Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Clash Of The Titans Part I
Current Form Running
Chelsea have won just once in their last seven league fixtures, a sequence of results that has earned the Blues a mere six points from a possible 21. Under-pressure manager Carlo Ancelotti is boosted, however, by the return of vice-captain Frank Lampard, who made his long awaited return from injury in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham last weekend. Meanwhile, United are on the crest of a wave after Monday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal propelled the Reds to a two-point lead in the title race and set a club record start of 16 league games unbeaten.
Ins and outs
Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic look set to deputise in the continued absence of defensive pair Jose Bosingwa and Alex, while Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba should both start after coming off the bench against Spurs. With no fresh injuries or suspensions to worry about, Sir Alex Ferguson could be tempted to name an unchanged team for the first time in 151 matches, though Ryan Giggs may be in line to start after a brief second-half cameo against Arsenal.
Star man
Florent Malouda struggled at first to cope with the demands of English football and was a mere squad player at Stamford Bridge until the arrival of temporary manager Guus Hiddink during the 2008/09 season completely transformed his fortunes. The French winger blossomed under the Dutchman and has continued the good work for Carlo Ancelotti, scoring 12 league goals to help Chelsea land the 2009/10 title.
Referee
Martin Atkinson will take charge of Sunday's game. He was last seen by United fans in the 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford in November, when he sent off two visiting players in Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega.
Rivals Watch
Arsenal host Stoke at the Emirates on Saturday, Tottenham travel to Blackpool on Sunday and Manchester City take on Everton in Monday night’s match at Eastlands.
Chelsea have won just once in their last seven league fixtures, a sequence of results that has earned the Blues a mere six points from a possible 21. Under-pressure manager Carlo Ancelotti is boosted, however, by the return of vice-captain Frank Lampard, who made his long awaited return from injury in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham last weekend. Meanwhile, United are on the crest of a wave after Monday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal propelled the Reds to a two-point lead in the title race and set a club record start of 16 league games unbeaten.
Ins and outs
Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic look set to deputise in the continued absence of defensive pair Jose Bosingwa and Alex, while Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba should both start after coming off the bench against Spurs. With no fresh injuries or suspensions to worry about, Sir Alex Ferguson could be tempted to name an unchanged team for the first time in 151 matches, though Ryan Giggs may be in line to start after a brief second-half cameo against Arsenal.
Star man
Florent Malouda struggled at first to cope with the demands of English football and was a mere squad player at Stamford Bridge until the arrival of temporary manager Guus Hiddink during the 2008/09 season completely transformed his fortunes. The French winger blossomed under the Dutchman and has continued the good work for Carlo Ancelotti, scoring 12 league goals to help Chelsea land the 2009/10 title.
Referee
Martin Atkinson will take charge of Sunday's game. He was last seen by United fans in the 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford in November, when he sent off two visiting players in Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega.
Rivals Watch
Arsenal host Stoke at the Emirates on Saturday, Tottenham travel to Blackpool on Sunday and Manchester City take on Everton in Monday night’s match at Eastlands.
EPL Saturday Action
This week's round of fixtures begins with a 12.45pm kick-off between Sunderland and in-form Bolton Wanderers at the Stadium of Light.
Arsenal could return to the top of the Barclays Premier League with a victory over Stoke City as Manchester United face off with Chelsea on Sunday and Manchester City play on Monday night.
Alan Pardew takes charge of his second match as Newcastle United manager when the Magpies go to Birmingham City. Managerless Blackburn Rovers host basement boys West Ham United, Wigan Athletic entertain Aston Villa, while Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson takes on his old club Fulham in the day's evening kick-off.
Sunderland v Bolton
Sunderland did the double over Bolton last term, for the first time since the 2001/02 season, and will be aiming for another three points.
The Black Cats are unbeaten at home and have kept eight clean sheets in 17 matches - the joint-best record this campaign along with Manchester City and Chelsea.
Bolton have lost just two matches away from home this season and will look to build on last weekend's late win over Blackburn Rovers.
The last three Barclays Premier League matches between these sides at the Stadium of Light have seen 13 goals scored.
Arsenal v Stoke
Arsenal aim to recover from defeat at title rivals Manchester United last time out when they host Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium.
The league's second-placed team have lost two of their last three matches at home, while the Potters have lost three of their last six on the road.
Stoke have won just five times in 39 trips to Arsenal and last won a league fixture at the Gunners 29 years ago.
