Now that the Bundesliga is done and dusted and Wolfsburg are deserved champions, one should spare a thought for Hamburg SV who until a few weeks ago were in the running for three trophies. They ended up with none.
But Hamburg are arguably the only team in the Bundesliga this season who managed to play high level football in all competitions. Wolfsburg only needed to do it for one, after being eliminated early on in the UEFA Cup and the German Cup. Bayern were out in the last eight in the Champions League and the German Cup.
Third-placed Stuttgart and fourth-placed Hertha Berlin also had only the Bundesliga to focus on.
Martin Jol’s Hamburg, plagued by injuries and suspensions throughout the season, were in the running for the Bundesliga title until three weeks from the end. They also reached the German Cup and UEFA Cup semi-finals where they lost to rivals Werder Bremen. And that is the really bitter part.
Werder, their rivals in northern Germany, eliminated them in both competitions and a week later also inflicted a Bundesliga defeat that dashed all of Hamburg’s title hopes.
They then lost further ground and going into the final matchday they were in danger of even missing a European spot for next season altogether.
That is until the very last minute of their match against Eintracht Frankfurt when Piotr Trochowski, arguably their most valuable player this season, scored the winner for a 3-2 victory, beating Borussia Dortmund to the last spot in the new Europa League next season.
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ROME (AFP) – When two of the world’s best players face off in Wednesday night’s Champions League final, the men charged with stopping Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi know there is no room for error.
Defending champions Manchester United will walk out at Rome’s Olympic Stadium for Wednesday’s show-case final to face a Barcelona side who have already humiliated European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid this season.
It promises to be a battle royal between two teams at the peak of their powers and includes a sub-battle between arguably the world’s best two attacking players who can terrorise defences on their day.
United’s Ronaldo currently has the upper hand having won both the world player of the year crown and the Ballon d’Or in 2008 while his side aim to retain their Champions League title by beating Messi’s Barcelona side.
Dead-ball specialist Ronaldo hit a staggering 42 goals in all competitions last season, but his winner away to Porto and two at Arsenal in this season’s Champions League campaign have gone some way to answering criticism of his big-game temperament.
Barcelona centre-back Yaya Toure admits the Spaniards can ill-afford to allow Ronaldo the freedom to control the midfield if they are to fulfill their ambition to win the competition they last claimed in 2006.
“They are physically very strong, they have a truly great footballer in Cristiano Ronaldo and they won the Champions League last year, so we know it will be very difficult,” said the 26-year-old Ivory Coast international.
“It will be a great game and it’s important that we play at 100 percent because anything less and you cannot beat this team.”
While Ronaldo can strike fear into the heart of any goalkeeper with the deadball, Messi can give defenders nightmares with his ability to beat opponents with the slightest of touches from his favoured left-foot.
United defender Patrice Evra, 28, insists there is no special preparation for facing the Argentinian winger, but feels that coming up against the likes of Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney every day in training is adequate.
And the knowledge he would have to face the wrath of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the event of a poor display is an added incentive when dealing with Messi who came second in the voting for the world player of the year.
“Messi is a great player. I might stop him 10 times, but if on the 11th he goes past me and scores, people will say I have played badly against him,” said the French international.
“I need to concentrate for all the game and win every challenge. Last year the boss told me I could win the game for United. I was very proud about that.
“The boss (Ferguson) trusts you but he likes to say things that will give you confidence. I don’t want to disappoint him or my team-mates.”
Ronaldo and Messi faced each other in last season’s Champions League semi-final when Messi shaded the contest by proving the more dangerous of the pair although United progressed 1-0 thanks to Paul Scholes’s wonder strike at Old Trafford.
United defender Rio Ferdinand looks likely to play in Wednesday’s final having come through the weekend’s training with no ill-effects on his calf injury which has kept him out for the last three weeks and Sunday’s 1-0 win at Hull.
Jonny Evans, impressive at the back for United throughout the season, is on stand-by to partner Nemanja Vidic at the heart of United’s defence in case Ferdinand fails to recover.
Barcelona star striker Thierry Henry and midfielder Andres Iniesta appear to have overcome their injuries after training on Monday.
