Muller slams Germany strikers

September 29, 2009

Legendary Germany forward Gerd Muller has claimed the nation’s current crop of strikers would not have stood a chance of playing alongside him in his day.

The 63-year-old, who scored 365 goals in the Bundesliga and 68 goals in just 62 caps for Germany, has criticised Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski ahead of next week’s crucial World Cup qualifier with Russia.

“When you see what strikers we have in the national team today, in my day, they would not have even been allowed to even sniff the ball,” he told DSF television.

Only one German striker is deserving of a place in coach Joachim Low’s attack, according to Muller, and that is his namesake Thomas Muller, who is making a good impression in his first season as a professional with Bayern Munich.

“He is an incredible young lad,” added Muller.

“He can use both his left and right foot, like me.

“He is quick, strong in the air and he is one that can be taken to the World Cup.”

However, Low has defended the three strikers he is almost certain to name in his squad this week, insisting times have changed since Muller hung up his boots.

“I have the utmost respect for players like Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Gunter Netzer and they are role models today, but you cannot make comparisons over decades,” he told the Bild newspaper.

“It has become incredibly difficult for strikers. Football has developed particularly in the art of defending.

“Nowadays, strikers don’t even get five minutes worth of the room that the strikers used to get over 90 minutes in a game.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: Bayern, bayern munich, bild newspaper, Bundesliga, franz beckenbauer, Gerd, Gerd Muller, Germany, gunter netzer, joachim low, Lukas, Lukas Podolski, mario gomez, miroslav klose, namesake, rajput, right foot, role models, slams, striker, strikers, thomas müller, utmost respect, world cup qualifier

Sutcliffe expresses concern over misbehaviour

September 19, 2009

Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has warned top footballers that they need to act as role models and said there should be a debate about whether to impose points deductions for clubs whose players are guilty of serious misbehaviour.

Sutcliffe said the incidents involving Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor last weekend against Arsenal had highlighted the need for the stars of the game to set an example for children.

He said: “I am concerned, because these players are role models. What we can’t have is violence or apparent violence that kids in the streets may copy. There needs to be other mechanisms to force players and clubs to recognise that.”

He went on to suggest clubs should be docked points for players misbehaviour: ” Do we need to look at clubs losing points [for serious misbehaviour]? If a player gets banned for three games, it’s easy to put someone else in there if you are a big club, though for small clubs it’s more difficult.”

Sutcliffe stressed the Government would not tell football how to run the sport, but acted as a “critical friend” and make suggestions. “I can’t propose that [points deductions], but it’s something that should be looked to make sure that clubs and players act in a responsible way,” added Sutcliffe.

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: arsenal, critical friend, Emmanuel, emmanuel adebayor, footballers, game, Gerry Sutcliffe, manchester city, mechanisms, misbehaviour, role models, small clubs, sports, striker, sutcliffe, three games, violence

Chelsea appeal against Drogba and Bosingwa bans

June 30, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Chelsea announced on Monday they’d appealed against the bans handed out to striker Didier Drogba and defender Jose Bosingwa by European football’s governing body UEFA earlier this month.

Drogba was given a four-match ban and Bosingwa a three-match ban, with other games suspended for their comments following Chelsea’s 1-1 second leg semi-final draw with eventual champions Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in May which saw the London club go out of the Champions League.

The Blues were also fined 85,000 pounds (100,000 euros) for the improper conduct of their players and the throwing of missiles by their fans.

“Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has today (Monday) lodged an appeal against the UEFA bans given to Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa, and the fine imposed against the club,” said a Blues statement.

“We believe these punishments are unnecessarily harsh given the circumstances.

“We would reiterate that the players and the club are acutely aware of our responsibilities towards setting a good example as role models and upholding the values of the game.

“That is why honest and sincere apologies were made swiftly after these regrettable incidents occurred.”

Chelsea crashed out of Europe’s premier club competition after Andres Iniesta’s injury-time equaliser for Barcelona took the Catalans through to the final on the away goals rule.

The Blues had a number of penalty appeals turned down during the match by Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo and Ivory Coast international Drogba, who had been substituted, came back onto the pitch to swear at the official after the final whistle in front of watching TV cameras.

Portuguese defender Bosingwa, meanwhile, likened Ovrebo to a “thief” in a post-match interview before withdrawing his comments.

Tags: Andres Iniesta, Barcelona, body uefa, catalans, CHELSEA, club competition, didier drogba, Drogba, English Premier League, equaliser, Europe, governing body, improper conduct, injury time, Ivory Coast, Jose, jose bosingwa, london, london club, premier club, punishments, role models, sincere apologies, stamford bridge, tom henning, Tom Henning Ovrebo, tv cameras, UEFA Champions League, values of the game

Real´s ´Galactico´ president signs Pellegrini, Zidane

June 2, 2009

MADRID (AFP) – Florentino Perez, the inspiration behind the Real Madrid ‘Galacticos’, launched his second term as president on Monday by bringing in Chile’s Manuel Pellegrini as the club’s new coach and France legend Zinedine Zidane as a top advisor.

The club also announced former Argentine striker and coach Jorge Valdano as its new director general.

“Real Madrid C.F. and Manuel Pellegrini have reached a deal for the Chilean to become the first team head coach,” Real said in a statement.