Tony Pulis' side were defeated for the first time in six Barclays Premier League matches at the weekend with a loss at home to Blackpool.
Birmingham v Newcastle
Birmingham sit just two points above the relegation zone in 16th place but take on Newcastle with a decent home record this season.
Although their five-match unbeaten run ended at local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend they have lost just one of their last 23 home fixtures in the Barclays Premier League.
Newcastle will be boosted by an impressive 3-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend in manager Pardew's first match at the helm.
Away from St James' Park, they have netted just eight goals and conceded 15.
Blackburn v West Ham
Blackburn first team coach Steve Kean leads Rovers out against bottom club West Ham in temporary charge after the sacking of manager Sam Allardyce.
West Ham are in desperate need of points having lost their last two matches and not won on the road all season.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last four Premier League visits to Ewood Park, drawing twice and winning twice.
Blackburn are bidding for their 250th win in the Premier League, while the Hammers need five goals for 700 in the Premier League.
Wigan v Aston Villa
Wigan go in search of a victory over Aston Villa that could see them move out of the bottom three.
The Latics have picked up just one Barclays Premier League triumph in 10 and have scored just eight goals at home - the joint fewest in the division.
Aston Villa ended a run of three straight defeats with victory over West Bromwich Albion last weekend, but they have recorded just one away win all season.
Villa have lost six away matches and scored just five goals away from Villa Park - only West Ham have fewer.
Liverpool v Fulham
Liverpool go into this fixture against Fulham with a decent home record - they have only been defeated once this season - and manager Roy Hodgson will be aiming to keep that good form going against his old side.
Fulham are the division's draw specialists with their stalemate against Sunderland last weekend making it 10 for the season.
They have not won away in the Barclays Premier League for 16 months and 26 matches and have never been victorious in 23 visits to Anfied.
Barclays Premier League fixtures
Sunderland v Bolton (Referee: Chris Foy)
Arsenal v Stoke (Lee Mason)
Birmingham v Newcastle (Michael Jones)
Blackburn v West Ham (Mike Dean)
Wigan v Aston Villa (Jon Moss)
Liverpool v Fulham (Andre Marriner)
Arsenal could return to the top of the Barclays Premier League with a victory over Stoke City as Manchester United face off with Chelsea on Sunday and Manchester City play on Monday night.
Alan Pardew takes charge of his second match as Newcastle United manager when the Magpies go to Birmingham City. Managerless Blackburn Rovers host basement boys West Ham United, Wigan Athletic entertain Aston Villa, while Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson takes on his old club Fulham in the day's evening kick-off.
Sunderland v Bolton
Sunderland did the double over Bolton last term, for the first time since the 2001/02 season, and will be aiming for another three points.
The Black Cats are unbeaten at home and have kept eight clean sheets in 17 matches - the joint-best record this campaign along with Manchester City and Chelsea.
Bolton have lost just two matches away from home this season and will look to build on last weekend's late win over Blackburn Rovers.
The last three Barclays Premier League matches between these sides at the Stadium of Light have seen 13 goals scored.
Arsenal v Stoke
Arsenal aim to recover from defeat at title rivals Manchester United last time out when they host Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium.
The league's second-placed team have lost two of their last three matches at home, while the Potters have lost three of their last six on the road.
Stoke have won just five times in 39 trips to Arsenal and last won a league fixture at the Gunners 29 years ago.
Tony Pulis' side were defeated for the first time in six Barclays Premier League matches at the weekend with a loss at home to Blackpool.
Birmingham v Newcastle
Birmingham sit just two points above the relegation zone in 16th place but take on Newcastle with a decent home record this season.
Although their five-match unbeaten run ended at local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend they have lost just one of their last 23 home fixtures in the Barclays Premier League.
Newcastle will be boosted by an impressive 3-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend in manager Pardew's first match at the helm.
Away from St James' Park, they have netted just eight goals and conceded 15.
Blackburn v West Ham
Blackburn first team coach Steve Kean leads Rovers out against bottom club West Ham in temporary charge after the sacking of manager Sam Allardyce.
West Ham are in desperate need of points having lost their last two matches and not won on the road all season.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last four Premier League visits to Ewood Park, drawing twice and winning twice.
Blackburn are bidding for their 250th win in the Premier League, while the Hammers need five goals for 700 in the Premier League.
Wigan v Aston Villa
Wigan go in search of a victory over Aston Villa that could see them move out of the bottom three.
