Sports Deitary
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Liverpool travel to Bolton on Saturday knowing they desperately need a victory to get their Premier League title challenge back on track.
Liverpool travel to Bolton on Saturday knowing they desperately need a victory to get their Premier League title challenge back on track. Rafael Benitez's side have lost two of their opening three matches to raise major doubts about their prospects of a first league crown since 1990.
The Reds finished just four points adrift of Manchester United last season and lost only two matches in the whole campaign. But, while Benitez's team ran Sir Alex Ferguson's team close last term, there is a concern among their supporters that if they allow an early gap to develop to the likes of Chelsea and United they will not be able to close it.
They can console themselves with the fact that in three of the last five seasons, the champions have lost a total of five games. The Anfield team accept there is now little margin for error if they are to end their long wait for a title. Pepe Reina has already conceded five goals in his side's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham and shock 3-1 loss to Aston Villa at Anfield on Monday.
But the Spanish goalkeeper believes that three consecutive wins would put Liverpool right back in the race for the championship. "The fans can trust us until the end because as a team we have always been strong," Reina said.
"Obviously we are disappointed because it is not normal for us to play three games and lose two of them, but we have to look forward, try to improve and carry on with our title challenge. "We are the same team as last season - the same team that won 86 points in the league.
"Nothing has changed except that some players have left and some have come in, but we are still a strong team. "We have plenty of good players in the dressing room and we have to look forward because as soon as we win two or three games in a row things will change a lot."
Liverpool picked up an impressive total of 86 points last season but Reina believes that improvements by Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa will make it a more open division this time around. And he feels that will translate to the champions requiring fewer points this season.
He added: "Teams like Villa, Tottenham and Man City will be involved in the title race and I think the eventual champions will probably win no more than 82 points this season. "Tottenham are playing at a good level. They were probably better than us in the first game of the season, especially in the first half.
"But it is too early to speak about teams. We have to wait a little bit longer." The Reds are still without Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani due to an ankle problem, but Greek defender Sotiros Kygiakos could make his debut after joining from AEK Athens last week.
Bolton have started the season with two defeats - to Sunderland and Hull - and have not managed to score. Defender Gary Cahill is hopeful that his team's improvements in performances will be translated into results following the 1-0 League Cup win over League One Tranmere in midweek.
He said: "We were better against Hull and kept a clean sheet against Tranmere. "We're at home and they'll be hungry. They've lost two out of three which is poor for them and they'll be looking to make that right.
"We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. They're coming in needing to win to put their season back on track. "It's unheard of them starting this slowly. They've got quality players throughout but two teams have beaten them already so why can't we?"
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Arsenal outclass Celtic in Champions League playoff
Arsenal eased into the group stages of the Champions League on Wednesday, outclassing Celtic 3-1 to enter Thursday's draw where they will be joined by Fiorentina, VfB Stuttgart, Olympiakos and APOEL Nicosia.
A harshly-awarded penalty converted by Eduardo after 28 minutes allowed Arsenal to build on their 2-0 victory in Glasgow in the first leg of their final playoff round tie last week. Emmanuel Eboue and Andrei Arshavin both scored after the break while Massimo Donati salvaged a little pride for the Scottish side with a stoppage-time volley.
The 5-1 aggregate victory for Arsenal by no means flattered the north London club who have started the season in impressive style, winning all their four games and scoring 15 goals in the process.
Serie A side Fiorentina squeezed through on away goals against Portugal's Sporting after a 1-1 home draw left the tie level at 3-3. Steven Jovetic equalised for Fiorentina on the night after Sporting had gone ahead on aggregate through Joao Moutinho.
Stuttgart were held 0-0 at home by Timisoara of Romania but progressed courtesy of their 2-0 away win last week. APOEL beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 for a 3-2 aggregate win while Greek side Olympiakos ended the dreams of Moldovans Sheriff Tirsaspol, completing a 3-0 aggregate win.
The 10 winners of the playoff ties will join the clubs who automatically qualified for the lucrative group stages, including holders Barcelona and runners-up Manchester United.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Liverpool slump to home defeat by Aston Villa
Liverpool lost for the second time in three Premier League matches on Monday, slumping to a 3-1 home defeat by Aston Villa. An own goal by Lucas Leiva and a glancing header from Curtis Davies gave Villa a 2-0 interval lead before Fernando Torres pulled one back for Liverpool in the 72nd minute.
Any hopes of a storming comeback were shortlived as Steven Gerrard rashly brought down midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker and Ashley Young beat keeper Pepe Reina from the penalty spot with 15 minutes remaining. With the season a week old Liverpool, runners-up to Manchester United last season, have already lost as many matches as they did in the whole of the previous campaign. It was also their first league defeat at Anfield since December 2007.
