abbiati."

Inter Favorites For Scudetto - Capello


England coach Fabio Capello, one of the most successful coaches in Italian football history, talked about this season's Scudetto race, and like many he sees champions Inter as the favorites.

"The Nerazzurri are favorites, but they have to be careful for Juventus and for Milan, who are in the Uefa Cup, which means they will have the Scudetto as a primary objective," he said.

"I am also curious about Fiorentina, I think they could be dangerous, they are a young team, even though Gilardino and Mutu aren't that young anymore. Also Roma will be competitive until the end."

Capello also spoke of his admiration for new Inter coach Jose Mourinho: "He has done well everywhere and he could not have a stronger team than Inter. He has all the qualities, both as a person and as a coach, to win the Champions League with Inter."

Inter is the only "big" Italian team Capello has never coached. During his stints with Milan, Roma, and Juventus, however, he always managed to win the Scudetto at least once and with the Rossoneri he also won the Champions League in 1994. He has also won two Spanish league titles during two separate stints with Real Madrid.

Ramos Planning to Storm The Bridge


Tottenham have enjoyed a miserable start to their Premier League campaign with defeats to Middlesbrough and Sunderland ensuring they have yet to secure a point so far.

Next up is a trip to Stamford Bridge against an unbeaten Chelsea side who have two wins from two. Speaking before the match, Ramos admitted his side were desperate for points and that he was hoping the trip to Chelsea would inspire his players.

The Tottenham manager told Spurs TV Online: “The players are very aware of the fact that we need to get some points on the board, Chelsea coming at this time is a great fixture for us to lift the spirits.”

However, Chelsea’s home record is nothing short of formidable and the Blues have not lost at Stamford Bridge in the league since February 2004, when they were beaten by Arsenal.

Yet Ramos, revealed he was hoping he side could raise their game against Big Phil Scolari’s side. He said: “You know you are playing against one of the top sides in the league and that spurs you on.”

The last time the sides met in the league they shared a pulsating 4-4 draw at White Hart Lane and the Spurs boss admitted that if his side wanted to win the match they would need to play attacking football and not try to defend.

“If you go there and try to put everyone behind the ball and defend that it is likely to end in defeat,” explained the Spaniard before concluding, “The important thing is to go there and play attacking, ambitious football.”

Vieira: Arsenal Must Buy


Speaking to Ford's FeelFootball.com, the Inter Milan man revealed he felt the side needed a strong character in the centre of midfield to partner Cesc Fabregas. The Frenchman said: “This season they need to sign a midfield player, a big leader in the middle. Arsene has made good signings over the years and I hope he will find somebody right for the club.”

Having lost Matthieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva over the summer and with Abou Diaby injured, Denilson has been handed a midfield berth at the start of the season but has failed to impress so far.

And Vieira admitted that the Gunners were lacking experience in that position and suggested they may pay for it if they fail to recruit the right player. He revealed: “They may struggle at the crucial moment in the season when they need to win the big games. They have the quality and potential but lack the experience to be competitive in all of the big games.”

However, despite his insistence that his former side need to bolster their squad the former Arsenal captain did confess he still believed Arsene Wenger’s side could beat any team on their day. He admitted: “Arsenal, on paper, in one game, are capable of beating any team.”

Whilst Arsene Wenger had tended to buy young players recently with Samir Nasri and Aaron Ramsey joining over the summer, one experienced player he has signed is Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre who.

Vieira hailed the signing of the former Red Devil and revealed he thought Silvestre would be a shrewd buy. He concluded: “Mikael Silvestre can be a success at Arsenal. He has the mental strength and talent to cope with pressure.”

Rovers Hoping To Tempt Recoba


Recoba’s contract at Inter Milan expired in the summer and having been told he has no future under Jose Mourinho, he is currently considering his options.

According to skysports.com Rovers boss Paul Ince is a huge admirer of the Uruguayan and is keen to bring him to Ewood Park.

The former Inter man’s representative, Saif Rubie, has told skysports.com that Recoba is attracting plenty of interest. Rubie admitted: “There are several clubs interested in him.”

However, he also revealed that Recoba is currently on his way to England, which will only fuel speculation that the player will shortly sign for a Premier League club.

“He's due to arrive in England on Saturday, but as a free agent he is not under pressure to sign before the transfer window closes so we will evaluate all the options open to him,” said the player’s agent before concluding, “However, at this stage in his career he wants to play in the Premier League and we are hopeful he will end up there.”

Recoba, or ‘El Chino’ as he is often known, joined Inter in 1997, but spent last season out on loan at Torino having lost his place in the starting line up.

He has won two league titles, two Italian Cups and the UEFA cup with the Nerazzurri whom he joined from Uruguyan side Nacional. His huge experience and talent would be a boost for Blackburn however they are likely to face stiff competition for his services from clubs all over the continent as well as in England.

Juventus In Crisis As Trezeguet Is Crocked


Trezegol was carried off the pitch after suffering a twisted left knee- the same injury which has ruled out Giorgio Chiellini for two months.

The former Monaco hit-man is to undergo further examinations later today to analyse the extent of his latest injury.

La Vecchia Signora has been busy preparing for the game against Fiorentina on Sunday but the Frenchman will not be taking part.
It’s not good news for the Old Lady as a number of stars have been crocked over the last two weeks.

Pavel Nedved picked up a knock earlier this week, while Chiellini, Andrade, Zanetti, Molinaro and Camoranesi are all still recovering from various injuries.

Trezeguet’s blow is likely to concern Claudio Ranieri with the new season and Champions League underway.

Amauri is likely to start off alongside Alessandro Del Piero or Vincenzo Iaquinta as the Tinkerman shuffles his pack of aces up front.

La Viola welcome Juve to the Artemio Franchi this weekend and they will looking to take full advantage of their opponent’s injury woes.

Mourinho Insults The Premier League


The coach spent three years at the helm of Chelsea where he won a number of trophies including back to back league titles.

The ‘Special One’ was always making the headlines in England and he is likely to do the same now as he laughs at the Premier League.

Mourinho has jumped to Italy’s defence after Calcio was criticised this week by a number English papers.

“The English said that Serie A is retirement ground? Do you want to know what I think? I thought the Italians would give me an answer,” Mourinho told Il Giornale.

“However, if you want me to wave the Italian flag I will, I am with Italy on this one.

“It’s not difficult to respond to the English, all you have to do is watch a Premier League game with a little concentration and you’ll have the answer.”

Mourinho has already caused some controversy with the Italian media when he turned against everyone.

However it seems as if he is trying to make amends by defending Serie A.

The Nerazzurri clash with Sampdoria later this evening and the coach is hoping for three points as he aims to start Inter's Scudetto defence with a win.

Jose Deals Marathon Mind Games Card


The ‘Special One’ is looking ahead to the new season and he is confident of success. Inter take on Sampdoria in Genoa this evening and the Nerazzurri are hoping to get off to the right start as they begin their title defence.

Mourinho believes that his side will be chasing the leading pack over the course of the season but then they will surge through to power over the finish line in first.

“Our marathon will begin at the Luigi Ferraris and we will have the usual runners alongside us,” Mourinho told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

“Juve, Roma, Milan and Fiorentina will be in front with a 500 metre advantage.

“In April there will be three leaders, one will drop out leaving us and another leading in May.

“The start in Genoa is important and difficult because Sampdoria only lost twice last year at home therefore there won’t be any drama’s if we go back home with a draw.

“However, having said that, we are going there to win three points, that’s clear.”

Inter have been outstanding in pre-season and they will be hoping to get their title defence up and running against Walter Mazzarri’s men.

Valencia Chief Attacks Mijatovic


It is no secret that Valencia president Vicente Soriano was left fuming with the way Real Madrid tried to make an approach for their star striker David Villa just days before the player agreed to a contract improvement with the Mestalla outfit.

Although all seems to be done and dusted now, Soriano has not forgotten the unpleasant manner in which Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic conducted business.

“There is somebody from Real Madrid, not the president, who has not acted accordingly with what the club represents,” the Valencia chief spat out to Marca.

“He has not done things the correct way and his conduct was not elegant.

“Their president has behaved in a proper manner but not anyone else. I do not have any more resentment with this issue as it is already closed,” he added.

Although Soriano did not mention Mijatovic’s name specifically, it is widely accepted that it was in fact the sporting director who made the untimely offer to Valencia during their visit to the Bernabéu for the Supercopa clash and that he is normally the one who initiates all transfer activities.

Soriano then revealed that he never had any doubts about Villa and David Silva’s future at they Mestalla.

“If we want to build a great Valencia, we cannot afford to sell either Silva or Villa.

“I never had any doubts that they would stay because they themselves want to remain with this club and they have showed it. They are going to continue with Valencia for a very long time,” he concluded.

Mazzarri Hopes Luck Is On His Side Against Inter


Mazzarri is hoping that more than just technical ability will be on the Blucerchiati’s side as they face a rampant Nerazzurri who are keen to get their Serie A campaign off to a flying start.

