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Post by sharky on Jun 5, 2014 11:31:13 GMT
Thought I would start a thread where we can put World Cup news in. Starting with good news for Dutch fans (but not Australia!) from the BBC www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27710390World Cup 2014: Robin van Persie plays down injury concern Netherlands striker Robin van Persie has dismissed speculation he could be an injury concern ahead of the World Cup opener against Spain next week. The Manchester United striker, 30, said he was withdrawn at half-time in the 2-0 win against Wales as a "precaution". Van Persie, sidelined for six weeks late last season with a knee injury, appeared to suffer a groin problem. But he said: "I wouldn't call it an injury. It built up during the game so I decided it was sensible to come off." Captain Van Persie, a scorer in his country's previous two friendlies, seemed to grimace as he walked down the tunnel during the break. But asked whether the former Arsenal player would be fit for the Group B match against Spain on 13 June, manager Louis van Gaal said: "I hope so, and I think it is so." Van Gaal, who will join his compatriot at Old Trafford after the World Cup, added: "He has a little injury and I think it is better that you don't risk a bigger injury playing the second half. "I think he made the right decision. It is not an important match. You don't have to risk it." The Netherlands were comfortable winners against Wales, with Arjen Robben and substitute Jeremain Lens scoring for the Dutch. "I had expected that they would play with 10 men behind the ball. It is always difficult to score then, and they did it very well," said Van Gaal.
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Post by eusebio13 on Jun 5, 2014 12:46:22 GMT
World Cup 2014: Portugal - the secrets behind the players Which Portugal player has a famous footballing ancestry in Brazil, which mild-mannered striker lost his head in the heat of an Istanbul derby, and who can be recognised by his beard? Share 8 inShare 0 Email Vítor Hugo Alvarenga The Guardian, Saturday 31 May 2014 João Moutinho Portugal's João Moutinho caused a few problems with his move from Sporting Lisbon to Porto. Photograph: Leszek Szymanski/EPA This article is part of the Guardian’s World Cup 2014 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June. Bruno Alves This will be a special tournament for Bruno Alves since he comes from a Brazilian family. The central defender was born in Portugal but his father Washington is from Brazil and used to play for Flamengo. In 1974, Washington Alves accepted the proposal to play for Varzim in the Portuguese championship and has remained in the country ever since. The uncle of Bruno Alves, named Geraldo, was also a rising star at Flamengo, playing at the same time as Zico, a very close friend. Nicknamed The Whistler, because he had the strange habit of whistling while dribbling past opponents, Geraldo Alves died tragically at just 22 years old during a hospital operation. João Moutinho In 2010, the former president of Sporting Lisbon called João Moutinho a “rotten apple”, after selling the midfielder to Porto for €11m (£8.9m). José Eduardo Bettencourt claimed that Moutinho was forcing a way out of the club where he had made his name. The player ended up being a brilliant signing for Porto and, three years later, was sold to Monaco for €25m (£20.2m). Sporting earned almost €5m from this deal. “Sporting should be very happy. We were able to buy a ‘rotten apple’ for €11m and sold it for €25m,” joked the president of Porto, Pinto da Costa, after the protest of the Lions of Lisbon, who claimed that the deal was made for a higher value. Hugo Almeida The tall and powerful striker has been a regular scorer in Turkish football with Besiktas, and doesn’t usually lose his temper. Butin December 2013 he went a little mad when a fan of Kasimpasa entered the field and decided to kick Manuel Fernandes, another Portuguese player for Besiktas. The home team immediately surrounded the fan in question but that didn’t prevent Hugo Almeida from getting his own back, and he kicked the fan while he was laid on the ground. For that, the striker was sent off. Beto In 2008, the goalkeeper was having a great season at Leixoes and the press were debating a possible starting place in the Portugal team. Jorge Jesus, now the coach of Benfica, ended up saying that only goalkeepers taller than 1.83m (Beto is 1.80m) can make it to the top. “I read what he said, I respect the opinion but I want to prove in the field that that is not true,” said Beto, who didn’t let the statement unsettle him and continues to show his value. This season, he was brilliant at Sevilla and got the team to the final of Europa League, where his side faced Benfica, coached by Jorge Jesus. Beto saved two penalties in the shootout to give Sevilla the trophy and perhaps prove a point to Jesus. Raul Meireles The Fenerbahçe midfielder continues to show a unique sense of style. He has countless tattoos on his body and, since arriving in Turkey, has embraced the national beard custom. Nowadays, Meireles opts for a Mohican hairstyle (perhaps due to his progressive lack of hair) and a lumberjack style beard. He is easily spotted on the pitch. Ricardo Costa The central defender celebrated his 33rd birthday on 16 May and is on his way to a third World Cup. That record, never achieved before in Portuguese Football, is at reach for only two players: Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Costa. The first is the big star of the team but Ricardo was always seen as a reliable backup. In fact, since February of 2005, the defender has played only 17 times for Portugal. In World Cup 2010, nevertheless, Carlos Queiroz decided to place Ricardo on the right side of the defence, to face Brazil and Spain. In the second game, the natural central defender was sent off and Portugal went home. Now, he is the captain of Valencia in Spain. And in Brazil, one can expect Ricardo Costa to be on the bench, once again. Vítor Hugo Alvarenga is a journalist for Maisfutebol Follow him here on Twitter Click here for a profile of William Carvalho Click here for the secrets of the Portugal players www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/05/world-cup-2014-portugal-secrets-players?CMP=twt_gu
