Happy New Year! Stars prepare to bring in 2013

 

Spain secured their place in the pages of football history, Chelsea marched to an unlikely Champions League triumph and two of the greatest players of all time have smashed yet more records. 2012 will be difficult to match.

With the fixtures in the world's major leagues wrapped up for the current calendar year, the game's biggest and brightest can celebrate a job (mostly) well done.

But there's plenty more to look forward to in 2013. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will carry on and, in all likelihood, reach a few more remarkable landmarks. A mouthwatering last 16 of the Champions League awaits. And, when all else fails, there's Mario Balotelli.

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Walcott hat-trick leaves Wenger fending off buyers

 

As trump cards in contract negotiations go, Theo Walcott played his ace on Saturday evening as his hat-trick inspired Arsenal to a 7-3 victory over Newcastle United.

The England international is yet to sign a new deal with Arsene Wenger's side and with his contract expiring next summer, clubs will begin to step up their interest next month.

Walcott has confirmed talks with Arsenal are ongoing but his recent displays in a striking role could result in better offers elsewhere.
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Furious Ferguson puts Pardew in his place

 

Sir Alex Ferguson slammed 'wee club' Newcastle and their manager Alan Pardew after their boxing day clash at Old Trafford.

Pardew began the war of words by suggesting the Scot should have been sent off for berating the match officials during the game.

However, the 70-year-old hit back at the Magpies' boss and with some force too. He accused Pardew of being the worst at "haranguing" referees, and suggested the world is more inclined to take note of spats involving the "most famous club in world" instead of a "wee club in the north-east". 

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Z is for Zlatan as Ibrahimovic's name gets added to the dictionary

 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic may well go down in history as one of the great names in football, but this week he is also making a change to the way Sweden communicates.

After some mercurial displays that have led Paris Saint-Germain to the top of Ligue 1, and the striker to the top of the scorers' charts, Zlatan has gone into the dictionary.

The verb, 'Zlataner', meaning 'to Zlatan', has been added to the Swedish national dictionary after it gained popularity in the country when referring to an extraordinarily talented action.

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Manchester City the Christmas turkeys

 

After Manchester United opened up an seven point gap at the top of the league on Boxing Day over rivals Manchester City, manager Sir Alex Ferguson looks as if he's having the last festive laugh of the year.

With the reigning champions slumping to a 1-0 defeat away at Sunderland for the second season running courtesy of a Joe Hart howler, both Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez will be hopping mad at both the disappointing result and lacklustre performance.

Having been pipped to the league title last season, though, Ferguson, or Santa Claus in this case, will be wary of counting his turkey's before they come home to roost in their pursuit of the league crown this term. For fans of fowl gags, Christmas has come early.
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Animation Demo

 

Yes am anticpating to do an animated cartoon series on football, at the begining am aiming to broadcasted as as a mobile service and on Youtube.

I made this demo alone, as a test for me, and as you watching the demo you can't hear voices nor music, I will add them later as soon I can succeed on selling the cartoon to the mobile service company.

Please do give me you feedback. 

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My interview with Armfootball.com

 

I've been honored to have this interview with Armfootball.com, which is an Armenian sports website, and here is a link to the interview which is in Armenian:

http://armfootball.com/arm/news/25906/hanrahayt-tsaxrankarich-omar-momanin-ir-ir-tsaxrankarneri-futboli-ev-hayastani-masin.html 

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Benitez's little helpers give Chelsea a Magic Eight

 

After three consecutive draws at Stamford Bridge, Rafa Benitez got his first Premier League win at home since taking charge at Chelsea as his side gave Aston Villa a pre-Christmas stuffing on Sunday.

Fernando Torres, David Luiz, Branislav Ivanovic, Frank Lampard, Ramires, Oscar and Eden Hazard all got on the scoresheet in the rout to give Chelsea fans a sprinkling of festive joy following their Club World Cup final defeat earlier this month.

Benitez's side are now 11 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United with a game in hand, and will be looking to close the gap over the busy Christmas schedule.

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Bad Santa Mourinho leaves Casillas out in the cold

 

In just the latest in a long list of controversies, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho chose to drop Iker Casillas from his side to face Malaga on Saturday.