It said he would be officially presented at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Tuesday.

He replaces Juande Ramos, who began a six-month contract in mid-December in place of Germany’s Bernd Schuster.

Pellegrini, 55, a qualified civil engineer, joined Villareal in 2004 from River Plate of Argentina and was under contract with the club until 2010.

In his first season there, Villareal qualified for the Champions League by finishing third in La Liga. Last season, they were second behind champions Real Madrid.

In a speech on taking office Monday, the 62-year-old Perez vowed to build “the best club of the 21st century.

“We will devote all our effort to building a spectacular team with great players who are role models on and off the pitch. A club where ethics are indestructible and where solidarity will be a basic cornerstone of behaviour,” he said.

The construction magnate is retaking the reins of Real, Spain’s historically most successful team and the world’s richest football club by revenues, for the next four years after standing unopposed in elections for president.

Real had been led on an interim basis by Vicente Boluda after Ramon Calderon stepped down in January following allegations that he rigged voting at the club’s last annual general assembly in December.

Perez led Real from 2000 to 2006, when it earned the nickname “Los Galacticos”, winning the Primera Liga twice and European Champions League with such stars as Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, David Beckham and Michael Owen.

Zidane’s transfer from Juventus in 2000 cost Real a world record 75 million euros.

The former France captain now becomes “adviser to the president” at Real.

Perez had promised to give both Zidane and Valdano senior positions at Real if his comeback bid was successful. Valdano had acted as Real’s sports director during his last term in office.

He has not mentioned any names regarding top signings but Spanish media speculate that Manchester United’s Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, Liverpool’s Spanish star Xabi Alonso and AC Milan’s Brazilian playmaker Kaka are all in his sights for next season.

“We must recover the dreams, stability and lost time,” said Perez. “The road ahead will be difficult, but we have the passion and necessary ideas to overcome the great challenges of this complicated time.”

Perez had quit Real in 2006 after the club went a third straight season without a trophy, its worst run in more than half a century, but he has remained popular with supporters.

This season, the club’s arch-rivals Barcelona won a unique treble of league, Spanish Cup and Champions League trophies under debutante coach Pep Guardiola.

Real finished second in La Liga and exited the first knockout stage of the Champions League for the fifth straight season.

It ended the season on Sunday with a 2-1 loss to lowly Osasuna.

Tags: Alonso, Argentina, Argentine, Barcelona, bernabeu, Bernd Schuster, boluda, Chile, civil engineer, David Beckham, european champions, florentino perez, France, Germany, interim basis, Jorge Valdano, juande ramos, LA Liga, Liverpool, los galacticos, luis figo, MADRID, Manchester, manuel pellegrini, michael owen, Milan, primera liga, ramon calderon, real madrid, river plate, role models, ronaldo, Santiago, santiago bernabeu stadium, Spain, successful team, vicente boluda, zinedine zidane

King to be disciplined over nightclub arrest

May 15, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Tottenham defender Ledley King will be disciplined by the Premier League club after being arrested outside a nightclub last weekend.

King was held after a man was attacked in the early hours of last Sunday outside a club in Soho, central London. It was reported that King was drunk and became aggressive after being refused entry into the club.

The England international later apologised to Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp and is set to feature in the team which faces Manchester City at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

But Redknapp, who didn’t reveal the extend of King’s punishment at Friday’s pre-match press conference, launched an attack on the drink culture which pervades football and insisted King had to set a better example.

“Ledley will play. He has apologised. He knows he was wrong. He made a mistake and he has to learn from that and make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’ve had a good chat with him,” he said.

“There is no problem with people having the occasional drink but if you have to get drunk you shouldn’t be drinking.

“I don’t want player going to nightclubs and misbehaving. The problems nearly all come when players get drunk. These players are role models. They’ve got kids looking up to them.”

Tags: central london, England, england international, English Premier League, Harry Redknapp, Hart Lane, last sunday, london, manchester city, match, mistake, nightclubs, occasional drink, premier league, role models, soho central, tottenham, white hart lane

Hearts legend Conn dies

January 7, 2009

GLASGOW (AFP) – Hearts legend Alfie Conn Senior died on Wednesday aged 82.

Conn, whose son Alfie Junior also had a successful footballing career with Rangers and Celtic, formed a third of the memorable Hearts frontline of the late 1940’s and 1950’s known popularly as the ‘Terrible Trio’ – the other two being Willie Bauld and Jimmy Wardhaugh.

Conn, who scored 115 goals in 223 matches for Hearts from 1944-58, collected winners medals in the 1954 League Cup final and then in the famous 3-1 defeat of Celtic in the 1956 Scottish Cup final, their first win in that competition in half a century.

A serious ankle injury shortly after that triumph virtually ended his career and was a major reason he was was restricted to just the one cap in which he scored a goal against Austria.

He was a bit part player in Hearts’ 1958 title success and then moved to Raith Rovers before hanging up his boots in 1960. He went on to manage albeit briefly Gala Fairydean and then Raith.

Hearts players were due to wear black armbands as a tribute to him in their Premier League match with Motherwell on Wednesday.

Former Hearts and Scotland great Dave Mackay said that Conn had been one of his role models.

"Alfie was one of my heroes," he told the club website. "He was a brilliant player with a powerful shot who could score goals for fun."

Written by: AFP