Henry, who played against Barca on the losing Arsenal team in the 2006 final, has had a ligament problem since beating Real Madrid 6-2 on May 2, while Iniesta has been struggling with a thigh injury.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has several options at full-back with first-choice pair Dani Alves and Eric Abidal both missing out through suspension.
Captain Carles Puyol and former United defender Gerard Pique are almost certain to start.
Meanwhile local authorities in Rome have issued a total ban on alcohol from 2200GMT on Tuesday to 0500GMT on Thursday in the Italian capital in a bid to prevent crowd trouble around the final with more than 67,000 fans expected.
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Una Healy who is dating v.hot rugby player Ben Foden talks about her new love.
The Saturdays singer has told Fabulous mag about her loved up status and how she has no intention of losing weight despite now being in a famous band.
Una says: ‘Ben is really gorgeous, wonderful, the love of my life.
He saw me on TV and got someone to ask for my number. I Googled him and saw he was pretty fit, then we went out for a meal. He’s very handsome. I look at him and melt.’
Una adds: ‘We all have boyfriends. And dogs. It’s like a little club. Instead of WAGs, we call them BADs – boyfriends and dogs!’
The singer use to to be a model, but didn’t want to succumb to the pressures of becoming a size zero, she says:
‘I worked as a model but refused to lose weight. I’d never do that now. Why does being in a band mean being skinny? I’m proud of my curves. Women look better with a bit of flesh. The world better get used to that because we’re not changing for anyone.’
- Here, here sister!!
FYI: Rochelle of The Saturdays is also a WAG, she’s dating Charlton goalkeeper Darren Randolph.
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ROME(AFP) (AFP) – Juventus announced on Tuesday the signing of Brazilian playmaker Diego from Werder Bremen for a fee of 24.5 million euros.
The 24-year-old has signed a deal until June 2014 having spent three years in Germany after joining the club from Portugal’s Porto.
Diego’s last match for Werder will be in the German Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen this weekend.
Over three seasons he played 84 league matches for Werder, scoring 38 goals and he has appeared for his country 15 times.
He has been bought to replace Czech veteran Pavel Nedved who is retiring at the end of the season.
Diego’s fee will be paid over three seasons with an extra 2.5 million to be added on depending on his success with the Italians.
Serie A giants Juve are in the process of rebuilding having been relegated to Serie B in 2006 due to their role in a match-fixing scandal and administrative delegator Jean Claude Blanc said the Brazilian was an important part of that process.
“Due to his technical characteristics Diego is a fundamental part of the rebuilding of our team,” he said.
“We’ve always said that we want to build a team of young players and talented ones and Diego excudes both qualities.
“Despite his age of 24 years he’s a player of great experience with having already played at the highest level for seven years.”
Diego started his career at Pele’s old club Santos where as a teenager he formed a formidable attacking partnership with Robinho, now of Manchester City.
He moved to then Champions Legaue holders Porto in 2004 as a replacement for the Barcelona-bound Deco.
However, his Porto experience soon turned sour as he found himself out of favour with Dutch coach Co Ariaanse and he signed for Bremen two years later for six million euros.
He won league titles with Santos in 2002 and Porto in 2006 as well as two Copa America titles with Brazil in 2004 and 2007.
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NEWCASTLE, England (AFP) – Alan Shearer is set to be offered a four-year contract to stay on as manager of relegated Newcastle, according to reports in England.
Shearer’s spell as interim manager ended with Newcastle’s final game of the season at Aston Villa, but owner Mike Ashley was reportedly due to meet with the former England striker on Tuesday to discuss the terms of a permanent contract.
Ashley knows that Shearer’s popularity among Newcastle fans and his standing in the game will be major assets as the long slog to restore the club’s credibility and Premier League status begins in the close-season.
For the first time in 16 years, Newcastle are no longer a top-flight club, but Shearer has no intention of feeling sorry for himself.
The Newcastle legend, who took charge for the final eight games of the season after Joe Kinnear’s heart surgery, met the squad for an end of season debriefing on Monday and reportedly told them there would a major overhaul of the playing staff if he stays.
“If I’m here next season, there are going to be big, big changes,” the Times quotes him as saying.
Newcastle’s annual wage bill is estimated at around 74 million pounds and Shearer is willing to axe high-earning flops like Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Claudio Cacapa and Peter Lovenkrands, who are all out of contract.