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Post by sharky on Jun 5, 2014 21:33:07 GMT
From talksport.com Exclusive - Redknapp: England have no direct replacement for Oxlade-Chamberlain By Dom Bryant ( dom_bryant) | Thursday, June 5, 2014 Harry Redknapp has told talkSPORT there is no like-for-like replacement England can call up if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is ruled out of the World Cup. The Three Lions are sweating on the fitness of the Arsenal star after it was revealed he had sustained a medial knee ligament injury and is likely to miss the opening group game against Italy on June 14. Oxlade-Chamberlain was substituted off after suffering the injury in the 2-2 draw with Ecuador last night - a World Cup warm-up game in which he had impressed greatly. And Redknapp told Kick Off: "It’s a shame for the boy if he has to miss out. Let’s hope he is OK because he looked excellent last night. "It’s the same with Italy. They lost a player last week, [Riccardo] Montolivo. He broke his leg unfortunately and he’s out of the tournament. These things can happen in these warm-up games." Asked if there was a direct replacement they could call up to replace Oxlade-Chamberlain, the QPR boss added: "There’s nobody out there really. I don’t think Roy’s going to go find somebody to play the same way. "I just think he will take one of the two lads [Jon Flanagan and John Stones] who have been with him. They’ve been part of the squad so he’ll give one of them the nod I imagine. We’ve got plenty of cover in every position really." Read more at talksport.com/football/exclusive-redknapp-england-have-no-direct-replacement-oxlade-chamberlain-14060594691#vAYFeK8F5YCa8YUK.99
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jun 5, 2014 23:00:48 GMT
Isnt Ronaldo out with a hamstring injury?
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Post by eusebio13 on Jun 6, 2014 5:33:20 GMT
Isnt Ronaldo out with a hamstring injury? Cristiano Ronaldo injury is down to me, claims Ghanaian witch doctor as Portugal ace struggles for fitness ahead of World CupPortugal confirm Cristiano Ronaldo suffering from tendonitis in left knee Player already struggling with thigh strain picked up at Real Madrid Ghanaian witch doctor says he is behind Ronaldo's struggles Ronaldo missed Portugal's World Cup warm-up game against Greece They play Mexico on Saturday and Republic of Ireland on Tuesday By GRAEME YORKE PUBLISHED: 19:15, 4 June 2014 | UPDATED: 16:23, 5 June 2014 A Ghanaian witch doctor has claimed he is responsible for the injury which could keep Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo out of the World Cup. Portugal have been drawn in Group G, the 'Group of Death', where they will face tough tests against Germany, the USA and finally Ghana. Ronaldo has not played since scoring in Real Madrid's Champions League final win against Atletico Madrid on May 25 and a statement released by the Portugal FA on Wednesday confirmed that he is suffering from tendonitis in his left knee as well as a thigh strain. Ronaldo joins up with Portugal for his first training session The witch doctor, whose name is Nana Kwaku Bonsam which translates as 'Devil of Wednesday', predicted Ronaldo would be forced to miss the World Cup through injury in February. In an interview with Kumasi-based radio station Angel FM, he is reported as saying: 'I know what Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury is about, I’m working on him. 'I am very serious about it. Last week, I went around looking for four dogs and I got them to be used in manufacturing a special spirit called Kahwiri Kapam. 'I said it four months ago that I will work on Cristiano Ronaldo seriously and rule him out of the World up or at least prevent him from playing against Ghana and the best thing I can do is to keep him out though injury. 'This injury can never be cured by any medic, they can never see what is causing the injury because it is spiritual. Today, it is his knee, tomorrow it is his thigh, next day it is something else.' On Tuesday, Ronaldo trained separately from the rest of the Portugal squad along with fellow injury doubts Raul Meireles, Beto and Pepe at their training base in New York. The player also missed the World Cup warm-up game against Greece on Saturday as Portugal were held to a goalless draw. Portugal are due to face Mexico on Saturday and the Republic of Ireland next Tuesday in their final two World Cup warm-up games. Their World Cup campaign kicks off against Germany on June 16. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2648733/Cristiano-Ronaldo-injury-claims-Ghanaian-witch-doctor-Portugal-ace-struggles-fitness.html#ixzz33pmQVC7V Follow us: @mailonline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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Post by sharky on Jun 6, 2014 9:22:55 GMT