The Latics have picked up just one Barclays Premier League triumph in 10 and have scored just eight goals at home - the joint fewest in the division.
Aston Villa ended a run of three straight defeats with victory over West Bromwich Albion last weekend, but they have recorded just one away win all season.
Villa have lost six away matches and scored just five goals away from Villa Park - only West Ham have fewer.
Liverpool v Fulham
Liverpool go into this fixture against Fulham with a decent home record - they have only been defeated once this season - and manager Roy Hodgson will be aiming to keep that good form going against his old side.
Fulham are the division's draw specialists with their stalemate against Sunderland last weekend making it 10 for the season.
They have not won away in the Barclays Premier League for 16 months and 26 matches and have never been victorious in 23 visits to Anfied.
Barclays Premier League fixtures
Sunderland v Bolton (Referee: Chris Foy)
Arsenal v Stoke (Lee Mason)
Birmingham v Newcastle (Michael Jones)
Blackburn v West Ham (Mike Dean)
Wigan v Aston Villa (Jon Moss)
Liverpool v Fulham (Andre Marriner)
Champions League draw Friday 17th December 2010
The last 16 draw for the Champions League has thrown up some interesting matches.
Manchester United will play Marseille in the last 16 of this season's Champions League.
The Red Devils dodged some of the competition's bigger sides and will take on the French outfit.
Arsenal have once again been drawn against Barcelona in their last 16 fixture.
The Gunners were runners up to the Spanish giants in 2006 and were also beaten in last year's quarter-final between the sides.
Tottenham Hotspur will play AC Milan. Harry Redknapp's side, playing in the competition for the first time, have been handed the toughest of draws against the Italian giants.
Chelsea have been drawn against FC Copenhagen. The Blues were given arguably the easiest draw of the round against the Danish champions.
The first legs will be played on 15th/16th/22nd/23rd February 2011, with the returns on 8th/9th/15th/16th March 2011.
Champions League draw
Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea
Manchester United will play Marseille in the last 16 of this season's Champions League.
The Red Devils dodged some of the competition's bigger sides and will take on the French outfit.
Arsenal have once again been drawn against Barcelona in their last 16 fixture.
The Gunners were runners up to the Spanish giants in 2006 and were also beaten in last year's quarter-final between the sides.
Tottenham Hotspur will play AC Milan. Harry Redknapp's side, playing in the competition for the first time, have been handed the toughest of draws against the Italian giants.
Chelsea have been drawn against FC Copenhagen. The Blues were given arguably the easiest draw of the round against the Danish champions.
The first legs will be played on 15th/16th/22nd/23rd February 2011, with the returns on 8th/9th/15th/16th March 2011.
Champions League draw
Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea
Champions League draw - Fri 17th
The last 16 draw for the Champions League has thrown up some interesting matches.
Manchester United will play Marseille in the last 16 of this season's Champions League.
The Red Devils dodged some of the competition's bigger sides and will take on the French outfit.
Arsenal have once again been drawn against Barcelona in their last 16 fixture.
The Gunners were runners up to the Spanish giants in 2006 and were also beaten in last year's quarter-final between the sides.
Tottenham Hotspur will play AC Milan. Harry Redknapp's side, playing in the competition for the first time, have been handed the toughest of draws against the Italian giants.
Chelsea have been drawn against FC Copenhagen. The Blues were given arguably the easiest draw of the round against the Danish champions.
The first legs will be played on 15th/16th/22nd/23rd February 2011, with the returns on 8th/9th/15th/16th March 2011.
Champions League draw
Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea
Manchester United will play Marseille in the last 16 of this season's Champions League.
The Red Devils dodged some of the competition's bigger sides and will take on the French outfit.
Arsenal have once again been drawn against Barcelona in their last 16 fixture.
The Gunners were runners up to the Spanish giants in 2006 and were also beaten in last year's quarter-final between the sides.
Tottenham Hotspur will play AC Milan. Harry Redknapp's side, playing in the competition for the first time, have been handed the toughest of draws against the Italian giants.
Chelsea have been drawn against FC Copenhagen. The Blues were given arguably the easiest draw of the round against the Danish champions.
The first legs will be played on 15th/16th/22nd/23rd February 2011, with the returns on 8th/9th/15th/16th March 2011.