Fabricio Coloccini, Geremi, Obafemi Martins, Alan Smith, Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez could also be sold.
Shearer added: “The problem this club has got is that the other Championship clubs have already started preparing regarding players and everything else.
“Newcastle are already lagging behind. The sooner a decision is made the better for everyone.
“We need to look at it with a clear head. I will give my opinion on what is wrong and what needs to be done.”
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HAMBURG, Germany (AFP) – Bundesliga side Hamburg are set to lose coach Martin Jol to Dutch giants Amsterdam Ajax as a replacement for Marco van Basten, according to a report in German tabloid Bild on Tuesday.
Although the 53-year-old Jol has a contract with Hamburg until June 2010, Bild reported he will quit the UEFA and German Cup semi-finalists to return to his native Holland.
Former Netherlands coach Van Basten resigned as Ajax boss on May 6 after his side failed to qualify for the Champions League next season and Jol is set to be handed a three-year contract as his replacement.
Hamburg finished fifth in the Bundesliga to qualify for a place in next season’s Europa League while Ajax came third in the Dutch league behind champions AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente.
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LONDON (AFP) – Barcelona star Lionel Messi will have the chance to watch Cristiano Ronaldo at close quarters on Wednesday after admitting the Manchester United winger is the one player he would pay to see in action.
Along with Ronaldo, Argentina forward Messi is widely regarded as one of the top two or three players in the world, and the duo will be the centre of attention in Wednesday’s Champions League final in Rome.
But it is the Portuguese playmaker’s flamboyant skills that most excite Messi when he sits down to watch a match on television.
“Manchester United have quality everywhere,” Messi told the Daily Mail. “So many good players. But if I had to pick one out it would be Ronaldo. He is a player I would pay to watch.
“He and I are very different players but he is unbelievable, very special, and it will not be easy to stop him.
“But we must not pay all attention to him and forget about Berbatov, Rooney and Carlos Tevez.
“Manchester United have players all over the pitch who can punish you in the same way we have.”
Messi also reaffirmed his loyalty to Barcelona and insisted he wants to remain with the club for the rest of his career.
The 21-year-old has been linked with a move to arch-rivals Real Madrid, but he has no intention of leaving Camp Nou.
“I have said so many times that I am so happy at Barcelona, and I have no desire to ever leave,” he said.
“I owe them so much. I want to repay them for the rest of my career. I am loyal to Barcelona.
“The doctors at home in Argentina told my parents I would never grow past 4ft 5in.
“The medical bills were very high. My father took on other jobs but even then it was not enough for the other bills.
“Nobody else was prepared to take a chance on me apart from Barcelona and if it was not for them I would not even be a professional football player.”
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Danielle Lloyd was rushed to hospital after being attacked by two women in the early hours of Monday morning.
The WAG has been pictured laying on the pavement outside Crystal nightclub in Central London bloodied and in a bad state.
The unprovoked attack saw Danielle thrown on to a table of drinks by two females, leaving her with a serious injury to her leg.
The WAG was out with her current ‘baller Jamie O’Hara, who could have had something to do with the fight… Earlier this month Danielle got in to a brawl with O’Hara’s ex, which suggests some people have a problem with their relationship.
The model’s spokeman said after the incident: ‘Danielle sustained a serious wound to her back which required stitches upon arrival at hospital. The injury to her leg is more serious.’
He continued: ‘Danielle had been socialising with six friends, including her boyfriend Jamie O’Hara, when the unprovoked attack occurred at around 2.30am. Danielle was thrown on to a table of drinks by two females.
An ambulance was called and Mr O’Hara awaited its arrival outside before travelling with Miss Lloyd to the hospital.’
Danielle Lloyd has a lot of haters, I admit we’ve not always been her biggest fans but she certainly didn’t deserve this.
These girls should be ashamed of themselves!!
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TOKYO (AFP) – Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura remained non-committal about his future after his contract with Celtic expired following the club’s failure to win a fourth straight Scottish title.
“I have not decided anything yet,” the 30-year-old told reporters on his return home from Glasgow to help Japan in their last three World Cup qualifers next month.