The coach knows it will be tough to break down the champions but he is hoping that lady luck will be smiling on his players.

“To obtain a positive result against Inter or teams of the same level, everything must go well,” explained the former Reggina coach.

“The players must perform above average, the episodes must come our way and their champions must not be at their best.

“Luckily we shall play at the Marassi in front of our own crowd, which for me is the twelfth men on the pitch.

“If we were at San Siro, we would have had more difficulty, but instead at Marassi we could give something more.”

Sampdoria enjoyed a successful campaign last season as Mazzarri's arrival from Reggina breathed new life into the team. Antonio Cassano is also raring to go and the former Real Madrid man will be keen to get off the mark against the club he supported as a boy.

Della Valle Keen On Beating Juventus


The two bitter rivals clash in one of the most anticipated games of the season. Della Valle insists he has a good relationship with Juventus but that will change for 90 minutes this weekend.

“Cobolli Gigli is a man I have known for 30 years and he will be with us on Sunday,” Della Valle told La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

“Fiorentina will adapt to the Spanish model, presidents together at kick off and then wining and dining at the final whistle.

“It would be nice if the whole game took up this system. We have always wanted to beat Juventus but let’s not forget we are talking about a game of football.”

The Bianconeri drew 1-1 at the Artemio Franchi last season amid much controversy. Fiorentina have been outstanding during pre-season and they have spent over €35m on new transfers.

Juve will need to be on guard if they are to avoid ending up with a loss on the results sheet.

Greek Super League Weekend Preview: Round 1


Olympiakos vs Asteras Tripolis

All eyes will be critically cast on Olympiakos this Saturday evening as they prepare for a potentially difficult home encounter against last season’s surprise packet, Asteras Tripolis. The defending champions were embarrassed in midweek as they were dumped unceremoniously out of the UEFA Champions League by Cypriot neighbours Anorthosis Famagusta, condemning the Thrylos to an entire season in the UEFA Cup.

The question now is how under-fire manager Ernesto Valverde will respond. Anything less than a convincing win against Tripolis will see unprecedented pressure heaped upon the former Espanyol coach.

Asteras, meanwhile, have enjoyed a rapid rise to the top of Greek football after climbing four divisions since 2001. Last season – their debut in the top flight – saw them finish seventh and record memorable home victories over all three of the Athenian giants and traditional powerhouses PAOK.

There have been personnel changes since last season, however, with manager Paulo Campos replaced this season by experienced Portuguese coach Carlos Carvalhal, who couldn’t have asked for a more difficult start to his reign at the helm of the Arcadian outfit.

It has been a busy off-season for Tripolis who have seen transfer movement in both directions for the club, with the likes of new signings Jaouad Zairi (formerly of Sochaux and Nantes), Ricardo Estevens (Reggina), Bruno Urribarri (Boca Juniors) and Adrian Bastia (Racing Club) just some of the players set to make their debut after being named in the squad to face the Erythrolefki.

Meanwhile, Valverde’s side is slightly weakened by the absence of the injured Predrag Djordjevic and high-profile summer signing Diogo, who is experiencing administrative difficulties with his work permit. The absence of the two might just make this the perfect opportunity for Carvalhal to steer his side to a surprise result, though they themselves will be without star player Horacio Ramon Cardozo.


OFI Crete vs PAOK

It has been a near-perfect pre-season for PAOK both on and off the pitch, with a series of high-profile signings and impressive results, including a 3-1 victory over Serie A side Udinese at the Toumba.

Manager Fernando Santos will be desperate to start off this season with an away victory, as it was the club’s poor form away from the Toumba (they won one game away from home all season, against last-placed Apollon Kalamarias) that condemned them to disappointing ninth on the Greek Super League table.

Tonight, Santos will probably hand the likes of Muslimovic, Pablo Garcia, Contreras, Chalkias and Ivic their competitive debuts for the club, all of whom have considerable domestic and international pedigree, reflecting a highly successful off-season recruitment drive for the Dikefalos tou Vorra. The Portuguese manager did not name Cote D’Ivoire attacker Ibrahima Bakayoko in the squad to travel to Crete, however, and new loan signing from Panathiniakos Filipos Darlas also misses out.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, OFI have brought in manager František Straka, a former Czechoslovakian international who played in the 1990 World Cup.

Straka has dealt with the exits of strikers Nuafor, Drulic and Petropoulos during the off-season by bringing in Aleksndar Pesic, Dame N’Doye (Panathinaikos), Esteban Herrera of Veroia and 27-year-old Hungarian international Péter Orosz, all of whom apart from Pesic have been named in Straka’s squad for the PAOK match.

It will be a conspicuously new-look OFI side this season, whose other major losses include Brazilian Leozinho and Bulgarian Vladimir Gadzhev, as Straka tries to instill some consistency in a club who have been relatively starved of success since the days of legendary German manager Egen Gerard.


Panthrakikos vs Ergotelis

Newly promoted Panthrakikos will welcome Cretan side Ergotelis to the Komotini Stadium after having lost their top-scorer from last season – Van Es – during the summer. They will be hoping that new recruit from Espanyol, striker Aleix Vidal, will be able to fill the role vacated by the departure of their main striker.

As is typical of newly promoted clubs, the summer has seen the departure of eleven players and the acquisition of seven. The club have also appointed a new manager in the form of experienced Belgian Emilio Ferrera, who guided Xanthi to eighth place in the Greek Super League last season. He will need to bring a sense of unity and understanding to a squad whose nucleus appears to have been altered entirely.

Ergotelis, meanwhile, were one point away from relegation last season and have been dealt a massive blow ahead of the start of the new campaign with the loss of key midfielder Dimitris Kiliaras to Panionios. These are the types of matches that Ferrera’s side will simply have to win if they are to have any chance of avoiding the drop this season. Before the league has even started, do we dare consider this match a relegation ‘six-pointer’?


Aris vs Levadiakos

Aris will be looking to bounce back after their heart-breaking exit from the UEFA Cup at the hands of NK Slaven Koprivnica on Thursday. Enrique Hernandez will begin his first full season in charge of the Thessaloniki outfit, with whom he previously enjoyed a spell as caretaker before Dusan Bajevic was appointed head coach last season.

The former La Liga manager will look toward inspirational centre-forward Segio Koke to lead by example on Sunday, as the club look to build upon an impressive fourth-place finish last season. The loss of defender Avraam Papadopoulos to Olympiakos over the summer was much-publicised, however, and it was suggested to be the catalyst for the acrimonious exit of Bajevic from the God of War.

South American duo Alejandro Lembo and Roberto Battion have been denied the opportunity to make their Greek Super League debuts by injury. However, former Valencia man Mario Regueiro, ex-Argentinos Juniors striker Alejandro Delorte, Bosnia and Herzegovina international Sanel Jahic, Brazilian Thiago Gentil, Poland international Piotr Włodarczyk and Frenchman Valentin Roberge could all potentially make their first league appearances for the club after being named in Hernandez’s squad to face Levadiakos.

No doubt delighted to have avoided relegation upon their return to the top flight last season, Levadiakos will be hoping 58-year-old Serbian manager Momčilo Vukotić will be able to consolidate on the relative success of last term.

The former Yugoslavia international and FK Partizan legend appears to see the addition of experience as a key element to potential success for Levadiakos, recruiting Euro 2004-winning Greek defender Michalis Kapsis from Cypriot club APOEL and veteran Albanian international Alban Bushi from Apollon Kalamarias, who are 34 and 35 years of age respectively.

They will both need to utilise the full extent of their experience at both international and domestic level if Levadikaos are to walk away from the typically partisan surrounds of the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium with anything but a loss this Sunday.


Iraklis vs Panserraikos

Iraklis will be looking to forget the financial troubles that plagued the club for much of last season as they prepare to face newly promoted Panserraikos at the Lysimachos Kaftanzoglu Stadium on Sunday evening.

Spanish manager Angel Pedraza helped steer the club away from potential disaster last year to a respectable finishing position of 10th on the Greek Super League table. His side will have to start their campaign without the services of two key players from last season: Greece U21 international Giannis Papadopoulos, who moved to Olympiakos, and loaned Valencia midfielder Aarón, who will spend the season with Rangers.

Panserraikos, promoted as champions after a 16-year absence from the top flight, might sense an opportunity against a Papadoupolos-less Iraklis. Notable additions to their squad include FYR Macedonia international Robert Petrov and one-time Chilean international Jose Luis Jerez.


Panionios vs Skoda Xanthi

Panionios host Skoda Xanthi in what should be one of the matches of the round on Sunday. German manager Ewald Lienen is undoubtedly one of the best in Greece at the moment and has created an extremely competitive side in only a short space of time at the Nea Smyrni.

Lienen enters his opening match with one of the most stable squads in the entire competition, with minimal player movement in either direction during the off-season in comparison with other Greek Super League clubs. The German has also added experienced Czech defender Pavel Drsek to his squad, after the 31-year-old agreed to join from Bundesliga side VFL Bochum.