"The first 20 minutes we were alright but an own goal and another goal in (first half) extra time and then a penalty when I thought we were playing better and pushing hard, there were too many things against us," Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez told BBC radio.
Villa, who for much of last season looked capable of a top-four finish before running out of steam, were booed off after losing to Wigan Athletic at home last week but manager Martin O'Neill was delighted with their response. Liverpool dominated early but fell behind after 34 minutes when Young's free kick was headed into his own net by Lucas.
Worse was to follow on the stroke of halftime when Davies lost his marker in the area to glance in a corner that Liverpool protested should not have been awarded. The home side piled on the pressure in the second half and Dirk Kuyt hit the post with a header before Torres beat Villa keeper Brad Friedel with a sharp finish.
Gerrard's rush of blood to the head completed a miserable night for Liverpool as his tackle allowed Young to seal Villa's first league win at Anfield for eight years.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Rooney and Owen get five-star United back on track
Easy blackjack money
No game guarantees you the first place. No online game will guarantee you the winner title. Even those who spend years practicing have a chance to lose. If we talk about blackjack - well, it is a great combination of skill and luck. But you should not think that there is nothing you can do to give yourself a possibility to win if you don't consider yourself too lucky. We will share our top 5 advices with you. Those five will help you gain more money playing blackjack.
1: One of the most important aspects of the blackjack game is the game choice. Don't get it twisted thinking that blackjack is a standard game. There are lots of variations of it. Players usually stick to their favorite game, the one that brings them more money. However we would not recommend playing one and same game all the time. Sometimes it makes perfect sense to try your luck with another type. It is also recommended to try different variants of the same game just to keep your interest alive.
2: If you are the type of player that needs a real casino instead an online one - you better secure yourself with a club card. Player's club cards give you lots of privilege. These privileges could decrease your expenses in the casino, which is always favorable. What will a player's club card do for you? It will grant you free meals and maybe a free room on some occasions. This is one way of making your game give you some benefits. Plus, on the unfortunate event that you lose your seed money, at least you get to eat and sleep for free! That's a definite plus.
3: If the game doesn't look too bright or if your position in the game requires you to come back another time - you should really stop at 17. But you should remember that this will only work in the case of no low cards appearing on the table yet. Which also means the next low card could be yours which you do not want. You should consider various combinations where you can re-split or double down your cards.
4: Don't go crazy with bets. I know sometimes it seems like the one that bets more wins more but this theory could be false. People make big bets in order to impress others around; they want to make others bet much as well. If you plan to use some kind of Blackjack system, don't make it your Bible. There is no one foolproof method for winning in Blackjack. If there was, then the person that created it would definitely not be selling it to you for a few dollars. Why would they do it?
5: The fifth advice would be not to believe those silly stories about counting cards in blackjack as it is never the case. If you are some kind of a math genius, you may try that one for a change but trust me; most of us won't be able to count it up.
Another important note to consider would be not let anybody rush you or tell you how to play. As long as you know exactly what you are doing - you are safe. If you don't trust yourself with cards and you know you can put too much at steak - don't enter the casino. Please remember that games were made for people to entertain themselves. Nobody should get paranoid about them or stressed.
Know your budget when you play. Don't ever let the casino control your life, you should control it. We wish you good luck with it and hope our advices helped you to know more about the blackjack game.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
It is very difficult to replace Ronaldo: Lampard
Manchester United would have to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi if they ever hoped to fill the hole left by Cristiano Ronaldo, says Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. Ronaldo ended his five-year spell with United when he moved to Real in the summer as the Spanish giants launch an expensive rebuilding process after playing second fiddle in the popularity stakes to arch rivals Barcelona.
But Lampard believes United's loss could be the Premier League's gain as the fight for the league trophy is now somewhat closer. "It is very difficult to replace Ronaldo," Lampard told the club's website. "I saw Alex Ferguson say that himself and I don't think he will look to replace him. He will look to make the team strong as a whole by not having him. That is the only thing they can do.
"The amount of times I flicked on the telly and saw Ronaldo had scored and they had won one or two-nil. (Lionel) Messi is probably the only player you could replace Ronaldo with. "That is probably one of our big pluses this year - we didn't lose our big players."
Lampard believes that without Ronaldo at United the league race is now closer. That belief was backed by United's 1-0 defeat to league newcomers Burnley on Wednesday. Lampard added: "The league is probably closer now, which has been a bit of a natural thing over the past few years.
"In United's case, you don't want to draw the promoted teams so early in the season. They come out of the blocks to try and get some points. It (the defeat to Burnley) wasn't completely unexpected. I thought it might be a difficult game for them."
