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Monday, September 8, 2008

Berba to undergo United boot camp

New Red Devil Dimitar Berbatov's first assignment as a Manchester United player will be to get himself into tip top physical shape.

Berbatov has yet to link up with the Manchester United squad after sealing his deadline day US$60 million pound transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.

Instead, the striker has been away on international duty where he starred in Bulgaria's entertaining 2-2 draw with Montenegro in last night's World Cup qualifier.

According to English tabloid News of the World, Berbatov will now undergo a full physical check-up before being penciled in for an intensive fitness routine when he returns from the international qualifiers.

Whilst the 27-year-old has proved his worth in the Premier League for the past two years, the former Bayer Leverkusen front man has never been renowned for his work-rate on the pitch.

In fact, his lethargic and lazy persona even initially led to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson having doubts about bringing the striker to Old Trafford.

The fact that he has not even played a competitive game this season due to him being psychologically unfit to take to the pitch has all the more fuelled United's eagerness to whip him up into shape.

Moreover, Berbatov will also now have to quit his habit of occasionally lighting up a cigarette as smoking is strictly prohibited at United.

Fergie is hoping that the club's revolutionary fitness model for Berbatov will see him in peak shape when United take on arch rivals Liverpool next week.

by espnstar.com


Petit regrets Barca move

Former Barcelona midfielder Emmanuel Petit has claimed that moving to the Nou Camp was one of his worst career moves.

The former French star's wounds suffered from his time with the Catalan club has not clearly not healed as he dished the dirt in his new autobiography under a chapter called "Barcelona, my bad fortune."

Following his switch from Arsenal in 2000, Petit commented that his stint went downhill right from the time he signed on the dotted line.

"The only regret I have in life is that I left Arsenal for Barcelona. In England I earned €150,000-per-month (US$211,000) so I asked Gaspart for double that and after some doubts he agreed in the end," Petit explained.

"All went well until I arrived when I was met by some directors who were very smooth talking. They were like carpet salesman.

"They talked about it and I threatened to return to my hotel unless we arrived at an agreement and at 4am they finally accepted my demands.

"I joined the squad later than others, during a trip to Holland, and I arrived in time to play in a game. When I turned up most of them did not pay me any attention or greet me.

"In a short space of time I discovered that there were three cliques; the Catalans, the Dutch and the rest. There was no unity.

"The day I arrived the coach asked Richard Dutruel, the other French player in the squad, to translate for me. He asked me, visibly ashamed, not to laugh but the coach wanted to know where I played. I could not believe it.

"I thought it was a joke, but that was when I realized that I had been signed to help the political ambitions of Gaspart who wanted to be the president.

"The coach was a clown and completely incompetent. I had never seen a head as bald as his."

Petit also had to incur the wrath of his own Barca team mates after the press put words into his mouth.

"We lost to Besiktas and played terribly. On the plane on the way home the Catalan journalists asked me if it was because we lacked character and I nodded my head," he continued.

"The next day the press had headlines which claimed I had said the team lacked guts. The squad were not happy and Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola, Sergio and Abelardo took me to one side and told me it was not on.

"From that moment I was outcast, I became the unapproachable one and nobody would speak to me."

Petit has suffered personal anguish during his spell in Barcelona after the club refused to grant him permission to take a few days off following his father's death.
"I asked the coaching staff to let me go and they said no and I felt very bad about that. I was ready to just walk out then. I thought I was going hit someone.

"I had to install a punchbag in my garage to stop myself from turning violent at the club."

"I had no luck and I joined the club at the worst time when it was in complete decline and ruled by groups within the squad. I used to cry about having to go into training, but not through sadness, but just nerves."

Petit only stayed at Barcelona one season and returned to London in 2001 where he joined Chelsea and spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge.


by espnstar.com

Royal stars as Broncos take 17-0 lead over Raiders

OAKLAND, Calif. - Denver rookie Denver outgained the entire Oakland offense with seven receptions for 99 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown catch from Jay Cutler, and the Broncos took a 17-0 halftime lead over the Raiders on Monday night.