The only major concern for Panionios, who finished an impressive fifth and took part in the play-offs for European places last season, appears to be the impending exit of start striker Rafik Djebbour to one of the ‘Big Three’ Athenian clubs. The proposed move might unsettle Liennen’s squad before what should be a tough opening match.

Although they finished an impressive eighth last season, Xanthi will be devastated by the loss of star striker Tomasz Radzinski after he spent just one season during which he was top-scorer at the club. The loss of the Canadian forward has been compounded by the move of key midfielder Antonis Rikka to AEK, which they hope will be offset by the arrival of Romanian veteran Marius Mitu and Nigeria international striker Victor Agali.

Xanthi have also experienced a somewhat bizarre pre-season, in which manager Ioannis Matzourakis was initially appointed by the club and then fired after an embarrassing 3-1 loss to second division side Pierikos FC. It means the side enter their first league match under the guidance of caretaker manager Stelios Katrakylakis, as the club’s administration look for a new head coach.


AEK vs Panathinaikos

Undoubtedly the biggest match of the round and for AEK, possibly their most important of the season. Traditionally, the Greek domestic title has been decided on derby matches between AEK, Panathinaikos and Olympiakos and though all three clubs will be tested by what has generally been an increase in standard across the Greek domestic scene in recent times, the importance of these sorts of clashes is by no means diminished.

After a disastrous pre-season which has included an early exit from European football, the announced resignation of their president and the sudden exit of arguably their star player, AEK simply must walk away from this match with a positive result and performance. New manager Giorgios Donis has experienced a difficult start to his tenure with the Dikefalos Aetos, with his players struggling to gel and adapt to his favoured 4-3-3 set-up and playing philosophy.

By contrast, Panathinaikos have enjoyed a rebirth both on and off the pitch during the summer, with the club restructuring itself on an administrative front, resulting in a massive financial injection in the squad itself.

New manager Henk Ten Cate has had a successful start to his Panathinaikos career, securing his side’s passage into the UEFA Champions League group stages after wins over Dinamo Tbilisi and Sparta Prague in the qualifying rounds for Europe’s premier football competition.

The Dutchman’s squad has the necessary blend of depth and quality to legitimately challenge Olympiakos for the Greek Super League title, whilst AEK’s roster looks thin despite the acquisition of Greek internationals Sotiris Kyrgiakos and Angelos Basinas.

The former Panathinaikos favourites will face their former club for the first time after returning from successful club careers outside of Greece and the performances of either will determine whether Donis’ side get anything from this match and indeed from the entire season.

In truth, Panathinaikos haven’t played a particularly attractive brand of football during the pre-season, with Ten Cate understandably adopting a more practical style during European competition in particular.

The former Chelsea assistant and Ajax head coach is unlikely to adopt a more attacking philosophy for Sunday’s blockbuster, so an entertaining, open derby encounter probably shouldn’t be expected.

Instead, it will be one that his hard-fought and tense, with the importance of the match clear to both sets of players and coaching staff.


Larissa vs Thrasyvoulos

Larissa begin their post-Donis era with a home match against newly promoted Thrasyvoulos. The Vyssini have experienced a renaissance in Greek football in recent times, after former manager Donis lead them to a Greek Cup success over Panathinaikos and a consequent run in Europe which saw them eliminate English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers over two legs in the UEFA Cup.

Despite the loss of some key personnel over the summer, including Brazilian midfielder Cleyton to Panathinaikos, Greece U21 representative Giorgios Galitsios to Olympiakos, Ibrahima Bakayoko to PAOK and mananger Giorgios Donis to AEK, the club has appointed former Greek international and APOEL manager Marinos Ouzounidis. His arrival has coincided with the acquisition of former English Premier League stars Nolberto Solano and Laurent Robert (the latter doesn’t appear to be fit enough to face Thrasyvoulos), veteran Belgian international Mbo Mpenza from Anderlecht and Christian Weber from Duisburg.

After missing out on a play-off place last season on goal difference, it will be interesting to see whether the club’s summer recruitment drive pays off for the men from Thessaly. They will be without strikers Mpenza and Poland international Marec Zurawski for their opener however but former Newcastle United star Solano should make his competitive debut for the club.

Thrasyvoulos will obviously be focused on avoiding relegation after being promoted to the Super League and, like their former Beta Ethiniki compatriots, might see an opportunity to steal some crucial away points against a team who are largely in transition.

They continue the tradition of heavy player-recruitment following their promotion, with the acquisition of experienced Greek international and former Olympiakos man Dimitris Mavrogenidis and the rather interesting signing of Grenada midfielder Craig Rocastle, who after a spell with the reserve team of Chelsea spent a few years in the lower leagues of England.

Divine lightning reaction?

A Chinese man who swore to God that he didn't owe money to a neighbour was hit by lightning a minute later.

The man, named Xu, made the oath in front of a crowd of neighbours in Fuqing city, reports Southeast Express.

He vowed that he had never borrowed money from Mr Huang, who claimed Xu borrowed 500 yuan, the equivalent of £40, from him three years earlier.

"He borrowed 500 yuan three years ago from me for a friend's marriage gift, but he has denied it ever since then," said Huang, who went to Xu's home to demand payment.

"I told him that if he dared to swear to God that he didn't owe me the money, then I would waive his debt," said Huang.

Xu made the oath, but was suddenly struck by lightning a minute later.

He was immediately taken to hospital where doctors confirmed he had been hit by lightning. He is expected to make a full recovery.

.28 kg baby

An 11-month baby is causing a stir in Colombia - because he's the average weight of an eight-year-old.


http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080829/video/vwl-colombia-s-28-kg-bouncing-baby-15af341.html

Mother cooked her baby in microwave

A US mother who killed her baby daughter by cooking her in a microwave is facing the death penalty.

China Arnold, 28, intentionally put her baby Paris Talley in the microwave and burned her to death after a fight with her boyfriend in 2005, a court in Dayton, Ohio, heard.

A jury found her guilty of aggravated murder and she will face the death penalty when sentenced.

Relatives in the Montgomery County courtroom cried and covered their faces with their hands.

Arnold's daughter was pronounced dead on August 30 2005 at the Children's Medical Centre in Dayton, Ohio.

Her cellmate told the court that Arnold confessed to putting the baby in the microwave and turned it on because she was worried her boyfriend Terrell Talley would leave her if he found out the child was not his.

The baby's DNA was found inside the microwave in the apartment she shared with Talley and her four children.

Jurors will return to the court on Tuesday to decide whether to recommend a death sentence.

Cooincidences! Don't You Just Love 'Em?!, On Lincoln And Kennedy

Have a history teacher explain this----- if they can.





Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.


John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.



Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.


John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.



Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.


Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.



Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.


Both Presidents were shot in the head

Now it gets really weird.



Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.


Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln

Both were assassinated by Southerners.


Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.



Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.


Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.





John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.


Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.





Both assassins were known by their three names.


Both names are composed of fifteen letters.



Now hang on to your seat.



Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford'.

'
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln' made by 'Ford'.

'

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.


Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.



Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.



And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

Illuminati

"Illuminati, Greek illumination, name given to those who submitted to Christian baptism. Those who were baptized were called "illuminati" or "illuminated ones" by the Ante-Nicene clergy, on the assumption that those who were instructed for baptism in the Apostolic faith had an enlightened understanding.

The Alumbrados, a mystical 16th-century Spanish sect, were among the societies that subsequently adopted the name illuminati. Later, the title of illuminati was used by a secret society founded by Adam Weishaupt that aimed to combat religious thinking and encourage rationalism."
---Microsoft Encarta2000
And in 2006 a reader wrote to advise that Microsoft was wrong and that the word actually comes from the Latin. Microsoft wrong? Perish the thought! It must be a Conspiracy!

When creating this web site, we were under the belief that no one with any degree of education would believe there was a secret organization plotting for some 200+ years to control the world - and that the Masons were somehow a part of it. Boy, were we wrong!
Whenever conspiracy theory is spouted, the mysterious "Illuminati" (along with the Bilderburgers, The Trilateral Commission, the Council of Foreign Relations, and others) are most often named as being responsible. Ironically, however, while many, many people can name those ostensibly belonging to the other conspiracy groups, the "Illuminati" is always left hanging as some secret, shadowy entity which no one can quite describe. Interestingly too, no one can quite identify what specific acts can be attributed to them - and no one in 225 years seems to have left the organization to reveal its secrets. Pretty strange..... (If you're not hearing the theme music for the X-Files right now, it's a CONSPIRACY!!!)

It is well established that by the end of the eighteenth century, the Illuminati had been effectively disbanded. Because of Freemasonry's inadvertent involvement and misuse by its founder, Adam Weishaupt, the legends of its continued existence (and influence) persist into the twentieth century. (Weishaupt founded the organization and then tried to get the Freemasons involved. He achieved a very limited success in a couple of lodges but was soon seen as a 'user' and his group removed - not unlike the 'fake Masonry' of today, actually!)