From the BBC www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27730012World Cup 2014: Nigeria's Ahmed Musa & Elderson Echiejile injured By Oluwashina Okeleji BBC Sport Nigeria duo Elderson Echiejile and Ahmed Musa have injury worries just a week before the start of the World Cup. Echiejile has a suspected hamstring strain and will miss Saturday's final friendly against USA in Florida before the team heads for Brazil. Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi intends to give the Monaco defender as long as possible to prove his fitness. "The doctors have an appointment for an MRI scan for Elderson to know the extent of the problem," said Keshi. "We will know exactly what the problem is and where we go from there." CSKA Moscow winger Musa is a doubt to face USA with a thigh strain. Nigeria have until 24 hours before their opening game against Iran on 16 June to replace any injured players. Better news for Keshi is that defender Juwon Oshaniwa has resumed training after a bout of malaria. "Juwon is just coming back after three or four days out with malaria and Musa is a little bit injured, otherwise we are about 95% healthy players." "Hopefully everybody will be fine before we leave for Brazil." Keshi is convinced the African champions will produce a better performance against the USA than they did on Tuesday as they drew 0-0 with Greece. "I was asking for a lot but we only started training as a team last week. But I needed to push and ask for more. I only saw our style in the last 15 minutes against Greece," he said. "I was not happy with the performance against Greece but I hope our play against the USA will be much better." After Saturday's friendly against fellow World Cup finalists USA, Nigeria open their Group F campaign against Iran before facing Bosnia-Hercegovina and Argentina.
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Jun 6, 2014 14:41:28 GMT
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Post by sharky on Jun 7, 2014 1:29:30 GMT
Kevin Doyle scores for Ireland in a warm up game for Costa Rica. FT Ireland 1-1 Costa Rica
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Post by sharky on Jun 7, 2014 3:48:00 GMT
From the BBC www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27742817World Cup 2014: Russia captain Roman Shirokov is out of finals Russia captain Roman Shirokov has been ruled out of the World Cup after failing to recover from a knee problem. The Zenit St Petersburg midfielder, 32, picked up the injury in April and will have surgery in Finland next week. Russia manager Fabio Capello said: "Shirokov is a very important member of Russia's squad but I hope that the rest of the players will be able to perform at their best level in Brazil." Rubin Kazan midfielder Pavel Mogilevets will replace Shirokov in the squad. Shirokov missed friendlies against Slovakia and Norway but was able to train with the rest of the squad on Thursday before suffering a relapse. Capello, who took England to the last 16 in 2010, said his team would play one more warm-up match, against Sao Paulo state champions Ituano on 11 June. Russia will open their World Cup campaign against South Korea on 18 June. They will also face Belgium and Algeria in Group H.
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jun 7, 2014 5:46:13 GMT
Right now watching Cesar play a blinder for Brazil against SRB in a friendly.
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Post by sharky on Jun 7, 2014 11:35:51 GMT
The BBC's report on the Ireland - Costa Rica game that Kevin Doyle scored in. He also drew a red card for an elbowing that required 5 stitches! www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27383445Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane had a penalty saved as 10-man Costa Rica fought back to earn a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Philadelphia. Kevin Doyle headed Ireland in front after 18 minutes before Celso Borges equalised from the spot for World Cup-bound Costa Rica in the 64th minute. Giancarlo Gonzalez was sent off just before half-time for elbowing Doyle. Keane had the chance to restore the lead but substitute goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton denied the LA Galaxy forward. Irish keeper David Forde, who had brought down Los Tico's striker Marco Urena to concede the earlier penalty, then made a good save from Arsenal's Joel Campbell to help secure the draw. Doyle required five stitches following his altercation with defender Gonzalez, who had endured a running battle with the Wolves forward during the first-half at PPL Park. After the match, Gonzalez's actions were swiftly condemned by Costa Rica manager Jorge Luis Pinto, and Ireland defender Richard Keogh. "It was stupid, he deserved to be sent off," said Keogh. "I hope he learns from it because he has let his team-mates down and let his country down. "It was stupid, very stupid. I don't know what went through his head." Pinto told Gonzalez that his actions were unacceptable and warned the 26-year-old about his future conduct. The Colombian said: "I spoke to him and I said that this is something that cannot happen now that we are going to a World Cup." Costa Rica, who lost their previous World Cup warm-up match 3-1 to fellow finalists Japan, now head to Brazil to open their campaign against Uruguay before facing Italy and England in Group D. Ireland, who will play World Cup finalists Portugal at New Jersey's MetLife stadium on Tuesday, did not reach the finals.