Cutler went 12-of-18 for 202 yards while calmly directing the Broncos through an outstanding offensive half that included a five-minute march to open the game at the Coliseum.Michael Pittman rushed for a 3-yard score for the Broncos, who beat up a longtime rival early in their first game following their first losing season since 1999.

Royal, a second-round draft pick from Virginia Tech, looked thoroughly deserving of his starting job in a breakout first half for the Broncos, who didn't miss 102-catch receiver Brandon Marshall during his one-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct code.

Royal even rushed two times for 9 yards, giving him 108 total yards — a good bit more than the 95 generated by JaMarcus Russell, rookie Darren McFadden and Oakland's inexperienced offense, which struggled to get into an early groove.

Even after all of Al Davis' offseason changes, the Raiders have been outscored 60-0 in their last 2 1/2 appearances in Monday night games. Oakland has five straight seasons of double-digit losses.

After both clubs posted sub-.500 records in 2007, Denver and Oakland were hoping for an early boost to their hopes to get back to contention in the AFC West. The clubs hadn't both endured simultaneous losing seasons since 1964, when they were in the AFL.

Raiders receiver Javon Walker was scratched with a strained hamstring, preventing the mercurial pass-catcher from taking on his former teammates. Walker missed much of last week's practices with the injury, forcing Johnnie Lee Higgins to start in his place.

Denver's offense marched 76 yards on its opening drive, finishing when Royal sneaked behind new Raiders safety Gibril Wilson for a catch in the corner of the end zone.

Oakland came right back with a 58-yard kickoff return by Higgins. McFadden, the No. 4 overall draft pick, broke an 8-yard run on the first NFL carry, and the Raiders reached the Denver 7 before Russell fumbled while getting hit on third down.

Russell slapped his helmet in anger running off the field. He went 5-of-8 for 47 yards in the first half, while Justin Fargas had 10 carries for 40 yards.

Cutler later connected on a 72-yard pass to backup tight end Tony Scheffler, who slipped behind linebacker Kirk Morrison and rambled 20 yards after the catch before falling at the Oakland 4. Denver then lost 4 yards before Matt Prater's 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Denver then moved 57 yards with three more passes to Royal on a drive capped by Pittman's 3-yard TD run 4:21 before halftime.

The Raiders' struggles were encapsulated when they nearly pulled off a clever reverse end-around in the second quarter — but Higgins bobbled the pitch with empty field in front of him before picking it up and getting run out of bounds for a 15-yard loss.


by news.yahoo.com

Evans backs Berbatov to shine

Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has backed Dimitar Berbatov to take the club forward after sealing a £30.5million move from Tottenham.

The 20-year-old Northern Ireland defender has twice faced his new team-mate and twice ended up on the losing side.

"He is someone who can make a difference to a game," said Evans. "Berbatov has a great touch for a big man and is a very good player. I am just glad he is now at United. On the other hand I know I will have to be at my best in training."

Berbatov's move to United has considerably raised his profile, especially in Bulgaria, where he is skipper of the national side.

And he found himself having to answer some difficult questions in the wake of their 2-2 draw again Montenegro in a World Cup qualifier at the weekend.

Berbatov failed to score and told Focus News: "What do I care if there is more criticism?

"There will always be situations where I will miss. If I were to score in every situation, I would have arrived at Manchester United five years ago.

"It is normal to have more expectations for me but I am an ordinary person and sometimes I do things wrong."

by espnstar.com


Comment: Brains vs Brawn & Brains Christy Simson dissects the US Open final match-up between the defending champion Roger Federer and upstart Andy Mu

Christy Simson dissects the US Open final match-up between the defending champion Roger Federer and upstart Andy Murray.
Novak Djokovic hits an earlier, cleaner, harder, flatter ball than anyone else in the world.

In short the 6 foot three hunk of athletic muscle is a pain in the neck to play against. He rushes you into shots and into mistakes.

In Saturday's semifinal, Roger Federer was feeling that pain - He'd just been steamrollered by Djokovic in the second set and the young Serb was calling the shots. It was almost embarrassing to watch the great man scampering from one side of the court to the other.

But, using his brain as much as his racket, Federer found a way through. He slowed things up with that slice backhand, and he served brilliantly when it mattered in the closing games of the third set.

