Saturday, November 24, 2012

Job cut - Abramovich ends Di Matteo’s Chelsea reign

After a 3-0 defeat to Juventus left Chelsea's chances of securing qualification for the Champions League knockout stage, Roman Abramovich has called time on Roberto Di Matteo's reign at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian took charge after Andre Villas-Boas was axed in March and guided the club to FA Cup glory, as well as their first Champions League trophy since the Russian bought Chelsea in June 2003.

But after failing to register a win in the Premier League in four attempts, along with an inconsistent campaign in Europe which could the club eliminated at the group stage, Di Matteo was ousted from his role as Chelsea now search for their ninth manager in eight-and-a-half years.

Bah Humbug - Ronaldo a 'Christmas wish' too far for Sir Alex Ferguson & Manchester United

He would be quite the stocking filler for Manchester United but even Sir Alex Ferguson admits the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford is just a "Christmas wish".

Last week, Sir Alex claimed the door is always open for the Portuguese international to make his return to United, although the 70-year-old conceded the forward would be "unbuyable" from Real Madrid.

With Roberto Di Matteo possibly bolstering his Chelsea ranks with the perfect festive gift in the form of Atletico Madrid ace Falcao, Sir Alex may have to poke around the January sales to find ways of improving his side.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Snoop Dogg eyes Hoops for Celtic takeover

Celtic caught the eye of a number of celebrities when they shocked the world by beating Barcelona in the Champions League.

Hoops fan Rod Stewart was reduced to tears of joy at Parkhead, while Elton John felt compelled to call manager Neil Lennon to congratulate him.

And their old friend Snoop Dogg was watching too. In fact the rapper, who recently changed his name to Snoop Lion, has suggested he's ready to invest in the Scottish Premier League side

"I see how passionate Celtic fans are about their team and I could see myself making an investment if any of the board wanted to sell," Snoop said, according to the Daily Record.

"I haven't really thought how much. I don't need to run a football club but enough of a percentage to get me on the board so I can be heard.

"I want to bring a bit of Snoop to things."

Al Ahli Africa Champions for the 7th time

Am with Reinhard Kleist

Reinhard Kleist is a German graphic designer and cartoonist.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

MADebayor goes from hero to villain with north London derby red

Emmanuel Adebayor went from hero to villain in the space of eight minutes on Saturday, with his sending-off in the north London derby kickstarting Arsenal's 5-2 comeback victory over Tottenham.

The Togo striker had handed Spurs the lead against his former side after 10 minutes, yet was quickly given his marching orders shortly afterwards following a reckless lunge on Santi Cazorla.

Down to 10 men, the floodgates opened as the Gunners romped to victory, leaving Adebayor to apologise to Tottenham fans for his moment of madness...

Save Real Oviedo

Wenger vexed by Arsenal injury crisis

Arsene Wenger this week revealed his plans for Arsenal's north London derby clash with Tottenham on Saturday have been plunged into chaos by a squad plagued with injuries.

The Frenchman has concerns over the fitness of Theo Walcott, Mikel Arteta, Olivier Giroud, Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Bacary Sagna after the midweek internationals.

On Friday, he told reporters: "There are so many - I think we need a few doctors this morning. We have so many players who have come back with injuries or small injuries.

"We will see this morning, but it is difficult to give you a clear idea of who will be available tomorrow or not."

So at the end of what undoubtedly must have been a frantic 24 hours for the Gunners boss, which of his stars will make it onto the pitch to take on Spurs?

Sexiest athlete Ronaldo struts his stuff

Who is the better player - Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? The debate ahead of the announcement of the 2012 Ballon d'Or winner rages on.

But there can no longer be any doubt around the ultimate question involving the two: just who is the sexier man?

American celebrity weekly People Magazine has named the Portugal star the sexiest athlete of 2012, and his Barcelona counterpart didn't even make the top 10. Oh, the shame!

Ronaldo beat competition from the likes of Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, tennis ace Andy Murray and NFL revelation Tim Tebow for the prize.