Celtic drew 0-0 with Hearts at home on Sunday to finish the season second behind rivals Rangers who sealed the title with a 3-0 away win over Dundee United.
Gordon Strachan quit as Celtic manager after the disappointing weekend.
“I will consult many people as there are many things I must care about,” Nakamura said. “I care about my family and, if I play in Europe, whose position I could take over if he moves.”
Nakamura’s old J-League club, Yokohama Marinos, have asked him to come back after seven seasons in Europe, the first three with Italy’s Reggina and the rest at Parkhead.
Nakamura has previously suggested he could return to Japan after his contract with Celtic expired, citing difficulty in travelling back and forth for internatinal duty and the need to educate his children in his homeland.
In Glasgow on Sunday, Nakamura welcomed the offer from Yokohama.
“It’s an honour to receive an offer from any club. It feels even better if it’s from my favorite club,” he was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.
“There are various clubs, so I’ll consider my options before I make a final decision.”
Meanwhile, Nakamura praised the departing Strachan.
“He has been a great manager. He has only called me a genius,” recalled Nakamura, who has helped Celtic to many wins with his precision left-foot kicks.
“He has been strict about the way he used players and given chances to younger talent. He used to be a player himself and I can use what I have learned from him as a player.”
Japan, trailing Australia 13-11 on points in Asian World Cup qualifying Group A, will make the finals in South Africa next year if they beat Uzbekistan in Tashkent on June 6.
Bahrain have seven points and Uzbekistan and Qatar each have four.
Nakamura, who has been hampered by a groin strain this season, said he was ready to give his all in Japan’s remaining qualifiers.
“It won’t be easy to beat Uzbekistan away,” he said at Tokyo’s Narita airport.
“They don’t want to lose at home and they have their pride. I’m not counting the points we need to get through. I want to play my best in all the three matches.”
Nakamura is due to skip Japan’s friendly against Chile in Osaka on Wednesday but is expected to figure in another against Belgium here on Sunday.
In the World Cup qualifying campaign, Japan will also play Qatar at home on June 10 and Australia away on June 17.
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ROME (AFP) – Authorities in Rome have been moving to try to calm concerns that Wednesday’s Champions League final risks being marred by fan violence.
Rome has been somewhat unkindly nicknamed ‘Stab City’ by English fans and press alike due to a number of previous incidents over the years where English fans have been stabbed by AS Roma supporters when coming to the Italian capital to watch their team in the Champions League.
There was even a campaign in a British newspaper earlier this year to try to get the venue changed from Rome, something which outraged the Italians.
And the British Foreign Office has now sent out warnings for fans to avoid certain ‘hot spots’ such as the Ponte Duca d’Aosta where Roma’s Ultras have previously laid in wait for English fans.
Rome is already mobilising for the influx of more than 50,000 fans – at conservative estimates – who will mostly start arriving on Tuesday afternoon through to Wednesday morning.
The sale of alcohol throughout the city, in supermarkets as well as bars and restaurants will be banned from Tuesday to Thursday, meaning English fans in particular will have to be creative if they wish to get drunk.
Even in FergieFields, a private area being set up for United fans that can hold up to 2,000 people, alcohol will be off limits.
But despite the alcohol ban another worry is the lack of big screen TVs, which won’t be set up around the city for ticketless fans to watch the game.
That means the thousands of expected fans coming to the city but can’t get into the ground will be crammed into bars and pubs, other potential flashpoints.
But Rome prefect Giuseppe Pecoraro insists things won’t be as bad as everyone is making out.
“Rome won’t be a militarised city but over these last few days we’ve been working so that this important event can take place in the calmest climate possible,” he said.
One thing the city’s police have provided is two welcome areas, one each for English and Spanish supporters in two large squares, although not the more common congregational areas in the city such as Campo di Fiori, Piazza Navona and Pantheon.
“We’ve left nothing to chance but we’re not excluding the possibility of individual incidents of violence which often happen at these types of events due to alcohol abuse,” said police chief Giuseppe Caruso.
However, despite the obvious scaremongering about Rome, the city is actually worried about the potential it will give off a bad image and mayor Gianni Alemanno has called on citizens, businesses and fans to do their home town proud.
“We all must be aware that the possibility of Rome hosting other events will depend on the success of this sporting event,” he said.
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