In the 1950s and 1960s, members of the John Birch Society made much of this 'shadow' organization, using it as an effective substitute for their anti-Semitism. Perhaps some of the confusion regarding the organization is due to the fact that over time, the word illuminati came to be used more expansively for many enthusiasts of Enlightenment, including but not limited to the followers of Emmanuel Swedenborg. Nevertheless, the Illuminati's connection with Freemasonry was date-specific (the late 1700s) and place-specific (what is now Germany); it had NO involvement in Freemasonry elsewhere despite fanciful claims. Even the oft-mentioned 'Proofs of A Conspiracy' written in 1797 by a Scottish professor (and the root cause of so much furor in the United States as a result of one Boston Minister's fanciful claims made based on that book) notes that the Illuminati's brand of Freemasonry was NOT the same Freemasonry as found in England and from which all other legitimate Masonic lodges today can trace their ancestry.

Online we found an excellent summary of the entire Illuminati Conspiracy theory. We've placed it here with permission of the site owner. Perhaps you'll find it interesting....



The Illuminati Freemason Conspiracy
From Public Eye and Political Research Associates:

The Freemasons began as members of craft guilds who united into lodges in England in the early 1700's. They stressed religious tolerance, the equality of their male peers, and the themes of classic liberalism and the Enlightenment. Today they are a worldwide fraternal order that still educates its members about philosophical ideas, and engages in harmless rituals, but also offers networking for business and political leaders, and carries out charitable activities.
The idea of a widespread freemason conspiracy originated in the late 1700's and flourished in the US in the 1800's. Persons who embrace this theory often point to purported Masonic symbols such as the pyramid and the eye on the back of the dollar bill as evidence of the conspiracy. Allegations of a freemason conspiracy trace back to British author John Robison who wrote the 1798 book Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All the Religions and Governments of Europe, carried on in the secret meetings of Free Masons, Illuminati, and Reading Societies, collected from good authorities. Robison influenced French author Abbé Augustin Barruel, whose first two volumes of his eventual four volume study, Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism, beat Robison's book to the printer. Both Robison and Barruel discuss the attempt by Bavarian intellectual Adam Weishaupt to spread the ideas of the Enlightenment through his secretive society, the Order of the Illuminati.

Weishaupt was appointed a professor at the University of Ingolstadt in Germany around 1772 and elevated to the post of professor of Canon Law in 1773 or 1775 (sources conflict), the first secularist to hold that position previously held by clergy. Weishaupt began planning a group to challenge authoritarian Catholic actions in 1775, the group (under a different name) was announced on May 1, 1776. This group evolved into the Illuminati. The Enlightenment rationalist ideas of the Illuminati were, in fact, brought into Masonic lodges where they played a role in a factional fight against occultist philosophy. The Illuminati was suppressed in a series of edicts between 1784 and 1787, and Weishaupt himself was banished in 1785.

Weishaupt, his Illuminati society, the Freemasons, and other secret societies are portrayed by Robison and Barruel as bent on despotic world domination through a secret conspiracy using front groups to spread their influence.

Barruel claimed the conspirators "had sworn hatred to the altar and the throne, had sworn to crush the God of the Christians, and utterly to extirpate the Kings of the Earth." For Barruel the grand plot hinges on how Illuminati "adepts of revolutionary Equality and Liberty had buried themselves in the Lodges of Masonry" where they caused the French revolution, and then ordered "all the adepts in their public prints to cry up the revolution and its principles." Soon, every nation had its "apostle of Equality, Liberty, and Sovereignty of the People."

Robison, a professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, argued that the Illuminati evolved out of Freemasonry, and called the Illuminati philosophy "Cosmo-politism." According to Robison:

"Their first and immediate aim is to get the possession of riches, power, and influence, without industry; and, to accomplish this, they want to abolish Christianity; and then dissolute manners and universal profligacy will procure them the adherents of all the wicked, and enable them to overturn all the civil governments of Europe; after which they will think of farther conquests, and extend their operations to the other quarters of the globe, till they have reduced mankind to the state of one indistinguishable chaotic mass."
Robert Alan Goldberg, in his book Enemies Within, summarizes the basic themes of the books by Barruel and Robison:
"Writing in the aftermath of the French Revolution, these monarchists had created a counterhistory in defense of the aristocracy. Winning the hearts and minds of present and future readers would assuage some of the pain of recent defeat and mobilize defenses. The Revolution, they argued, was not rooted in poverty and despotism. Rather than a rising of the masses, it was the work of Adam Weishaupt’s Illuminati, a secret society that plotted to destroy all civil and religious authority and abolish marriage, the family, and private property. It was the Illuminati who schemed to turn contented peasants 'from Religion to Atheism, from decency to dissoluteness, from loyalty to rebellion.' "
The major immediate political effect of allegations of an Illuminati Freemason conspiracy in Europe was to mobilize support for national oligarchies traditionally supported by the Catholic Church hierarchy. Across Europe authoritarian governing elites were coming under attack by reformist and revolutionary movements demanding increased political rights under secular laws. The ideas of the Enlightenment were incorporated by the leaders of both the French and American revolutions, and in a sense, these Enlightenment notions were indeed subversive to the established social order, although they were hardly a secret conspiracy. The special status of the Catholic Church in European nation-states was actually threatened by the ideas being discussed by the Illuminati and the rationalist wing of the Freemasons.
Several common conspiracist themes emerge from these two books. The Enlightenment themes of equality and liberty are designed to destroy respect for property and the natural social hierarchy. Orthodox Christianity is to be destroyed and replaced with universalism, deism...or worse. Persons with a cosmopolitan outlook--encouraging free-thinking and international cooperation--are to be suspect as disloyal subversive traitors out to undermine national sovereignty and promote anarchy.

Shortly after the Barruel book was published, conspiracy theories about the Illuminati Freemasons were mixed with antisemitism in Europe. This confluence took place much later in the US.

Arctic ice 'is at tipping point'

Arctic sea ice has shrunk to the second smallest extent since satellite records began, US scientists have revealed.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) says that the ice-covered area has fallen below its 2005 level, which was the second lowest on record.

Melting has occurred earlier in the year than usual, meaning that the iced area could become even smaller than last September, the lowest recorded.

Researchers say the Arctic is now at a climatic "tipping point".

"We could very well be in that quick slide downwards in terms of passing a tipping point," said Mark Serreze, a senior scientist at the Colorado-based NSIDC.

"It's tipping now. We're seeing it happen now," he told the Associated Press news agency.

Under covered

The area covered by ice on 26 August measured 5.26 million sq km (2.03 million sq miles), just below the 2005 low of 5.32 million sq km (2.05 million sq).

But the 2005 low came in late September; and with the 2008 graph pointing downwards, the NSIDC team believes last year's record could still be broken even though air temperatures, both in the Arctic and globally, have been lower than last year.

Last September, the ice covered just 4.13 million sq km (1.59 million sq miles), the smallest extent seen since satellite imaging began 30 years ago. The 1980 figure was 7.8 million sq km (3 million sq miles).


The 2008 graph shows a steeper decline than at the same time last year


Most of the cover consists of relatively thin ice that formed within a single winter and melts more easily than ice that accumulated over many years.

Irrespective of whether the 2007 record falls in the next few weeks, the long-term trend is obvious, scientists said; the ice is declining more sharply than even a decade ago, and the Arctic region will progressively turn to open water in summers.

A few years ago, scientists were predicting ice-free Arctic summers by about 2080.

Then computer models started projecting earlier dates, around 2030 to 2050; and some researchers now believe it could happen within five years.

That will bring economic opportunities, including the chance to drill for oil and gas. Burning that oil and gas would increase levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere still further.

The absence of summer ice would have impacts locally and globally.

The iconography of polar bears unable to find ice is by now familiar; but other species, including seals, would also face drastic changes to their habitat, as would many Arctic peoples.

Globally, the Arctic melt will reinforce warming because open water absorbs more of the Sun's energy than ice does.

Insane Asylum Patients, Case files

The New York State Museum has an exhibit which features ex-patients' suitcases recovered from the attic of the Willard Psychiatric Center. The suitcases feature patients' belongings and case files, offering a unique insight into their lives:

Madeline C.
She was sent to the New York Psychiatric Institute in upper Manhattan, and after claiming that she could read minds, was shipped off to three more hospitals. "I want to get out of here immediately," Madeline said when she arrived at Central Islip Hospital. "I think it's an outrage I have been brought here."

In 1939, she arrived at Willard. More than three decades later, she was still trying to regain her freedom. "I don't like this hospital," she said, according to a note in her records. "I resent being detained and wasting my time." The items found in her suitcase hint at what her life was like before she was locked up, and what she might have been doing with her time had she been released. Her trunk contained a pink silk dress, a pair of long white gloves, a stack of sheet music, a copy of Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis, and a bulletin listing philosophy and psychology courses at Columbia University.

In 1971, Willard staffers decided not to set Madeline free because of her "continual fidgety movements, rigid stances, and facial grimaces." At the time, they did not know that these were the side effects of the psychiatric medications they had prescribed for her. She was sent to "attitude therapy" to get her to stop grimacing. By the time she finally got out of Willard, she was 79 years old. She was moved to a private facility and died 11 years later.