Champions League draw
Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea
Monday, December 6, 2010
Preview To The CL Clash On Tuesday: Man United vs Valencia
Edwin eyes top spot
Edwin van der Sar is keen to see United secure top spot in Champions League Group C on Tuesday night.
The Reds welcome Valencia to Old Trafford for the final group match knowing that anything other than a defeat will be enough to advance to the knockout stages as group winners and, consequently, avoid the other groups' winners in the last 16.
Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, plus United’s conquerors last season, Bayern Munich, have already secured top spot in their respective groups and van der Sar is fully aware of the importance of steering clear of Europe’s elite.
“We may be through now but we want to get to first spot to avoid any of the big teams in the earlier rounds. That’s what we need to do on Tuesday,” said the Dutchman.
United have yet to concede a goal in this season’s Champions League and will become the first side to do so throughout an entire group stage if they manage to keep a clean sheet against Valencia.
Van der Sar, responsible for three of the five clean sheets this term, is naturally pleased with the record, however he's aware there are much tougher challenges to come for the Reds.
“When you start playing a higher standard of opposition it’s going to get difficult,” he said.
“So far we haven’t played against the biggest teams in the Champions League so that’s maybe got something to do with it.”
Edwin van der Sar is keen to see United secure top spot in Champions League Group C on Tuesday night.
The Reds welcome Valencia to Old Trafford for the final group match knowing that anything other than a defeat will be enough to advance to the knockout stages as group winners and, consequently, avoid the other groups' winners in the last 16.
Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, plus United’s conquerors last season, Bayern Munich, have already secured top spot in their respective groups and van der Sar is fully aware of the importance of steering clear of Europe’s elite.
“We may be through now but we want to get to first spot to avoid any of the big teams in the earlier rounds. That’s what we need to do on Tuesday,” said the Dutchman.
United have yet to concede a goal in this season’s Champions League and will become the first side to do so throughout an entire group stage if they manage to keep a clean sheet against Valencia.
Van der Sar, responsible for three of the five clean sheets this term, is naturally pleased with the record, however he's aware there are much tougher challenges to come for the Reds.
“When you start playing a higher standard of opposition it’s going to get difficult,” he said.
“So far we haven’t played against the biggest teams in the Champions League so that’s maybe got something to do with it.”
Monday, November 29, 2010
Lady Canons Inflict Second Blow Beating A1 Challenge 65 : 55
After a spirited first two quarters all hell broke through on court. With both guards on bench and Mavita taking on the pointing duties, a lot of offensive dimension was robbed from the team.
Why change a winning team? The first two quarters saw A1 Challenge in firm grip of the Game II finale but the third quarter syndrome hit hard and all hell broke lose.
The Lady Canons with nothing going right for them in the first and second quarter took the game to the defense and keep picking fouls and made that count.
Leveling the tie and eventually beating the A1 Challenge in a Game Two that saw their player of the match Bazira Liz who dislocated her wrist on her left arm and won't be able to feature in the remaining games to come.
Lady Canons Akinyi Lorraine also got a muscle strain which saw her limp off court but should be good to play when the two teams next meet on Wednesday evening.
In the men's category, DMark Power came from behind to grab their second win in the best of seven finals with Karuiki getting fouled out and DMark Power's full court press strategy sending the Warriors in panic mode, silly turn-overs from Abdullah and Jude couldn't have come at a worse time. Warriors have a Game III to seek a life-line if they stand any chance to fight back in the finals.
Game III is at Lugogo MTN Arena on Wednesday evening.
Why change a winning team? The first two quarters saw A1 Challenge in firm grip of the Game II finale but the third quarter syndrome hit hard and all hell broke lose.
The Lady Canons with nothing going right for them in the first and second quarter took the game to the defense and keep picking fouls and made that count.
Leveling the tie and eventually beating the A1 Challenge in a Game Two that saw their player of the match Bazira Liz who dislocated her wrist on her left arm and won't be able to feature in the remaining games to come.
Lady Canons Akinyi Lorraine also got a muscle strain which saw her limp off court but should be good to play when the two teams next meet on Wednesday evening.
In the men's category, DMark Power came from behind to grab their second win in the best of seven finals with Karuiki getting fouled out and DMark Power's full court press strategy sending the Warriors in panic mode, silly turn-overs from Abdullah and Jude couldn't have come at a worse time. Warriors have a Game III to seek a life-line if they stand any chance to fight back in the finals.