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Post by eusebio13 on Jun 7, 2014 12:33:51 GMT
2014 World Cup: Police and protesters clash in Sao Paulo ahead of tournament's opening game Jun 07, 2014 11:51 By Jessica Best Riot officers used tear gas and batons as striking subway workers staged protests in the city Sky NewsClashes: Police use tear gas and batons to break up protests Clashes have erupted between police and protesters in Sao Paulo, less than a week before the city hosts the World Cup's opening match. Riot officers used tear gas and batons to deal with striking subway workers, and there were protests elsewhere over housing policies and conditions. Striking transport workers caused a 125 mile-long traffic jam after walking out on Thursday morning, with a number of FIFA officials becoming stranded in the city's gridlocked streets for more than two hours as they tried to make their way to a conference ahead of this month's tournament. BarcroftSao Paulo strikeGridlock: The traffic jam caused by the subway strike in Sao Paulo Police used tear gas to break up a demonstration blocking access to one metro station, but a third of the city's underground stations remained closed yesterday. Sky News reports officers later pushed back picketing strikers as commuters tried to get inside. The travel chaos caused problems for fans travelling to Brazil's friendly against Serbia last night in Sao Paulo's Morumbi Stadium. Elsewhere, protesters were out demonstrating at the Central Bank about Brazil's economic policies. ReutersSao Paulo protestProtest: Members of Brazil's Homeless Workers' Movement (MTST) World Cup organisers have urged football fans to use public transport to reach games in the tournament's 12 host cities, but only a fraction of promised transport projects have been completed. Frustration at the failure to deliver these and the ballooning cost of new stadiums led to widespread protests across Brazil during last year's Confederations Cup, and the government is braced for another wave of demonstrations. A judge is expected to weigh in on the legality of the subway workers' strike on Monday. The first game of the World Cup between Brazil and Croatia will be played at the Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, on Thursday. www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/2014-world-cup-police-protesters-3658014#ixzz33xKtKCH0 Follow us: @dailymirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jun 7, 2014 13:09:39 GMT
What makes me laugh is blatter and the other freeloaders will anounce at the end of the tournament, that it has been the best one ever. Sure if you're freeloading the best seats and staying in the best hotels and having someone else paying for the best wines and meals. Not so great for people like those in the above photo or the tourists that are paying rip off prices for Pizza, Beer and basic food and Hotels.
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Post by sharky on Jun 7, 2014 15:22:36 GMT
From the BBC www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27745664World Cup 2014: Marco Reus out with ankle injury Marco Reus has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in Germany's 6-1 friendly win over Armenia. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder, 25, sustained a partial tear of an ankle ligament and is expected to be out for six or seven weeks. "For him and for us this is extremely regrettable," said Germany coach Joachim Low. Sampdoria's former Everton defender Shkodran Mustafi has replaced Reus. Germany's Group G games 16 June: Portugal in Salvador 21 June: Ghana in Fortaleza 26 June: USA in Recife Reus's withdrawal is a major blow to Germany's World Cup preparations, with Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender already ruled out with a thigh injury. But despite losing another midfielder, Low has decided to call up defender Mustafi, who was at Goodison between 2009 and 2011 but made only one substitute appearance before moving to Italy. "It is not about us replacing Marco Reus one on one," said Low. "Our quality in the position behind the strikers is very high. We have Lukas Podolski, Andre Schurrle, Mario Gotze, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler and Toni Kroos to give us plenty of alternatives. "That's why we decided for another option for the defensive area. Shkodran impressed us in training camp, he's fit, we have confidence in him."
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Post by alfaranger on Jun 7, 2014 15:35:19 GMT
From the BBC www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27745664World Cup 2014: Marco Reus out with ankle injury Marco Reus has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in Germany's 6-1 friendly win over Armenia. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder, 25, sustained a partial tear of an ankle ligament and is expected to be out for six or seven weeks. "For him and for us this is extremely regrettable," said Germany coach Joachim Low. Sampdoria's former Everton defender Shkodran Mustafi has replaced Reus. Germany's Group G games 16 June: Portugal in Salvador 21 June: Ghana in Fortaleza 26 June: USA in Recife Reus's withdrawal is a major blow to Germany's World Cup preparations, with Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender already ruled out with a thigh injury. But despite losing another midfielder, Low has decided to call up defender Mustafi, who was at Goodison between 2009 and 2011 but made only one substitute appearance before moving to Italy. "It is not about us replacing Marco Reus one on one," said Low. "Our quality in the position behind the strikers is very high. We have Lukas Podolski, Andre Schurrle, Mario Gotze, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler and Toni Kroos to give us plenty of alternatives. "That's why we decided for another option for the defensive area. Shkodran impressed us in training camp, he's fit, we have confidence in him." Shouldn't that be, "for you Fritz the Vorld Cup is over"?