But tonight's final is going to be even harder. Like Djokovic, Andy Murray is a young physical specimen on a mission. But unlike Djokovic, Murray can change his game to suit any circumstance.

He won't be bothered by Federer varying the pace, in fact he's got just as much variety himself.

And he's confident enough not to take unnecessary risks. The Scot is very happy sitting back, drifting it over the net and then hitting it hard on the counter. He's also much more comfortable than Djokovic at the net. That's why some aficionados reckon he's going to win more Grand Slams than the Serbian.

Times have changed - Do you remember the way Federer used to blast his opponents off court in grand slam semis and finals? The likes of Hewitt, Agassi, Nalbandian, Philippoussis, Moya, Henman, and Davydenko just did not have an answer to his all-round brilliance. But Nadal, Djokovic and now Murray are a different breed. They are fitter, younger and quicker than Federer - Murray's serve in particular has come on leaps and bounds.

I noticed in his semi-final against Djokovic, Federer was trying to hit an ace with almost every serve - a sign that he's low on confidence - his volleying was also way below par.

But there is one thing that Roger is still the best in the world at - and that is defending. He won that semi-final by hanging in there and breaking Djokovic's spirit.

There was one shot in particular that I will never forget. He was about two feet from the court's backdrop - with no options as Djokovic connected with a smash. Somehow Federer got a racket too it. A lob would have almost certainly spelt doom, a pass attempt was also very low percentage. So he came up with a third option. You could have heard a pin drop in Arthur Ashe stadium as the fans realised what he was attempting. I can only describe it as a 'slob' - a mixture of a serve and a lob. And it was delivered with serious side-spin, which is what confused Djokovic because the ball went over his head at real pace and looked like it was going to be long. But inexplicably it curved in a right to left, downward arc before dropping a couple of inches inside the line. The youngster had been made to look stupid and Federer saluted a crowd in awe.

No one else (bar perhaps Murray) could have played that shot and it was part of a masterclass from Federer.

Who's going to win tonight? I have absolutely no idea. But if we're talking about self belief then Murray is your man (he's no Tim Henman) and the Scot has of course beaten Federer the last two times they've met - both on hard court.

by espnstar.com


Beckham pushes for selection

David Beckham has suggested England manager Fabio Capello should turn to his experience against Croatia in Zagreb.

Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott was handed a surprise start on the right side of midfield in the 2-0 win over Andorra on Saturday.

Capello's England are now preparing for what promises to be a much sterner test on Wednesday.

And Beckham, who came on as a substitute at the weekend to land his 104th cap, believes experience could play a key role in securing victory over the Croats.

He said in The Sun: "It's good to have experience in the squad and we've got that with the players we have.

"Myself and players who have played in some of the biggest games in the world. We have that experience and we will need it on Wednesday.

"It will be a different challenge to Andorra, we all know that. Now we have to get our rest and make sure we are ready for the Croatia game.

"Andorra was a challenge, but Zagreb will be a challenge in another way."

* Catch the Andorra-England highlights on our mediaplayer!


by espnstar.com/football


Gerrard wants Reds to show more fight

Steven Gerrard says Liverpool must show more commitment to beat Manchester United this weekend.

The midfielder will not be fit in time for the clash between the two sides on Saturday, after the groin operation that caused him to miss this week's England World Cup qualifiers

"That's a bit too soon," he told The Guardian when asked about a comeback against United.

"I've a decent chance for the Champions League game in Marseille. I've spoken to the manager and told him I'd like to do a certain amount of training before I come back. I don't want to go into a big game only having had one session with the boys."

However, despite missing the game, Gerrard had some words of advice for his teammates.

"Against Chelsea in the cups, we've done them more than they've done us, but in the league we have to be a bit more attack-minded to win.

"Over the last couple of years we've gone into games against United and Chelsea very organised tactically - defensive if you like - and still lost 1-0.

"Have the same sound defence and show more bollocks going forward, and it could be 1-0 to us.

"In these matches the first goal is massive; if you concede it, nine times out of 10 you don't get back. It's important a few risks are taken to try to score that goal against these teams because it gives you such a psychological boost."

by espnstar.com/football


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