Game III is at Lugogo MTN Arena on Wednesday evening.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
This Weekend In Summary
Record-breaking day for goals
November 28, 2010
Dimitar Berbatov bagged a marvellous quintet as Manchester United soared to the top of the Premier League table with a rampant 7-1 victory over Blackburn at Old Trafford on Saturday. With Chelsea preparing for a trip to Newcastle, Sir Alex Ferguson's men had the chance to turn up the pressure on the champions, and the result was never in doubt from the second minute onwards as they contributed to a record 36 goals.
Fielding Wayne Rooney and Berbatov in his strikeforce for the visit of Blackburn,
Ferguson wore a wide grin when the pair combined after less than 120 seconds. Nani delivered the cross for Rooney to flick on, with Berbatov waiting gleefully to score his first league goal since the hat-trick against Liverpool on September 19. Rovers no doubt will contest the goal, after Paul Robinson appeared to be fouled in the build-up.
Rooney was looking sharp, buoyed by his penalty at Rangers in midweek, and he played a sublime role in United's second. Receiving the ball from Park Ji-Sung, he returned it to the South Korean with a lovely weighted pass as the midfielder tucked home for 2-0.
By half-time it was three, and this time the assist belonged firmly to Blackburn defender Pascal Chimbonda. Lazily turning towards his own goal, Chimbonda blindly played the ball towards Robinson, only to find Berbatov waiting for the pass. Coolness personified, the Bulgarian took one touch before dispatching arguably his easiest goal of the season.
There was more agony for Blackburn in the second period as Berbatov started and finished a contender for goal of the season, pulling the strings in a sweeping 80-yard move. Then Nani, always a threat out wide, got in on the act with another clinical strike before Berbatov added two more as United produced arguably their finest display of the season, only dented by a late consolation for Chris Samba.
Arsenal avoided a potential repeat of their North London derby capitulation, beating Aston Villa 4-2 in Saturday's early kick-off at Villa Park.
The major talking point prior to kick-off was the news that Robert Pires would make his first Villa start against his former club. Pires won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners, and greeted Arsene Wenger warmly ahead of the first whistle. The France international was forced to play the role of bystander once the game got underway, with Arsenal completely dominant in the first half - just as they were a week ago against Spurs. Arshavin finally converted that supremacy into goals five minutes before half-time, capitalising on a defensive mix-up to cut inside and find Brad Friedel's far corner.
Friedel's defensive cover was non-existent as Samir Nasri then nipped in to round the American, only to send his effort wide of an open goal. And then Friedel had to be at his best to deny a Chamakh header from point-blank range. He could do nothing on the stroke of the interval though, as Nasri arrived at the edge of the box to drill home a deflected volley for 2-0.
Pires was replaced at the break as Villa looked for a Tottenham-like reply, and the comeback looked well-and-truly on when Clark made the most of Gael Clichy's decision to back off, chesting down and volleying excellently past Lukasz Fabianski. Replays did show Arsenal had plenty of cause for complaint, with the offside John Carew blatantly blocking the view of Fabianski as Clark fired goalwards.
It mattered little as Chamakh settled Arsenal nerves within four minutes, beating
Friedel to Tomas Rosicky's through-ball for 3-1. Still Arsenal's brittle defence was not done though, with Clark heading home his second of the match to set up a nervy final 20 minutes, but on this occasion the Gunners found the late goal as Wilshere settled matters in injury time.
Manchester City missed their chance to move level with Chelsea on 28 points, taking away a 1-1 draw from their trip to Stoke. City are left five points adrift of their
Manchester neighbours as a result. Roberto Mancini fielded an attacking line-up featuring Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli, David Silva and James Milner, but Stoke enjoyed the majority of the territorial advantage and should have made it pay when Milner cleared off the line. However, Micah Richards appeared to have won it when he popped up with ten minutes remaining, only to see Matthew Etherington deny City the points in injury time.
At the bottom of the table, West Ham breathed fresh life into their relegation battle, beating Wigan 3-1 at Upton Park. The fixture had been dubbed the 'save our season' clash as Hammers chiefs lowered ticket prices, and their players duly responded. Valon Behrami grabbed the all-important breakthrough, capitalising on defensive mix-up to punctuate an opening 35 minutes of poor quality football. It could have been two before half-time, but Ali Al-Habsi produced an outstanding save to deny Frederic Piquionne from a corner. However, it mattered little as Victor Obinna and Scott Parker found the net against an extremely weak Wigan side. To rub salt into the Latics' wounds, Mauro Boselli saw a second-half penalty saved by Rob
Green, who was eventually beaten by Tom Cleverley.