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Post by sharky on Jun 8, 2014 4:33:12 GMT
From the Belfast Herald. Kevin Doyle on the red card in the World Cup warm up match www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/doyle-backs-gonzalez-dismissal-30337443.htmlDoyle backs Gonzalez dismissal Kevin Doyle insisted Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzalez got exactly what he deserved after leaving him with five stitches in his head. The 30-year-old Republic of Ireland striker left PPL Park in Philadelphia during the early hours of Saturday morning bloodied after Gonzalez had been sent off for elbowing him during a 1-1 draw which stretched the sentiment of the term "friendly". Things came to a head when the pair, who had become embroiled in an increasingly physical battle, challenged for a high ball and the defender blatantly lashed out to leave Doyle bleeding heavily and referee Raul Castro reaching for a red card. The Irishman said: "If you are going to get that angry that quickly and do that, it's not ideal in a World Cup. I think he just lost his head. "He was upset about an earlier challenge. He tried to win a ball down the side of me by ducking in with a header, and I have caught him totally accidentally. "I said 'Sorry' to him at the time and I thought that was the end of it. "A minute earlier, he had tried to do the exact same thing and missed, so he had gone back for a second go. "I was a little bit ready for it, but I didn't protect myself. But I am glad he was sent off because he deserved to be." Doyle left the stadium nursing a nasty cut, although not one which will prevent him from playing against Portugal in New Jersey during the early hours of Wednesday morning, if selected. He said: "It was very sore. It's fine now, the doctor has numbed it up so I can't feel a thing." For all his discomfort, Doyle was able to reflect upon an impressive individual display and his first international goal for almost two years. He could also raise a smile about his injury when he was reminded that the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art made famous worldwide by the Rocky films, were just a few miles away. Doyle said with a smile: "It probably looked worse than it was, I don't know. I haven't been up to the steps." The Republic weathered a lively start by the Costa Ricans, who were playing their final warm-up game before heading for Brazil, to take the lead when Doyle powered home a long-range header from full-back Marc Wilson's inch-perfect cross.
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Post by sharky on Jun 8, 2014 4:44:25 GMT
From the BBC. The Argentinian squad hold up Falklands/Malvinas banner before their warm up game against Slovenia which they won 2-0. www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27383488Argentina's players posed behind a banner supporting their country's claims to the Falkland Islands before a World Cup warm-up in Buenos Aries. The team displayed a message to support an on-going campaign to claim sovereignty of the islands, a British Overseas Territory. Argentina then beat Slovenia 2-0 with goals from Ricardo Alvarez and substitute Lionel Messi. They start their Group F campaign against Bosnia-Herzegovina on 15 June. Lionel Messi (left), Angel Di Maria (centre) and Sergio Aguero celebrate Argentina's second goal Coach Alex Sabella chose not to risk Messi, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain or Real Madrid's Angel Di Maria from the start of their final friendly before the finals in Brazil. But Argentina still went ahead in the 11th minute when Inter Milan midfielder Alvarez scored with a powerful run and shot. Sabella made changes in the second half and Di Maria and Aguero combined for Messi to add the second when converting Aguero's headed pass with a left-foot finish with 15 minutes to go. "We have a great group and team," said Messi. "A World Cup is very tough and we will have to fight a lot for it. "We arrive with the right age, with most of us playing in the best leagues of Europe for years. Winning it is our target, but it will be very hard." Argentina also face Iran and Nigeria in their qualifying group.