Tottenham sit ahead of Chelsea in the league after two games thanks to superior goal difference while Arsenal, because of their Champions League duties in midweek, have played only one game and sit in third on three points. While Spurs and Chelsea have won both their games so far, Liverpool and United have won one from two.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Federer, Nadal, Murray nab quarter-final berths
World number one Roger Federer was nearly blown off track by blustery winds, while Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal steered a steady course into the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday. Swiss top seed Federer rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's David Ferrer, conquering not only the world number 19 but also blustery winds to line up a meeting with Aussie Lleyton Hewitt.
Despite the difficult conditions, the top four seeds all advanced to the quarter-finals. Murray, whose run to the title in Montreal last week saw him seize the world number two ranking from Nadal, defeated Czech Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-1.
Nadal, the second seed despite his current No.3 world ranking, downed France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-5, 6-2, and fourth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over France's Jeremy Chardy. Federer stretched his career lead over Ferrer to 9-0, but for a while it looked like the Spaniard might notch that first win against his mighty opponent.
He broke Federer for a 5-3 lead, then held at love to pocket the first set. Federer went down an early break in the third, but this time he immediately broke back and cruised home from there. Federer admitted that he wasn't sure his tried-and-true formula of staying calm in the face of adversity would allow him to turn things around this time.
"Today I didn't think I was going to because I thought David was playing a great match," Federer admitted. "That's why the satisfaction is maybe greater now." Federer said he struggled in the early going with his footwork - a key in the windy, unpredictable conditions.
"I think I got it together and started to play better and better," he said. "In the end when it goes your way, all of a sudden you can actually use the wind to your advantage in a big way." Federer, who lost in the quarter-finals of the Montreal Masters last week, was delighted to be looking forward to another match.
After notching his first career French Open crown and then taking his Grand Slam tally to a record 15 at Wimbledon, Federer took some time off as he and his wife, Mirka, welcomed the birth of twin daughters. "That's why this win today was perfect," he said. "Gives me another opportunity to play another match."
Murray said he knew before he took the court that patience would be crucial. "I saw a little bit of Federer's match before I was going on," he said. "You know, you can't play to the lines. You're going to mis-hit some shots. It's just important to not get too frustrated."
Nadal, who missed Wimbledon in a break of more than two months because of tendinitis in both knees, looked sharper than he had last week in Montreal - where he lost in the quarter-finals - or in his opener here against Andreas Seppi. "Very pleased with my performance," he said. "I think I played much better than yesterday."
In Friday's quarters, Federer will face an old rival in Australian veteran Hewitt, who overcame American Sam Querrey 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 to earn a shot at the Swiss superstar. "He's the benchmark," Hewitt said. "He's obviously the in-form player at the moment and the guy to beat on any surface, especially after winning the two last big majors.
"We have had so many big matches over the years in a lot of situations. It's always a privilege to play Roger." Murray will face French lucky loser Julien Benneteau, a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) winner over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Nadal will face Czech Tomas Berdych, who beat Aussie Chris Guccione 6-4, 6-3, while Djokovic will tackle another Frenchman, ninth-seeded Gilles Simon, who downed eighth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Basic set of rules to online gambling newbies
If you're playing games that have to do with some kind of luck (like online poker or online blackjack) there is a certain set of rules that will make your playing experience a lot more effective and exciting. You haven't follow these rules strictly, but you will see that they really can help if taken into account and will save you a lot of time and stress if applied during your gaming process. The games you play, your experience or bankroll do not affect the way you should use these tips as they are of universal effectiveness and can be applied in most gaming situations. So here we go:
- Learn the rules before actually playing a game. That is a must when thinking of playing just any game at the casino. First, you have to clearly understand the rules behind the game and make sure you understand all the terminology. You can't play blackjack if you can't count to 21. Just imagine going to a business meeting where everyone's speaking Japanese (and you don't understand any single word out of it). The same thing hare. And there's really no excuse in not knowing the rules with some many free online casinos out there today, where you can practice as much as you want.
- Keep a slow pace of your gaming process. Don't net everything you have in the first 15 minutes, because gambling is about the fun of playing, not spending all you got as fast as you can. Make sure you follow your own rhythm and have something to gamble with after and hour or two into the game.
- Define your playing budget. You will have to set the maximum amount of money you can afford losing during the nigh. And don't spend even a penny over this amount. Forget about your credit card and leave it at home, because the temptation of withdrawing more money will be very strong, and if you will actually do it you will have to deal with even a larger sum of money lost and all the hassle behind it.
- Don't try to outplay your losses. Of course the temptation of winning over your losses with larger bets will be high, but it's definitely not the smartest thing to do. In fact, it will make the things even worse. In this case it is better to switch the table or the game altogether and start all over if you are still within your budget.
- Avoid distractions. It is important to keep the focus on your gaming process. Because a simple and stupid mistake can result in a big loss. And that's really disappointing.
- Don't push yourself too hard. Taking breaks is very important because it helps you stay in focus. Try refreshing yourself during the breaks and stay alert on what's happening at the table when getting back.