The pair have a notoriously frosty relationship, and the Portuguese boss' plan spectacularly back-fired, with los Blancos going down to a 3-2 defeat in Andalusia to leave his side a whopping 16 points behind Barcelona in La Liga.

Mourinho has been heavily linked with a departure from the Bernabeu at the end of the season, and may have sealed his own fate with his latest headline-grabbing mishap.

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Il Faraone (Stephan El Shaarawy)

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Ronaldo gets dream date with Sir Alex Ferguson as Real Madrid draw Manchester United

 

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League has been made and thrown up some cracking ties, not least the pairing of Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Not only will the tie see Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho clash once again, it will also mean a return to Old Trafford for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese, who left the Theatre of Dreams in 2009 for a mere £80 million, has already revealed how much he enjoyed his time in Manchester working with Sir Alex and now Ronaldo will get the chance to meet up with his former boss once again.

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Walcott left out of Arsenal's future five

 

Arsenal made a show of announcing new contracts for five of their brightest young talents on Wednesday - but the one who everyone was waiting for was not among them.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson all put pen to paper on bumper five-year deals at Emirates Stadium, as Goal.com had exclusively revealed on Monday.

But Theo Walcott, whose current agreement is set to expire in the summer, has long been at loggerheads with the club over an extension, with his desire to play as a centre-forward proving a serious obstacle.

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Animo Tito Vilanova

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Christmas comes early for Sneijder & Santa

 

Christmas has come early in Wesley Sneijder's household as the midfielder has been sent on a premature festive break by Inter.

A short statement from Inter on Tuesday confirmed the following: "It was the last training session of 2012 at the Angelo Moratti centre for Philippe Coutinho and Wesley Sneijder today.

"The two players, at the behest of the club and head coach Andrea Stramaccioni, will rejoin their families for Christmas from tomorrow."
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Palacio also great as a goalkeeper

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Marlon Brando Caricature

 

From The Missouri Breaks

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Club World Cup champions Corinthians deliver Benitez knockout blow

 

Just when it appeared Rafa Benitez might be on the verge of receiving some goodwill from Chelsea fans, Corinthians spoil the party.

The Blues romped into the Club World Cup final with a convincing 3-1 victory over Monterrey.

But Benitez and his charges came unstuck against the Brazilian outfit, who won the competition by knocking out the Stamford Bridge side with a single Paolo Guerrero goal.

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Rooney and Van Persie have the Premier League at their mercy

 

Manchester United maintained their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland on Saturday, and once again, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie were on hand to fire their team to victory.

The Dutchman grabbed his 12th league goal of the season to open the scoring at Old Trafford, and strike partner Rooney was not far behind with his seventh of the campaign.

Now having disposed of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and arch-rivals Manchester City already this year, the gigantic partnership of Rooney and Van Persie has the Premier League scurrying for cover...
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Wenger & Bould display united front as press hounds demand answers

 

Arsene Wenger's long reign at Arsenal hit what was arguably its lowest point on Tuesday when the Gunners were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by League Two side Bradford City.

The defeat led to renewed questions regarding the relationship between Wenger and his new assistant, Steve Bould. Reports claimed a rift between the duo, with Bould's separate defensive training sessions supposedly having been stopped.

Wenger, though, denied the accusations when he faced the press in the wake of Arsenal's elimination and insists that he and Bould are part of a "united staff".
 

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Chelsea prepare for 'football party' at Club World Cup against Corinthians

 

The boos from Chelsea fans aimed at Rafa Benitez may not have been completely silenced by the Stamford Bridge club's convincing win over Monterrey on Thursday.

But on the pitch at least, the mood was visibly lifted as Juan Mata opened the scoring, while Fernando Torres was also on target and David Luiz dominated the midfield.

And Mata summed up the atmosphere best after the game as he looked ahead to the Club World Cup final clash with Corinthians.

"We have confidence about winning but we know Corinthians are one of the best teams in South America," he said.

"It will be a football party and hopefully we will win."
 

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David Luiz shows Gary Neville how to play the game

 

David Luiz was once described by Gary Neville as looking like a Playstation character controlled by a 10-year-old.

But the Brazilian looked far from the liability he has been labelled to be in the Club World Cup victory over Monterrey, patrolling the Chelsea midfield for over an hour before being replaced by Frank Lampard.