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Post by eusebio13 on Jun 8, 2014 12:29:48 GMT
From Brent to Brazil13:00 08 June 2014 England's Raheem Sterling (pic: Stephen Pond/EMPICS) Raheem Sterling has made rapid rise to World Cup level Raheem Sterling in action for Brent at the 2009 London Youth Games (pic: London Youth Games) Raheem Sterling in action for Brent at the 2009 London Youth Games (pic: London Youth Games) He’s renowned for his speed – and it’s fair to say England winger Raheem Sterling has always been a player ahead of schedule. Sterling featured in QPR’s reserve team at the age of just 14, became the second youngest player to represent Liverpool in the club’s history, and made his full England debut before he turned 18. And his meteoric rise began even earlier, when he outclassed older players to such an extent that the man who was to play a key role in Sterling’s development had no idea just how youthful his young prodigy actually was. Paul Lawrence, the football coach at Copland Community School in Wembley – just around the corner from the national stadium – recalls how Sterling’s sister Lakima, a student at the school, first brought the future England star to his attention. “She mentioned a few times that her brother was a really good player,” said Lawrence. “I asked her to bring him in when we had a training session for the Year sevens and eights. “He ran rings around them, scored two goals and made loads of chances. I was so impressed with what I saw and asked her to make sure he came to our school. “When the following September came around, I didn’t see him and I went and asked his sister where he was. She explained he wasn’t old enough to come to our school yet – I hadn’t realised he was two years younger than the boys he’d been playing against. “He eventually came along next year. Straight away I put him into the Year seven team – and also the Year eight team, who won the Brent Cup, with Raheem scoring a hat-trick and making another two goals. “He was so small for his age – and even now I think people tend to worry about him getting knocks and injuries, but he’s always had the talent to get out of bad tackles with his pace and change of direction. “In every match, without fail, people would try and intimidate him, wind him up and foul him – and because he was so good they were prepared to sacrifice themselves just to put him out of the game.” Sterling was soon selected to represent his borough at the London Youth Games in 2009 and captained Brent to the gold medal in the boys’ football tournament. By then, he was also on the books at QPR, regularly ripping the heart out of defences at Under-18 level and broke into the reserve team before his 15th birthday. Sterling’s growing reputation alerted several of English football’s big guns and it was Liverpool who won the race for his signature, paying an initial £500,000 to take the teenager to Anfield a few months later. “We spoke about it a few times and obviously I was pleased with the fact he was at QPR,” added Lawrence. “But I didn’t think he would get the same opportunities and guidance by staying there. “There was interest from a few other clubs but nothing concrete, whereas Liverpool made it clear that they wanted him as a player rather than just for his potential. “If that move hadn’t happened, who knows whether he’d even be in the first team at QPR now? Being in that environment with Liverpool, where you’re trying to win the league, made a world of difference.” Having made his senior debut for the Reds in March 2012, Sterling was soon drafted into the England squad and Lawrence, along with a number of Brent students, made the short trip to Wembley to watch his protégé in action. And the coach has no doubts about the positive effect that Sterling’s startling progress has had on other aspiring young footballers in north-west London. “Raheem’s been back to the school quite a few times since he left and he sees other ex-students in the area, just doing things that young people do like going shopping or out for a meal,” said Lawrence. “He doesn’t come back and act like he’s living a different life. Loads of students from different schools have been to see him play – and some of them don’t usually play or even watch football. “Young players around the area know they’re in the same position as he was a few years ago and feel they’ve got a chance to make something of their lives because they’ve seen what he’s done.” www.london24.com/sport/from_brent_to_brazil_1_3633342
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Post by Macmoish on Jun 8, 2014 13:18:33 GMT
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Post by sharky on Jun 8, 2014 13:25:49 GMT
From hereisthecity hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/06/08/joey-bartons-damning-indictment-of-englands-strikers/Joey Barton's damming indictment of England's strikers Former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton explains why England struggled to score against Honduras. England were expected to register a comprehensive victory over Honduras in their final warm-up game ahead of the World Cup. The Three Lions had played out a rather disappointing 2-2 draw with Ecuador in their last friendly international in Miami on Wednesday and were determined to put on a better show on Saturday. However, in the end, Roy Hodgson’s side had to settle for a goalless draw and were just happy that no more players were injured. The Honduran players looked very aggressive and made some strong challenges, but it was the 1966 World Cup winners who created the most chances. However, the Three Lions failed to take them and the man guilty was a certain Daniel Sturridge. The Liverpool striker was in sensational form in the 2013-14 season, scoring 21 goals and providing seven assists in 29 Premier League appearances. But on Saturday, he really looked off form and none of his three shots was on target. Sturridge was deployed up front on his own, with Wayne Rooney, Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck playing behind him to create chances. However, a lack of a strike-partner cannot be an excuse for the 24-year-old failing to convert three very good chances. England’s lacklustre performance in front of goal against Honduras led Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton to claim that they have no goalscoring strikers. He posted his comment on social networking site Twitter. Is that an overstatement? With Rooney not looking in the best of form and Welbeck coming off the back of a rather disappointing season, it is Rickie Lambert (now a Liverpool player) and Sturridge who will have to bear the goalscoring burden for England. However, just because Sturridge had one bad game, it does not mean that he has gone off the boil. Team Pos Goals Apps Mins Wayne Rooney Man Utd FW 17 29 2,448 Daniel Sturridge Liverpool FW 21 29 2,275 Danny Welbeck Man Utd FW 9 25 1,459 Rickie Lambert Southampton FW 13 37 2,816 While many football followers would agree with Barton’s opinion that Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere should start for England at the World Cup if he is fully fit, there could be some arguments that Everton’s 20-year-old starlet Ross Barkley should be used as an impact substitute in Brazil. Will England struggle for goals in Brazil?