Frank C.
An incident at a restaurant in the summer of 1945 changed the course of Frank C.'s life forever, propelling him into the mental health system. After he was served a broken plate, he got mad and began kicking garbage cans outside. The police picked him up, and he was taken to Kings County Hospital. "I am not sick," Frank told a staffer. "I got excited on Fulton Street and I was throwing garbage. My blood temper. It went up. I was angry. In the Virginia Restaurant I got a broken plate. I did not understand the broken plate. I thought that someone planned to kill me."

Dmytre Z.
Dmytre's mental health quickly deteriorated, and he began to complain about feeling persecuted. He became convinced that he was engaged to Margaret Truman, the president's daughter, and he went to Washington, D.C., to see her in 1952. The Secret Service nabbed him, and that's when he entered the mental health system. He passed through two hospitals before arriving at Willard in 1953.

Ghost sighted

My friend took the pic below at Jacksonville Beach in Jacksonville, Florida. He was trying to take a pic of the moon on the water. He took it with a digital camera at 4 AM. There was no one around but him and he didn't see anything while taking the picture. This is what he saw after he took it.



http://img54.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tnsk0.jpg

Mutants, The forgotten Cryptids

The forgotten Cryptids

Having become disenchanted with cryptozoology, and having lost the will to bvelieve anymore I am dedicating myself to uncovering the lost cryptids, the ones that have been forgotten even in myth. I will interveiw witnesses, and try to unravel the mysteries behind these cryptids I call The Mutants.

The Horror of Berkeley Square

Considered by most paranormal experts to fit more accurately into the realm of hauntings, the Nameless Thing of Berkeley Square has left behind tantalizing shreds of evidence - and more than one corpse - which suggests that the "ghost" which inhabits a room on the 4th floor in what has been referred to as "the most haunted house in London," may not really be a case of spiritual infestation at all, but rather a predatorial, cryptid phenomenon.

Accounts of the Thing date as far back as the early 1840's, though no one is exactly sure when the first confirmed sighting was. The creature has been described as an amorphous being, formless and slimy, which emits a "gruesome sloppy noise" when it moves. While accounts conflict regarding the actual shape and size of the beast, at least one eyewitness has included tentacles in his description of the creature, likening the beast to a small, viciously deformed octopus, which pulls itself across the floor, leaving a viscous trail in its wake. This description has led some researchers to speculate that the Thing may actually be some kind of freshwater octopus or amphibious, marine animal that managed to migrate from the Thames into London's subterranean sewer system, where it was able to infiltrate the Berkeley Square home via the plumbing.

There can be no doubt that 50 Berkeley Square can boast a horrific array of paranormal encounters (ranging from strange sounds reported by neighbors to the confirmed deaths of guests and domestic servants), but there is one confrontation which has become the benchmark of this legend. Although the details of this narrative have varied in minor degrees from one retelling to another, the core of the account has always remained the same:

In 1943, two sailors from Portsmouth, Robert Martin and Edward Blunden, after having squandered their lodging funds on an evening of drunken ribaldry, broke into the then abandoned Berkeley Square home in search of a night's rest. Discovering that the lower levels of the house were uncomfortably damp, the sailors migrated upwards, finally settling down in the now infamous room.

Blunden, presumably the more sober of the two, expressed the anxiety he felt upon entering the room, but these fears were promptly dismissed by his shipmate, who used his rifle to prop open a window to allow for a breeze. It wasn't long before the two men were huddled on the floor, fast asleep.

Sometime after midnight Blunden awoke to see the door to the room creaking open. Little by little a sliver of dim, grayish light crept across the wooden floor. Too terrified to move, Blunden managed to wake his accomplice. The two men sat up as they heard a strange, moist, scraping sound slowly approach them. Later, Martin claimed that it sounded as if something were dragging itself across the floor.

Suddenly, the terrified men leapt to their feet and came face to face with the abhorrent visage of what could only describe as a hideous monstrosity. The creature undulated between the sailors and what was their only hope for escape; the open door. Then, just as the trembling Blunden began to reach toward the rifle - which was still wedged in the window frame - the creature suddenly lunged forward, wrapping itself around the young sailor's throat.

Seizing the opportunity, the panic stricken Martin ran from the house, screaming for help. Soon enough he stumbled upon a patrolling police officer. Although skeptical of the young sailor's frenzied tale (and no doubt attributing it to the almost overwhelming stench of alcohol which permeated his uniform) the officer dutifully followed Martin back to Berkeley Square.

Martin and the officer ran up the stairs, but found no sign of Blunden in the 4th floor room. Martin reclaimed his rifle as the two men continued to search the house. Their efforts seemed to prove fruitless however, until the men entered the basement and were greeted to an image which would scar them for the remainder of
their lives.

Lying at the base of the stairs in Berkeley Square�s moist, rock walled cellar was Blunden's dismembered corpse. His body lay in a mangled heap, with his head wrenched viciously to the side. The officer reported that the young man's eyes were wide with unimaginable horror, and his face frozen in a grimace of twisted terror.

For the past 80 years the ground floor of the house on Berkeley Square has played host to an antique bookshop known as Maggs Brothers. Although there have been no reported sightings of the creature in the 20th century, this can easily be ascribed to the fact that if indeed this creature has oceanic roots, it has, in all likelihood, returned to the sea. Or - more chillingly perhaps - it and its offspring may still be lurking in the labyrinth of centuries old tunnels, which weave their way beneath Great Briton's relatively serene, capitol city.

The Masterton Creature

Still another report of one of New Zealand's many monsters comes to us from the New Zealand Times on May 9, 1883. Although there's almost no background information regarding this creature, the account still serves as one of the many examples of a legitimate news source chronicling a spectacular cryptozoological event.

According to the article, a large, unknown (presumably marine) animal, with a broad muzzle, short legs and curly hair was reported near the town of Masterton. The report further stated that fearful townsfolk loosed their dogs upon the beast, at which time one of the canines was flayed. The ferocity of the animal's attack was enough to discourage the remainder of the dogs, who swiftly ran in the opposite direction.

The account ends there, but from the few available details one can put together an intriguing (albeit hazy) image of the creature. The description of its "short legs" would seem to indicate that the animal had feet instead of flippers, and the mention of "curly hair" has made many researchers lean toward a mammalian rather than reptilian or amphibious identification.

Although the creature has often been associated with the 1890 case of Euroa Beast, it's interesting to note the similarities between the creature described and the Australian Bunyip, as well as the notorious "Irish Crocodile", known as the Dobhar Chu.

The Euroa Monster

Accounts of this bizarre event were published in the Melbourne Argus, on February 28, and again on the 1st of March, 1890. The story begins in Euroa, Australia, where a cadre of credible witnesses testified that their village was terrorized by what they described as a 30-foot long, unidentifiable monstrosity.

This animal, which some investigators have associated with the ancestral amphibian known as "Pederpes finneyae" - a short, squat crocodile-like creature, which scientists believe represents the missing link between fish and land animals - wrecked havoc throughout this small community until the executives at the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, although admittedly skeptical, felt that the accounts deserved further scrutiny.

With this in mind, the Garden officials sent an emissary to Euroa armed only with what they referred to as a "big net". Once this intrepid (and scientifically sanctioned) dragon slayer arrived in this terrified town, he wasted no time and organized a party of forty men with the intent of pursuing and capturing this beast.

The men hunted throughout the day and into the night, but the only thing they had to show for their efforts were the discovery of a set of gigantic tracks, which sadly terminated before the monster could be found. This case has often been mentioned in company with the Masterton Creature of New Zealand.

The Ethiopian Ants

The earliest accounts of these gigantic insects come to us from the Third Century author Gaius Julius Solinus, who described these creatures as being viciously territorial, man-eating, canine sized animals who were know for excavating gold.

According to traditional reports, the only creatures accepted by these ants were mares that had recently given birth to foals. If the mares happened to cross into big ant country with any sort of baskets strapped to them, these ravenous insects would hide their gold inside the baskets; to what purpose one can only speculate.

Although these legends are easy to dismiss as nothing more than yet another identification error to be attributed to an early naturalist, there are some who believe that Africa may once have been home to a now extinct species of giant ant, not unlike the herbivorous Mermecolion.

Beast of Brassknocker Hill

In July 1979, Ron and Betty Harper discovered that the bark had been ripped off of their old oak tree by an animal with teeth at least twenty times larger than the squirrels that usually inhabited the region. They also noticed that the area, which was usually rife with birds and small wildlife, had become mysteriously barren. By August 1, over 50 trees had been stripped of all their branches in the area. The creature allegedly responsible for the tree mangling and the sudden decline in the local fauna was finally seen by an eyewitness later that month.

According to the account a man (who preferred to remain anonymous) was driving through Monkton Combe at night, when he encountered a bear-like creature, which was approximately 4-feet in length and bore two, striking, circular white rings around its eyes. The man presumably left the scene posthaste.