And, prior to the game, the 25-year-old made it clear he was able to take criticism on the chin and move on.

“When you experience difficult moments, I know I’m strong enough to change things and move on," Luiz said.

“I know my personality and what it’s taken to get me here at Chelsea. It’s just another moment to be strong.”

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Wenger on thin ice after Arsenal defeat to Bradford

 

Ahead of Arsenal's trip to Bradford City in the Capital One Cup, the oft-derided tournament was starting look like the Gunners' best chance of ending their long wait for a trophy.

Indeed on paper, Arsene Wenger's side looked to have the pick of the ties having being drawn to face the League Two side in the quarter-finals of the competition.

The Frenchman even picked a strong team for the match, yet that did not matter to Bradford. The League Two side almost won the game in 90 minutes, before Thomas Vermaelen popped up with a late equaliser to take the game to extra-time

However, Bradford were not to be denied and took the Gunners all the way to penalties before beating them in the shoot-out to dump them out of the competition and leave under-pressure Wenger on thin ice at Arsenal. 

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Bonucci, Sergio Busquets' horrible student

 

Juventus striker, on loan from Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner mocked his teammate Leonardo Bonucci, after the later tried to playfully dive, in order to get a penalty.

Danish international on his own account on Twitter joked "who fired on Bonucci? Haha :)"

It seems that Bonucci was a failure to learn scuba diving ...
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Balotelli made to work for Manchester City stay

 

Mario Balotelli frustrated many in Manchester City's derby defeat against arch rivals Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

The Italian striker has just the rest of December to prove himself to chiefs at the Etihad Stadium, with AC Milan waiting in the wings to swoop for him if he cannot impress.

Roberto Mancini has regularly stood by his compatriot, but is he now facing a losing battle to help the 22-year-old become one of the game's most feared strikers?
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Invisible man Samir Nasri's hole in the wall costs Manchester City the derby

 

Manchester City's unbeaten start to the Premier League season came crashing to an end with a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of arch rivals Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

The champions looked to have hauled themselves back into the game at 2-2, having initially trailed following Wayne Rooney's first-half double, before Robin van Persie's free-kick took a killer deflection off Samir Nasri in the City wall and slipped beyond the reach of Joe Hart into the back of the net.

Manager Roberto Mancini was far from happy, stating: "We made a mistake and only put three players there. Actually we had only had two-and-a-half players there."
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Sir Alex, Mancini & Platt star in Mancbeth

 

By George Ankers

ACT I, SCENE I. A mysterious heath.

Thunder and lightning. A sofa. A familiar theme tune. Enter three witches.

ALAN, THE FIRST WITCH: When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning or in rain?

GARY, THE SECOND WITCH: It'll be next Saturday at 22.35GMT, Alan, same as usual. You're contractually obliged.

ALAN, THE THIRD WITCH: A drum, a drum! Mancbini doth come. He's come right up to us and he'll be happy with that.

Enter Roberto Mancbini and his loyal friend, Plattquo.

MANCBINI: So foul and fair a day I have not seen. Not since Lady Macbalo set off a firework in the dressing room, anyway...

PLATTQUO: Yes, boss. (GASPS.) What are these, so wither'd and so bland in their attire, that speak not like inhabitants o' the television and yet are on't?

MANCBINI: Speak, if you can: What are you?

SECOND WITCH: Hail, Mancbini! Hail to thee, Thane of Premis!

FIRST WITCH: Hail. Pace. Power. Commitment.

THIRD WITCH: Hail, Mancbini, thou shalt be king in Manchester hereafter! I can't see anyone beating you on this form.

PLATTQUO: Of what do you speak, ladies?

SECOND WITCH: Mancbini, thou hast glory'd thyself in bloody battle. Brave Mancbini, for well thee deserveth the name, thou hast led thy men to victory of six to one at thy enemy's castle.

THIRD WITCH: Thou couldst say that the key was how you scored more goals then they did.

SECOND WITCH: Yet now Ferguson, King of Manchester, bringeth his host to thy gates. Forsooth, the hour of thy crowning is come.

MANCBINI: No, no ... Ferguson, he is the King. The fates favour them.

FIRST WITCH: The King relieth too greatly on his young sons and retainers. Thou shalt not be victorious with babes.