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Post by sharky on Jun 8, 2014 14:47:34 GMT
From fifa.com www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=6/news=del-bosque-we-don-t-fear-dutch-2359589.htmlDel Bosque: We don't fear Dutch Defending champions Spain leave for Brazil optimistic about their chances of a repeat triumph and undaunted by Friday's opening game against the Netherlands in a rematch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Final. "We don't have any fear. But we do have respect," Spain manager Vicente del Bosque said. "They are runner-up from the last World Cup so we have full respect for Holland." After the Spaniards kick-off their World Cup Group B campaign on Friday against the Dutch in the flashback to their stormy final four years ago, they face Chile and Australia in later first-round matches. "We're very optimistic after our training and two friendly matches," Del Bosque said. "We are meeting our expectations. We are confident heading into the World Cup." Del Bosque also said injuries which have sidelined stars such as France's Franck Ribery and Colombian Radamel Falcao would not detract from the World Cup. "A couple of world stars are not going to be at the World Cup but I don't think because of that the World Cup is going to be less attractive," he said. "That's not going to diminish the World Cup from being a great event." David Villa, Spain's all-time goals leader, lifted his total to 58 with two goals to give his side a 2-0 win over El Salvador. Coming into Brazil as defending champion brings only a sense of pride for Spain, now the target for 31 rivals trying to dethrone them. We don't have any fear. But we do have respect. Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach on Group B opponents Netherlands "It's important but it doesn't give you any advantage or something like that," Villa said. "I'm proud of having done it and (I'm going) to work to try to repeat it." Del Bosque saw some areas he wanted to improve upon after the El Salvador match, as his rivals played a defensive style that took until the 60th minute for Spain to crack open for a goal. "We need to have better creativity, be able to have better chances in the attacking third," Del Bosque said. "We always want to be on the attack and to control the pace of the game." Spain does not expect similar defensive-minded tactics from World Cup foes, but Del Bosque said the victory shows the players are ready to overcome it if necessary. "That's not what we expect in the World Cup but if we do see that, we're always looking to find space and make the initiative and be attacking the ball," he said. One area that drew top marks from Del Bosque was defence. "We worked well as a defensive group considering we haven't had a lot of work with the whole group," Del Bosque added. "I was pleased with our defence."
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Post by eusebio13 on Jun 8, 2014 17:16:48 GMT
How did this football fan complete his World Cup sticker book in just SIX WEEKS? Jun 08, 2014 17:54 By Brett Gibbons Russ Cockburn spent only £90 and yet has achieved the feat with plenty of time to spare Birmingham MailMission accomplished: Russ Cockburn with his completed Panini 2014 album Football fan Russ Cockburn reckons he may be the first in Britain to complete the Panini World Cup sticker collection. He managed the feat in just SIX WEEKS and a cost of only £90 - with plenty of time before the start of the tournament in Brazil. Russ, 35, used the social media power of Facebook and Twitter to swap his way to the full 640-sticker set. But he faced a nail-biting wait for his last three stickers – England star James Milner, Algeria’s Islam Slimani and the Algerian national crest. “I was helping my seven-year-old godson complete his book,” says Wolves fan Russ. “But then my wife bought me a sticker book of my own. She could see how obsessed I was getting. But then, I’ve collected them since I was a kid myself. “This time I reckon that I bought around 180 packets at 50p a time, so my total outlay was £90. It would have been far more had I not joined a Facebook group of 80-odd collectors, and used twitter to appeal for the hard-to-get players. “I can’t stand James Milner – he played for the Villa, after all – and I thought it was odds-on that he’d be the one I couldn’t find. But someone saw my plea on Twitter and popped him through my letterbox! In the end, it all came down to Algeria.” Dad-of-three Russ says that wife Joan has been supportive of his quest, and reveals that his children have caught got the sticker bug, too. “I know that you can send off for the final hundred,” he says. “But where’s the fun in that? It’s cheating. Everybody in the Facebook group agreed not to take the easy route to the final whistle.” There were, adds the public relations director, two players he became sick to the back teeth of seeing Argentina’s Gonazlo Higuain and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who both came with the album, and then kept popping up again and again. “And don’t get me started on Greece,” he sighs. “I must have had five duplicates for every player in the Greek national team.” Panini began its World Cup collections in time for the 1970 tournament in Mexico and spin-off collections have been issued ever since. But how much does it take money-wise to complete a Panini World Cup set? Experts have studied the craze and come up with some eye-watering facts and figures to bag the whole set. Each official album consists of 640 stickers but a London maths teacher has worked out that each collector should expect to purchase 4,505 stickers to make sure they have every card in a full collection. That would be £413.24 to complete the book. Mathematicians at the University of Geneva used probability theory to calculate that collectors have to buy 899 packets to get