In September 1979, the West Holland newspaper �Het Binnenhof� published a story about the bizarre beast with the headline: �Beest van Bath lelaagt Briuts bos�, which translates as �Beast of Bath destroys British Wood�. The story reported that a creature was allegedly at large in Brassknocker Hill, terrorizing the local populace and devouring the trees in the forests with its Dracula-like teeth.

During the next year additional (and also anonymous) eyewitnesses came forward and described the animal as everything from a gibbon to a lemur to a baboon. The following summer a police officer, Inspector Michael Price, claimed to have positively identified the animal as a chimpanzee, but was unable to catch the beast. He was also unable to explain the disparate descriptions (including the strange ocular markings and large, predatory teeth) of the creature. As of yet, the beast in question has never been positively identified.

Murphysboro Mud Monster

On May 25, 1972, Central Illinois police logged more than 200 calls regarding a shrieking, 7-foot tall, white haired, ape-like monster.

Gobi Inflatable Hedgehog

Reported from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, this animal is called the zamba zaraa by locals. It is described as looking something like a hedgehog. When threatened, the animal strikes its tail against the ground (an alarm action that is used by many different types of animal) and then proceeds to inflate itself considerably. Reports differ on how big it is after inflation, and range up to the size of a yurt (a small Mongolian tent-like dwelling).

There are other creatures who inflate themselves as a defense mechanism, most notably puffer fish. It would be weird, but not impossible, for a mammal to have evolved the same trick. Since the Gobi Desert is one of the least-explored areas on earth, it is plausible that it contains many new species that are just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps the inflatable hedgehog is one of these undiscovered animals, and someday we will be able to see it in zoos.

The Enfield Monster

The vast reaches of forest and open fields of southern Illinois, combined with the sparse population in some areas, seem to invite weirdness that might not occur in cities and more crowded locales. In the most southern portions of the region, the Shawnee National Forest covers miles and miles of territory. The acres of forest seem almost untouched by man and some believe that strange things occasionally pass through here, unseen by human eyes.

Perhaps strangest monster reports to ever take place in Illinois began in April 1973 in the small town of Enfield. This tiny community in southeastern Illinois became the scene of bizarre happenings for a short period of time and while the case has largely been forgotten today, it remains a part of the high strangeness of the region.

Henry McDaniel of Enfield almost became the first man to be arrested because of the Enfield Horror. White County Sheriff Roy Poshard Jr. threatened to lock McDaniel for telling folks about the weird events that took place at his home in April 1973, but McDaniel stuck by his story and his initial report would begin what became a nightmare for the small town. According to McDaniel, he was at home on the evening of April 25 when he heard a scratching on his door. When he opened it, he couldn't believe his eyes! "It had three legs on it," McDaniel swore, " as short body, two little short arms coming out of its breast area and two pink eyes as big as flashlights. It stood four and a half to five feet tall and was grayish-colored. It was trying to get into the house."

Needless to say, McDaniel was not letting it in and he quickly retrieved a pistol. He kicked open the door and opened fire. After his first shot, McDaniel knew that he had hit it. The creature "hissed like a wildcat" and scampered away, covering 75 feet in three jumps. It disappeared into the brush along a railroad embankment near the house.

McDaniel quickly called the police and Illinois state troopers who responded to the call found tracks "like those of a dog, except they had six toe pads." The tracks were measured and two of them were four inches across and the third was slightly smaller.

Investigators soon learned that a young boy, Greg Garrett, who lived just behind McDaniel, had been playing in his yard about a half-hour before. Suddenly, the creature had appeared and attacked him. Apparently though, it just stepped on his feet, but this was enough to tear the boy's tennis shoes to shreds. Greg had run into the house, crying hysterically.

On May 6, Henry McDaniel was awakened in the middle of the night by howling neighborhood dogs. He looked out his front door and saw the monster again. It was standing out near the railroad tracks. "I didn't shoot at it or anything," McDaniel reported. "It started on down the railroad track. It wasn't in a hurry or anything."

McDaniel's reports soon brought publicity to Enfield and prompted the threats from the county sheriff, but it was too late. Soon, hordes of curiosity-seekers, reporters and researchers descended on the town. Among the "monster hunters" were five young men who were arrested by Deputy Sheriff Jim Clark as "threats to public safety" and for hunting violations. This was after they had opened fire on a gray, hairy thing that they had seen in some underbrush on May 8. Two of the men thought they had hit it, but it sped off, moving faster than a man could.

One more credible witness to the monster was Rick Rainbow, who was then the news director of radio station WWKI in Kokomo, Indiana. He and three other persons spotted the monster near an abandoned house, just a short distance from McDaniel's place. They didn't get much of a look at it as it was running away from them, but they later described it as about five feet tall, gray and stooped over. Rainbow did manage to tape record its cry. The wailing was also heard by eminent researcher Loren Coleman, who also came to try and track down the creature. He also heard the sound while searching an area near the McDaniel home.

A short time later, the sightings ended as abruptly as they began.

Zenit, Paul scholes handball volleyballshot

Ümit Özat faints

La Liga Preview: Deportivo La Coruña – Real Madrid


Real Madrid will begin the defence of their league title at Deportivo La Coruña, in a stadium that they have not won at for the last 17 years. Not the most ideal of road trips for the men in white but they will happily get this unsavoury meeting out of the way now rather than have it linger until the middle or the end of the season.

Depor’s Riazor Dominance

Deportivo made a horrendous start to the last term, stunned 0-3 at home by La Liga debutants, Almería. They struggled to recover from that early shock and it wasn’t until a remarkable turnaround from February onwards that they were able to escape the relegation zone. The Galicians main objective would be to make sure they do not suffer the same fate this time around.

But taking on defending league champions, Real Madrid on the first day of the new term is hardly the best way to go about it. Unless, ofcourse, your name happens to be Deportivo and you have a stadium in La Coruña.

The Blanquiazules have become famous – or infamous, depending on which side of the fence you’re sitting on – for their unbeaten home streak against the capital heavyweights. Such is their dominance over the merengues at the Riazor that they are exactly the kind of opponents the Galicians would want to kick-off their season against.

The home advantage in itself is a massive psychological edge for SuperDepor. But they will also have another ace up their sleeves.

Unlike Madrid, Depor have already fine-tuned their physical state and their tactical game with a number of competitive outings, four in total, in the UEFA Cup qualifiers. Not only that, they will have an immense morale boost after the brilliant 0-2 win at Hajduk Split on Thursday sent them into the competition proper.

It has indeed been an impressive turnaround by Miguel Angel Lotina’s men, considering that six months ago, they were about to start planning for life in the Segunda División.

Try, Try Again

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That will be Real Madrid’s motto as they head into this clash, although they have been trying for close to two decades.

The 31-time La Liga champions have not won at the Riazor since 1991, the same season when Depor returned to the top flight. The 17 year winless run is Madrid’s second worse away record in their history, behind only the 20 year jinx at the Camp Nou between 1983 and 2003.

Each year, the blancos travel up north to the less than welcoming region of Galicia, optimistic of ending that long-running curse. And this visit will be no different.

Madrid will have a psychological upper hand of their own going into this encounter. They are on a high and on a goal rush after putting four past Valencia last Sunday in the Supercopa in one of their most biblical and memorable comeback victories. To follow that up, Los Merengues thumped in another five against Sporting Lisbon three days later in the Trofeo Bernabéu in what was a real footballing exhibition for their fans.

The encouraging sign in all that is that they are showing no indication that their botched summer transfer plans are affecting their play on the pitch. Less assuring, however, is that those two games were at home.

During the pre-season, they have not looked as sharp upfront or at the back on their travels. That will be a massive concern because their atrocious away form at the Riazor extend to more than just a winless streak. In their last seven visits, they have only managed to pocket one single point and worse still, scored just one single goal.

Bernd Schuster’s men will have to reproduce every single ounce of the fighting spirit and winning mentality that they should against Valencia last Sunday if they are to prevent the jinx expanding to 18 years.

FORM GUIDE

Deportivo La Coruña

Aug 28 Hajduk Split 0-2 Deportivo (UEFA CUP)

Aug 19 Deportivo 2-1 Atlético Madrid (TERESA HERRERA)

Aug 17 Deportivo 1-1 Cruz Azul (TERESA HERRERA)

Aug 14 Deportivo 0-0 Hajduk Split (UEFA CUP)

Aug 06 Táchira 4-2 Deportivo (FIRENDLY)

Real Madrid

Aug 27 Real Madrid 5-3 Sporting Lisbon (TROFEO BERNABÉU)

Aug 24 Real Madrid 4-2 Valencia (SUPERCOPA)

Aug 17 Valencia 3-2 Real Madrid (SUPERCOPA)

Aug 12 Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Real Madrid (FRIENDLY)

Aug 17 Santa Fé 1-2 Real Madrid (FRIENDLY)

TEAM NEWS

Deportivo La Coruña

Lotina’s main dilemma is in the rearguard. Having lost Fabricio Coloccini to Newcastle United, the coach will also have three key defenders missing through injury. Rightback Manuel Pablo will be out for up to eight weeks after going under a knife to remove a cyst in his right toe, while his usual replacement, Antonio Barragán is sidelined until December. Centreback Pablo Amo, on the other hand, is nursing an Achilles injury.