MANCBINI: No. For us it is too difficult, I think.

THIRD WITCH: Etihad Castle is a hard place to go and get a result. I can't look past you.

MANCBINI: We have no chance.

PLATTQUO: Ladies, thine efforts are for naught. I hath cajol'd the boss for hours. He is stubborn.

SECOND WITCH: Brave Mancbini, witness our spell and be convinced.

The CAULDRON comes alight.

SECOND WITCH: Double, double, toil and trouble.

FIRST WITCH: Pace, power, leadership and commitment.

THIRD WITCH: Er ... suppose you've some kind of small amphibian. It's like a lizard, I guess, but ... not. I haven't really looked it up, to be honest. And there's this sort of circular ball in its face that it uses to see things...

The CAULDRON bubbles furiously, billowing smoke into the night sky.

SECOND WITCH: What dost thou see, brave Mancbini?

MANCBINI: Mine own visage in the smoke! Wherefore dost thou show me this?

FIRST WITCH: Look on.

MANCBINI: On mine head ... the crown of Manchester's King! It is taken from Ferguson to me! How canst this be? They art above us in the statisticians' reckonings.

SECOND WITCH: Forsooth, he shall not linger much longer over his domain.

MANCBINI: I must needs kill the King?

SECOND WITCH: Ay! Speaketh not in terms so literal. Don't go giving Lady Macbalo any ideas.

FIRST WITCH: Thy midfield is miles ahead, that's all.

The Witches vanish. MANISH, THE FOURTH WITCH tries to jump out from behind a tree with a Tupperware cauldron and CLARIDGE, THE BLACK CAT perched on his shoulder but MANCBINI and PLATTQUO exeunt with haste.

MANCBINI: King of Manchester! This I like...
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Drogba brings the bling as Chelsea embark on Europa outing

 

Chelsea's Champions League defence may have already ended, but for those who succeeded in the competition last season, there are still some benefits to be reaped from their victory over Bayern Munich.

Club legend Didier Drogba, who left Stamford Bridge last summer for Shanghai Shenhua, made sure his team-mates would never forget that night in Munich back in May by bestowing specially made rings upon all those involved in the triumph.

However, for Rafa Benitez, it is just a stark reminder of the club's failings in this year's tournament, and the Europa League campaign that awaits...

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'Worth the Mona Lisa' - Raiola paints pretty Balotelli picture

 

He may have yet to reach his potential at Manchester City, but Mario Balotelli continues to be linked with Europe's top sides, with Milan firming up their interest in the 22-year-old.

Rossoneri boss Massimiliano Allegri hinted at a January move for the striker on Tuesday, hailing the Italy international's "extraordinary physical and technical qualities".

However, the player's agent, Mino Raiola, has reiterated that Balotelli will not be leaving the Etihad Stadium, before insisting his client would cost "as much as the Mona Lisa"...

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Manchester City's European hopes go up in smoke again

 

Having already crashed out of the Champions League, Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund capped another dismal campaign for Manchester City in Europe.

The loss at Signal Iduna Park resulted in Roberto Mancini's side finishing bottom of Group D, and in turn saw them miss out on the consolation prize of Europa League football.

Now, with only domestic matters to concern them for the remainder of the season, the Premier League champions can forget about a continental adventure for another year...

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Mourinho ignores Manchester to stay at Madrid…for now

 

While relations have become strained between Real Madrid and manager Jose Mourinho in recent weeks, the Portuguese boss insisted on Monday that he has no intention of leaving Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season.

Despite Saturday's 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid, Los Blancos still trail their city rivals by five points, with Barcelona maintaing their 11 point lead at the top of La Liga.

However, with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson recently touting 'the Special One' to replace him at Old Trafford, and Manchester City long-term admirers of the 49-year-old, it may Mourinho who chooses to ditch Real next summer...

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Sour grapes for Zlatan over Messi nomination

 

Paris Saint-Germain's outspoken centre-forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic courted controversy once more last week by stating that Barcelona striker Lionel Messi shouldn't pick up the Ballon d'Or award this year.

The 31-year-old Sweden international believes that after having already won it three times in a row, that the Blaugrana genius would be far from a deserving winner and that it should be shared around more.