every sticker, taking into account getting duplicates and excluding the possibility of swapping with other collectors. The Panini website allows collectors to purchase their final 100 missing stickers – which wipes out the chance of buying duplicates and therefore significantly reduces the cost to something like £133.99. But for most fans, the cost is irrelevant. The biggest market is Brazil, where Panini’s Sao Paulo factory churns them out around the clock. An estimated eight million albums are being filled there ahead of the big kick-off. Earlier this month, thieves in Rio stole one of Panini’s vans just to get the 300,000 stickers inside. In 2010, before the South Africa World Cup, thieves stole 135,000 packets from a distribution centre. Completed albums can be valuable, as owners of Panini’s 1970 World Cup set well know. Last week one appeared on eBay with an asking price of £1,800. Another had a £2,300 price tag. Panini has 1,000 employees who churn out 750 million individual stickers a week. In the UK, Panini expects to sell enough World Cup stickers to stretch around the world, if lined up end to end, almost 25,000 miles. www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/world-cup-2014-how-football-3662883#ixzz344KgupoU Follow us: @dailymirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook
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Post by sharky on Jun 8, 2014 22:46:07 GMT
From the BBC www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27755342Cameroon players ready to take off for Brazil after bonus dispute Cameroon's players are finally on their way to the World Cup after initially refusing to board a flight to Brazil because of a dispute over bonuses. The squad, including former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o, refused to fly to South America on Sunday morning. But they eventually agreed a financial package with the nation's football federation after an emergency meeting. The squad will take off from Yaounde at 21:30 BST, 12 hours late, and should arrive in Brazil on Sunday evening. Team coach Volker Finke had said players were complaining that the £61,000 they were due to be paid for figuring in the World Cup was not enough. After agreeing an end to the row, Cameroon Football Federation president Joseph Owona said: "Everything has been resolved. "We have opted for transparency. There is no problem and I think the team needs to be mobilised for all to look in one direction." Cameroon are in Group A with the hosts, Croatia and Mexico.
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Jun 9, 2014 14:45:45 GMT
From the BBC. The Argentinian squad hold up Falklands/Malvinas banner before their warm up game against Slovenia which they won 2-0. www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27383488Argentina's players posed behind a banner supporting their country's claims to the Falkland Islands before a World Cup warm-up in Buenos Aries. The team displayed a message to support an on-going campaign to claim sovereignty of the islands, a British Overseas Territory. Bit naughty. Still hope they win it though.
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Post by alfaranger on Jun 9, 2014 14:58:59 GMT
From the BBC. The Argentinian squad hold up Falklands/Malvinas banner before their warm up game against Slovenia which they won 2-0. www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27383488Argentina's players posed behind a banner supporting their country's claims to the Falkland Islands before a World Cup warm-up in Buenos Aries. The team displayed a message to support an on-going campaign to claim sovereignty of the islands, a British Overseas Territory. Bit naughty. Still hope they win it though. I have to ask Zed, why do you want Argentina to win the competition over England and if it were England v Argentina in the final would you still support Argentina?
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Jun 9, 2014 15:11:22 GMT
Because I'd like to see Messi win the World Cup. England have no chance of getting to the final but hypothetically if they did I'd still want the Argies. However I'd be happy for whoever won.
I supported England when I was younger and went to most games but Euro 96 was the last straw for me. I finally had enough of England supporters.
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jun 9, 2014 15:18:26 GMT
It's good to see politics and sport are being kept seperate.
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Jun 9, 2014 15:29:23 GMT
It's good to see politics and sport are being kept seperate. Yeah. Pretty grim not to mention the irony when you consider that country's ongoing treatment of indigenous communities.
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Post by Macmoish on Jun 9, 2014 16:14:33 GMT
Retweeted by James Fielden
Women in Journalism @wij_UK · 4h
There are 20 national newspapers in the UK and just one woman is off to Brazil to cover the World Cup. Anyone got any theories why?
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Post by alfaranger on Jun 9, 2014 16:36:40 GMT
Retweeted by James Fielden Women in Journalism @wij_UK · 4h There are 20 national newspapers in the UK and just one woman is off to Brazil to cover the World Cup. Anyone got any theories why? Depends if any superior female reporters have been passed over in favour of inferior male reporters (and if they have whether they passed on the opportunity). That would suit the point that is being inferred. There may be a debate as to why there are not very many women sports reporters are in the national press. On the other hand the 'tweet' may just provoke the idea that women are underrepresented and advocates taking more even if it means not taking the best man for the job (and yes that is the correct grammar even though it's not PC).
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