There are also some attacking woes for the coach. Left winger Ángel Lafita is still recovering from the appendicitis that he underwent three weeks ago and striker Xisco is also doubtful as he struggles to shrug off a hamstring strain. Swedish winger Christian Wilhelmsson has since left for Saudi club, Al-Hilal.

Aouate, Munúa, Taborda, Bodipo and Jairo are all still at the club even though they were told they have no future at the Riazor and they will continue to remain in exile despite the squad’s multiple absences.

Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Aranzubia – Laure, Zé Castro, Lopo, Filipe – Sergio (c), De Guzmán – Juan Rodriguez, Valerón, Guardado – Riki

Real Madrid

Wesley Sneijder will be out until the end of the year after tearing his cruciate knee ligament against Arsenal in the Emirates Cup in pre-season. Fabio Cannavaro has made a full recovery from his pre-Euro 08 ankle injury and he could be given his first start of the new campaign. Michel Salgado, however, is still struggling with a muscle niggle.

Rafael van der Vaart and Ruud van Nistelrooy will both be suspended after their sending off in the Supercopa. Schuster looks set to start Gonzalo Higuaín upfront after giving him a test run in the midweek Trofeo Bernabéu win and the Argentine passed with flying colours. Javier Saviola will provide the back-up after shrugging off a minor muscle pull.

Robinho appears certain to remain in Madrid after the collapse of his much publicized Chelsea move, but still in an unsettled state, he looks unlikely to start.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Casillas – Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze – de la Red, Gago, Guti – Robben, Raúl (c), Higuaín

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Deportivo La Coruña

Andrés Guardado will be the key attacking figure in this Depor squad. The Mexican is certain to set up a fascinating duel with Sergio Ramos and if the Madrid rightback abandons his post for even a second, Guardado will not hesitate to exploit the opening down his left flank. Veteran playmaker Juan Carlos Valerón is still far away from his physical and creative best but it’s these big games that these big players live for and as the most senior member of the team, his experience will be crucial.

Real Madrid

Arjen Robben has been in sizzling form in the past three games and he will have to carry that form into the start of the league season as he looks to single-handedly make up the absences of Robinho, Sneijder and van der Vaart. Gonzalo Higuaín, man of the match in the Trofeo Bernabéu, has also found some irresistible scoring appetite. The Argentine has not been given too many chances to start under Schuster but with the team looking deprived in attacking options, Pipita will be handed the main goalscoring duties.

PREDICTION

It is near impossible to predict the result of the opening match based solely on pre-season performances. History and head-to-head record certainly point to a home win but this being the first match of a brand new season, Real Madrid are hoping that Depor will be more inclined to come out and attack for the win since there’s no dire need to defend in numbers and grind out a result.

Los Merengues will also look to make the most of Depor’s new and makeshift defence and that might just be the lucky break the visitors have been looking for all these years.

Deportivo La Coruña 1-2 Real Madrid

Update: Cologne Captain In Stable Condition

1. FC Koeln's first victory of the season was completely overshadowed by Ümit Özat's sickening collapse. The medical staff were quickly on the scene, but there were serious worries about his safety as he had swallowed his tongue.

Thankfully, it has since been confirmed that he is in stable condition and recovering well in a Karlsruhe hospital.

"In the hospital I saw Umit the fighter again, who would like nothing more than jumping out of the bed and back on to the football field," said Cologne coach Christoph Daum.

"The first thing that he asked me was about the result of the game and was more concerned with the team than his health situation.

"As for the victory and the strong performance of the team, that's something I can only get excited about once Umit is back on the field."

Parma Open Serie B With Draw


The Gialloblu were relegated on the final day of the 2007/08 season, losing to Inter by a score of 2-0. The club have hired former Empoli coach Gigi Cagni in an attempt to guide the club back to the top flight and their journey began today as they took on Rimini in the Emilia-Romagna derby.

The home side got off to a good start and they were awarded a penalty on 32 minutes when Emiliano Milone tugged on Massimo Paci's jersey in the area. Former Livorno star Cristiano Lucarelli converted from the spot, resulting in cheers from the Parma faithful. However, the lead only lasted 10 minutes when Swiss midfielder Migjen Basha scored a fantastic strike from long range to draw level at one a piece.

The second half was full of excitement as well. New signing Alberto Paloschi's header brought a tough save out of Rimini goalkeeper Frederico Agliardi. Paloschi, just transferred to Parma this week from Milan, almost made an immediate impact by scoring just minutes after he had come on a substitute.

Despite giving away the penalty earlier, Massimo Paci was a rock in defence and organized Parma's backline well as they snuffed out the Rimini attacks.

Parma had some chances to win it in injury time, but Agliardi was up to the task of stopping both Paloschi and Kenya international McDonald Mariga and the match finished 1-1.

Overall, it was an exciting beginning to the Serie B season and Parma will want to build on this performance if they are to earn one of the promotion places in order to return to Serie A.

Player Ratings: Zenit St Petersburg - Manchester United


ZENIT ST PETERSBURG

Vyacheslav Malafeev - 7 Saved well and kept the Russian side in the game late on in the match. Tevez fed a cross into John O'Shea who headed goalward but the Malafeev palmed it into safety.

Aleksandr Anyukov - 7 Attacked well from his defensive position and caused United's left line trouble. Sound pass and movement.

Ivica Križanac - 7 Forced Edwin Van der Sar into an instinctive save from close range.

Sébastien Puygrenier - 7 Marked well, along with many of the Zenit defence, forcing United into extravagent long-range shots. None of which paid off.

Radek Šírl - 7 Was exposed on occasion and allowed numerous passes from Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher to find their target ten yards ahead of an oncoming Carlos Tevez, but got forward well.

Tymoschuck - 7.5 Shielded his defence admirably. Made some crunching tackles, with one on Rooney early on in the game that got the Russian support cheering. Got forward and had some good efforts on goal but never neglected his defensive duties.

Konstantin Zyryanov - 7 Was a constant threat to United's defence and his link-up play with Aleksandr Anyukov was particularly troublesome.

Igor Denisov - 8 About ten minutes from time he embarked on a great solo run that had three Manc defenders worried as they tried to triangle him to see him off the ball. Good assist for Zenit's first.

Danny Alves - 8.5 Made some clever runs, well taken goal for Zenit's second.

Dominguez - 7 Struck a nice free-kick in the first half that worried Edwin Van der Sar and had him scrambling.

Pavel Pogrebnyak - 8.5 Showed his class with some good efforts on goal. A typical poacher as displayed with his head on goal just before half-time. Linked-up well with his team-mates.


Substitutes

Andrei Arshavin - 7

Roman Shirokov - 6

Vladimir Radimov - 6



MANCHESTER UNITED

Edwin Van der Sar - 7 Made a number of crucial blocks. Intercepted a Krizanoc shot from a clever free-kick, and parried a Danny shot into safety late in the second half.

Gary Neville - 5.5 Played okay at the start, but seemed to lack energy and left gaps in defence. Seemed to lack match-fitness.

Rio Ferdinand - 6 A lacklustre display and typified a United side that looked disinterested. Was not his usual commanding self that Premier League fans are used to.

Nemanja Vidic - 6 Was late in the challenge for Zenit's second goal, but linked up well with Ferdiand to block out a Pogrebnyak strike early on.

Patrice Evra - 5 Exposed throughout the first half. Zenit's one-two play constantly caught out the French full-back.

Darren Fletcher - 6 Threaded some clever balls to Carlos Tevez down the right hand flank on occasion.

Paul Scholes - 1 Clearly punched the ball into the net in order to steal a draw. Was issued a second yellow card and a one game suspension, but should have been awarded the straight red. Can be a truly great player but once again showed the ethic of when the going gets tough, cheat.

Anderson Abreu - 6 Looked tired and was substituted. Constituted a quarter of a United midfield that failed to turn up for the occasion.

Nani - 5 Very ineffective and made some bad choices. Seems like a similar player to the Cristiano Ronaldo of five years ago. If he develops at the same rate then he would be a great buy, but he needs to work very hard on his final decisions.

Wayne Rooney - 6 Started the game with a firm hold and was disciplined in not dropping back, but came into midfield for the second half. Had one notable attempt at goal in the opening 45 but couldn't get the ball out of his feet.

Carlos Tevez - 8 Never stopped running. His work-rate is commendable, and was one of the few Manchester United players that didn't treat the competition like a curtain-raiser.


Substitutes

John O'Shea - 6

Park - 6

Wes Brown - 6

Mertesacker: Mourinho Won't Be Happy To See Me


The German side will come up against Inter Milan, Panathinaikos and Anorthosis Famagusta in the first group stage of Europe's elite club competition, and although he suggested that a more glamorous group would have suited him better, Mertesacker is clearly looking forward to the prospect of squaring off a Mourinho-led side again.