- Keep track of your emotions. Gambling is not the best thing to do when you're angry, furious or depressed. Keep in mind that focus is the key to winning at any casino games and any emotions that will interfere with your alertness are a one way ticket to losing.
- Try to have as much fun as possible. This is what gambling is all about. As long as you're having fun when playing you'll be less prone to losing money. Try to remember this and be positive about anything that happens at the table.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Classy Gunners beat unlucky Celtic
Arsene Wegner's side are now overwhelming favourites as they take a healthy lead to London for the second leg of this play-off tie at the Emirates Stadium in two weeks time as Tony Mowbray's side went down to their second successive home European defeat. After his goal-scoring heroics against Dynamo Moscow Georgios Samaras was favoured up front with new signing Marc-Antoine Fortune dropping to the bench while Wenger stuck with the starting line-up that demolished Everton 6-1 on Saturday.
In a match with so much at stake for both sides there was a lively start with Daniel Fox twice providing a decent delivery in to the box from the left wing early on. Some slackness in defence almost cost Celtic when Artur Boruc had to be quick to react to stop Arsenal captain Fabregas intercepting a soft Fox pass back.
At the other end Caldwell's looping header from Fox's corner was never in danger of testing Manuel Almunia as it sailed over the bar. The warning signs were there for Celtic when Andrei Arshavin had the ball in the net in the 12th minute.
Some slick passing at the edge of the box culminated in Robin van Persie's deflected shot landing at Arshavin's feet but the flag was already up for offside as the Russian drilled his effort home.
Celtic were a constant threat on the counter-attack with wingmen Aiden McGeady and Shaun Maloney utilising their pace to break quickly. And the pair combined well in the 19th minute when Maloney released McGeady down the left to go on a marauding run.
The Irishman beat three Arsenal players before electing to cross to Scott Brown in the box who went down heavily under the challenge of Thomas Vermaelen as he volleyed wide but referee Massimo Busacca waved away the Celtic player's penalty claims.
The pace of the game didn't drop but despite this it wasn't until the final five minutes of the half that the keepers were called into action. Polish keeper Boruc was equal to Arshavin's long-range effort before Almunia did well to hold on to Brown's spinning shot from the edge of the box.
With the teams deadlocked it was always going to take a piece of skill or luck to break the deadlock. And that moment came two minutes before the break when Arsenal took the lead. A free-kick at the edge of the box was played short to Fabregas and his well drilled effort took a wicked deflection off the back of Gallas as he ran across the area, the ball completely bamboozling Boruc and flying into the bottom corner of the net.
Arsenal began the second-half with an attacking onslaught with van Persie and Denilson both sending shots just wide of Boruc's post in the first three minutes. Mowbray decided to change his attacking line-up ten minutes in with Australian Scott McDonald and Fortune replacing Samaras and Massimo Donati.
But it was an Arsenal substitution which made a greater impact. Abou Diaby replaced Arshavin in the 70th minute and the substitute made an instant impression. The Frenchman beat his man in midfield before sending Gael Clichy racing down the left and the unfortunate Caldwell stuck a leg out to send his cross past his own keeper.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Woods to be fined for criticism of rules official
Woods was bothered after his four-shot victory Sunday because he and Padraig Harrington were put on the clock at the par-5 16th. He said that caused Harrington to rush three difficult shots, leading to triple bogey. European Tour chief referee John Paramor told Woods and Harrington they were being timed.
Woods said he told Harrington after it was over, “I’m sorry that John got in the way of a great battle.” Paramor said the final pairing was well behind most of the back nine, but officials gave them time to catch up. They were still 17 minutes out of position on the 16th tee, when they were put on the clock.
Woods hooked his tee shot, punched out to 178 yards and hit an 8-iron that stopped a foot from the hole for birdie. From the right trees, Harrington hit a 5-iron to the edge of a bunker, went over the green, then hit a flop shot too hard and into the water. The four-shot swing took the drama from one of the most compelling final rounds of the year.
“I don’t think that Paddy would have hit the pitch shot that way if he was able to take his time, look at it, analyze it,” Woods said. “But he was on the clock, had to get up there quickly and hit it.” Harrington conceded he was rushed, although he said it would be unfair to give the final group preferential treatment.
Section VI-D in the PGA Tour’s player handbook says, “It is an obligation of membership to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage tournaments, sponsors, fellow members, players, or PGA Tour.”
Monday, August 3, 2009
Hints to help you increase your chances playing online casinos games
Read through the tips we bring here to raise your opportunities at the casino. We are sure they will help you to considerably benefit.
1. Game rules are the first thing to get aware of.
2. Don't drink alcohol while gambling.
4.Always be wise making stakes.
5. Don't boast of your victory.