With Fifa whittling it down to just a three-man shortlist, and Messi competing alongside team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic may have to wait a little while longer to get his wish, with the Argentine the current front-runner and overwhelming favourite.

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Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo beat Atletico Madrid

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Hollywood ending for Beckham as curtain closes on LA journey

 

oes he write his own scripts? He must do, right? David Beckham ended his time in the United States by helping LA Galaxy triumph 3-1 over Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final.

It meant the California franchise retained the MLS Cup for the second year running and ensured Becks left an indellible print on Major League Soccer after his five-and-a-half year association with the league.

Though he lived up to Los Angeles expectations with the happiest of endings - Beckham was substituted in the 94th minute to give him a chance to wave to the fans, hug his team-mates and indeed one 'unidentified fan' (Robbie Keane) - there is a sense that this isn't quite the end for the 37-year-old.

He admits he has "no idea" where he will move to for his final, final swansong, but you would not bet against him bringing just as much drama and theatre to proceedings - after all, he has now won the league title in his final year at Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy.

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Fear of Falcao keeps Mourinho up all night

 

This weekend, the Santiago Bernabeu plays host to one of the most hotly-anticipated Madrid derbies in years, with Jose Mourinho's struggling Real taking on Diego Simeone's in-form Atletico.

The fixture has traditionally been something of a mismatch, with Real invariably enjoying comfortable victories over a succession of talented but underachieving Atletico sides.

This season, however, the tables appear to have turned. Real lie eight points behind their Madrid rivals, having already tasted defeat three times this season.

Atletico, however, have established themselves as Barcelona's closest La Liga challengers, inspired by their prolific Colombian striker Falcao, who has already netted 11 times in the league this season.

Mourinho is a known admirer of Atleti's irrepressible No9, labelling him "forbidden fruit" earlier in the campaign, and it is Falcao who will surely have been keeping an anxious Special One awake this week.
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Holloway desperate to block Wenger in pursuit of Zaha

 

Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway has come out fighting after Arsene Wenger confirmed that Arsenal are mulling over a move for starlet Wilfried Zaha.

Following the Frenchman's comments, the former Blackpool boss lashed out at the north London outfit's manager for talking about his players in public, telling The Sun he would be ringing the Gunners' manager to complain about his "totally bad etiquette".

However, as exclusively revealed by Goal.com, the Gunners are now in talks with the Championship outfit about a proposed £12 million January move for the 20-year-old.

But this is unlikely to stop Holloway from doing all he can to keep hold of the attacker, who recently won his first senior England call-up, even if it means getting in Wenger's way.
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Benitez feeling Blue after firing another blank

 

It is fair to sat tha the appointment of Rafael Benitez as Chelsea interim manager has been greeted with a less-than-positive reaction from the club's fans.

The Spaniard drew a blank in his second game in charge - at home to west London rivals Fulham - directly after another goalless draw against champions Manchester City on Sunday, and the boo boys were out in full force come the final whistle once again.

With the pressure already mounting on the 52-year-old, even at this early stage, he faces a fight to try and win over the supporters.
 

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Can you Adam and Eve it?! Beckham denied New York MLS investment

 

Well, while David Beckham may have played his last game for LA Galaxy, it has not put 'Golden Balls' off investing in an MLS side in the future, with the New York Red Bulls an obvious attraction.

However, there is a spanner in the works - or rather, a snake in the boots - in the form of Don Garber, who says Becks will not be able to take a tasty bite of the big apple anytime soon.

So, where next for Posh & Becks? Will he repay Galaxy's faith (and some of their huge wages no doubt) and invest in his former club? Or will he jack it all in and take the family to Paris for the riches of PSG?
Who knows, there is always 'Arry and QPR...

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Barton goes to extreme lengths to gain acceptance from France

 

If you thought Englishmen abroad couldn't get cringe-worthy than 'Schteve' McClaren's Dutch accent, you were wrong.

Joey Barton came across all 'Allo 'Allo this weekend after making his Ligue 1 debut, talking to the French media with an incredible accent, that was part-Scouse, part-French and totally ridiculous.

But what next for the QPR outcast? A beret? A string of garlic? Carrying around a boombox that constantly plays Edith Piaf on a continual loop?

We can only wait and see...

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