He said: "We haven't landed in a cracker of a group but certainly every aspect of it is interesting.

"José Mourinho will have fond memories of me from our win against Chelsea at the Weser Stadium.

"We didn't exactly have things our own way against Panathinaikos in the past but we have a chance to make up for that now.

"Famagusta will be a completely new experience but we can't afford to underestimate them."

Bojan: We Are 100% Ready


"It does not matter which teams we have drawn because we will go into every game in the same manner," said the young goal machine on Barca’s CL draw this week. "The squad have a strong desire to really achieve something this season."

Pep Guardiola will place great faith in the youth product this season, having let Ronaldinho and Giovanni Dos Santos leave Camp Nou this summer, but Bojan remains humble and eager to continue his education. "I am a young player and, just like last year, I hope to continue to have the confidence of the coaches".

Krkic went to describe how being a first team player at Barcelona aged just18 "a privilege".

Bojan is clearly aware of the expectation, and that his achievements in the last campaign must be consigned to the record books. "I think that last [season] was very good for me, but that is now in the past. Everything is new and we all have to start from scratch. I need to take advantage of the minutes I am given this term."

And finally, as one would expect, a confident but diplomatic response concerning the question of La Liga favourites, and the main rivals to Barca in 2008/2009: "It is impossible to choose a favourite. All I know is what things are like here and that we are 100 per cent ready for the start of the league season."

Los Cules kick off their season on Sunday evening with a David and Goliath derby clash, away to newly-promoted and Barcelona-based side Numancia.

Sir Alex Has Mixed Emotions Over Scholes' Handball


Manchester United crashed out of the Uefa Super Cup to an efficient display by Zenit St Petersburg. The Russian side had the better run of play in the first half and deserved their lead going into the break.

United worked harder in the second half, managed to claw back one goal, but a rush of blood and a hand of God saw Paul Scholes pick up a second caution as he punched the ball into the opposition net.

Sir Alex Ferguson spoke to ITV Sport as Zenit partied on the pitch: "We played our best football when we were two-nil down, it was a warm night, we had tired players, but both teams did well."

Regarding Scholes' dismissal, the United manager sympathised: "When someone gets sent off by punching the ball… it’s a bit unfortunate, it was an instinctive thing," when it was brought to the Manchester United manager's attention that the player would receive a European suspension valid for the Champions League, his face visibly dropped, but he added: "It happens."

Singling out specific players for praise, Ferguson said: "I thought Tevez was outstanding, he was our best player."

On the Russian side's prospects in Europe's premier competition this campaign, he concluded: "I think Zenit are a good team, they are strong... they will do well in the Champions League."

Zenit Claim Cup Despite Hand Of God Attempt


The Uefa Super Cup is a meeting of two winners looking to start their season by topping up their respective trophy cabinets. It has been billed as the European equivalent of the Community Shield: they are both admittedly curtain-raising showpieces, but tonight’s match carried a weightier reputation for the victor.

There was no room on Zenit’s starting eleven for Andrei Arshavin. For Manchester United; Darren Fletcher - who has scored in successive Premier League games, began on the right, with Nani on the left.

Just before kick-off Sir Alex Ferguson told ITV Sport: "It’s a good tie, there is prestige for sure. There has been a considerable development in Russian football… they have huge salaries, but hopefully we will win it." He was right about Russian football, but his hope was in vein.

As the referee’s whistle signaled the start of the tie there was considerable noise from the Russian sectors who slightly outnumbered the traveling Mancs.

The venue of Monaco was fitting for two teams that can afford to indulge in high-profile transfers. Last summer United spent around £70million on recruitments including Owen Hargreaves; Anderson; and Nani, whereas Zenit have just signed Danny Alves for £25million who, coincidentally, plays the same role as Arshavin but it is Danny who started today.

The better chances fell to Zenit in the opening five minutes, and they could have been ahead had it not been for shoddy shooting. Nemanja Vidic, who used to play for Spartak Moscow, made a crunching challenge as if to let his opponents know he was there early on.

There was a considerable lack of early long balls. Both teams intent on passing out of defence though it was Zenit who made more use of the ball and were keeping hold of possession for longer.

The Russian Premier League is half way through it’s season, they began their campaign in March, and are clearly the sharper side.

The English Premier League is only coming to its third weekend, it is evident from the offset that freshness will have a bearing in how this game pans out.

Tymoschuck broke up play well in the first fifteen minutes. He patrolled in front of his defence with discipline and led by example. He took the ball away from Wayne Rooney with such ease in one well-timed sliding tackle that it noticeably lifted the Zenit support.

Zenit found a lot of space on their right hand side. Their one-two play caught Patrice Evra out time and again and there were numerous opportunities to punish United on that flank.

On the cusp of the half-way mark in the first 45, Dominguez struck a free kick that had Edwin Van Der Sar scrambling. The ball went wide, rebounded off a pole off the pitch and struck the wrong side of the net.

United began to find more fluidity with their passing as the first half grew on, and were able to locate space in the wide areas for in-swinging crosses, but to no avail.

Both Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdiand paired-up well to block out Pogrebnyak who was in a golden goal-scoring position.

Passes from both Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher grew increasingly accurate with the latter finding Tevez with plenty of space on the right flank.

Zenit and United controlled play and looked most lethal when attacking the right hand side. On the 35th minute Tevez was again fed through the right flank, cut the ball back to Rooney, but the Scouse striker could not pluck the ball from under his own boots and ended up getting tangled in possession.

Van der Sar made a goal-saving block from Krizanoc who ran in from a 40-yard Zenit free-kick. Three minutes later Rio Ferdinand slipped from around the same distance and Danny Alves ran in to exploit his mistake. As United managed to scramble back to their box, the ball was passed around the 'D' by Zenit, Pogrebnyak took control, looked like he turned the wrong way but managed to still sneak a small lobbed-cross into the 6-yard box but United were awarded a free-kick for alleged pushing.

Pogrebnyak, joint top goal-scorer with Luca Toni in last season’s Uefa Cup, sneaked in a header from a Zenit corner and, on the run of play, the Russian side took a one-nil lead into the break. The ball looked like it was swinging into the goal-mouth anyway, and probably would have crossed the line, but Pogrebnyak did not take any chances and powered through.

At half-time Sir Alex remained upbeat, telling ITV Sport: “They had a few chances but we had the most possession. It’s a bad goal to concede so we need to recover. They [United players] know that.”

The only change as the play restarted was the replacement of Dominguez with Andrei Arshavin. The playmaker will be keen to impress the various European eyes glancing on the game, and will have been keen to flaunt his flair.

As the game re-found its flow Rooney tracked back to link-up play with the midfield. Sixty seconds later he was back in the forward’s zone, had a shooting opportunity, but fired wide.

Ten minutes in and Tymoschuk thumped a 30-yarder goal-ward, Van der Sar – wary of Danny running into the box, cleverly parried the ball into safety.

Further misery was inflicted on the Manchester side as the expensive Portuguese acquisition thumped in a powerful effort. Ferguson would have been fuming as his defence was poor in handling Danny. Ferdinand was wrong-footed and Vidic was late to the ball, by the time his slide-tackle slowed to a stop, the ball was in the back of the net.

On the hour mark, John O’Shea replaced Anderson, and Darren Fletcher is also brought off. Puygrenier made way for Shirokov for Zenit.

Carlos Tevez’s work-rate was something to be proud of. He was one of the few Red Devils in the opening hour that played with intent. One example of his obsession to be on the ball was when he was tackled, fell to the ground, but was back on his feet and regained possession before you could say ‘Trojan’. Five minutes later Tevez again created opportunites; O’Shea ran onto a ball and struck with his first touch but was blocked by a stubborn Zenit defence.

United clawed a goal back when Nani won a corner kick that was poorly swung into Rooney who passed to Tevez at the far post. Carlos knocked it onto Vidic’s path who drilled a low shot into goal. The many Zenit bodies on the line simply ball-watched.

With ten minutes remaining Denisov embarked on a solo run taking on three United defenders and beating two, he eventually played the ball back as a triplet of Red shirts tried to triangle him and he temporarily injured himself in the process.

Malafeev kept the Russians in the game as Tevez fed in a perfect cross into the box that met the forehead of John O’Shea. The Russian glovesman punched the ball over and looked around nonchalantly.

Paul Scholes was deservedly sent off with one minute remaining on the clock as Brown fed in a high cross and Scholes punched the ball into the net a la Maradona. His team-mates rushed to congratulate him but the officiator wanted none of it and gave the midfielder a second yellow for attempting to cheat in order to claim the draw. He will now miss Champions League games.

A fine spectacle ended dour due to Scholes' gamesmanship, but Zenit were thrilled to lift the silverware aloft. The Russian side showed they were no pushover tonight, and will be a contender in Group H of the Champions League. Real Madrid take heed.