Wolves grabbed an 89th-minute winner to keep themselves off the bottom of the table with a 3-2 victory over Sunderland at Molineux. Mick McCarthy's side had won just twice all season, but they are now just two points adrift of safety after a dramatic encounter.
Kevin Foley handed Wolves a second-half lead when finding the net from 12 yards, but Darren Bent ensured the hosts' wait for a first clean sheet of the season continued with a 67th-minute equaliser. Danny Welbeck then thought he had won it for the Black Cats with a close-range header, but Stephen Hunt and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake turned the game on its head for Wolves.
Bolton began the day in fifth place in the Premier League table but they were left to battle for a last-ditch 2-2 draw with Blackpool at the Reebok Stadium. Owen Coyle's men had lost just twice all season, but after shaking off their own 'functional' tag, they initially succumbed to two set-pieces. Ian Evatt was the man to get his head to a corner to open the scoring and then Luke Varney netted a carbon copy second.
However, Martin Petrov set up a tense final 15 minutes, before Mark Davies finished one of the moves of the season in the 89th minute.
Everton continue to frustrate in the lower half of the table, losing 4-1 to West Brom at Goodison Park. The Baggies had not won in their previous five matches, but Chris Brunt inspired a change of fortunes on Merseyside. First the former Sheffield Wednesday winger crossed beautifully for Paul Scharner to head home his fifth goal in nine games against Everton. And then Brunt curled a sublime free-kick over Tim Howard's wall to double the advantage.
Tim Cahill, so often Everton's saviour, rose highest at Leighton Baines' corner to half the deficit, but the Toffees then had Mikel Arteta sent off for a stamp. The ten men of Everton wasted a glorious chance to level through Jermaine Beckford, and he was punished by late strikes from Somen Tchoyi and an own goal from Sylvain Distin, before Youssuf Mulumbu also saw red at the death.
In the day's other game, Fulham earned their ninth league draw of the season under Mark Hughes, sharing the points after a 1-1 tie with Birmingham at Craven Cottage. Hughes' side played the better football for most of the first half, but succumbed to a Sebastian Larsson strike after some excellent build-up work by Alexander Hleb. However, Clint Dempsey registered his sixth of the season to rescue a point.
November 28, 2010
Dimitar Berbatov bagged a marvellous quintet as Manchester United soared to the top of the Premier League table with a rampant 7-1 victory over Blackburn at Old Trafford on Saturday. With Chelsea preparing for a trip to Newcastle, Sir Alex Ferguson's men had the chance to turn up the pressure on the champions, and the result was never in doubt from the second minute onwards as they contributed to a record 36 goals.
Fielding Wayne Rooney and Berbatov in his strikeforce for the visit of Blackburn,
Ferguson wore a wide grin when the pair combined after less than 120 seconds. Nani delivered the cross for Rooney to flick on, with Berbatov waiting gleefully to score his first league goal since the hat-trick against Liverpool on September 19. Rovers no doubt will contest the goal, after Paul Robinson appeared to be fouled in the build-up.
Rooney was looking sharp, buoyed by his penalty at Rangers in midweek, and he played a sublime role in United's second. Receiving the ball from Park Ji-Sung, he returned it to the South Korean with a lovely weighted pass as the midfielder tucked home for 2-0.
By half-time it was three, and this time the assist belonged firmly to Blackburn defender Pascal Chimbonda. Lazily turning towards his own goal, Chimbonda blindly played the ball towards Robinson, only to find Berbatov waiting for the pass. Coolness personified, the Bulgarian took one touch before dispatching arguably his easiest goal of the season.
There was more agony for Blackburn in the second period as Berbatov started and finished a contender for goal of the season, pulling the strings in a sweeping 80-yard move. Then Nani, always a threat out wide, got in on the act with another clinical strike before Berbatov added two more as United produced arguably their finest display of the season, only dented by a late consolation for Chris Samba.
Arsenal avoided a potential repeat of their North London derby capitulation, beating Aston Villa 4-2 in Saturday's early kick-off at Villa Park.
The major talking point prior to kick-off was the news that Robert Pires would make his first Villa start against his former club. Pires won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners, and greeted Arsene Wenger warmly ahead of the first whistle. The France international was forced to play the role of bystander once the game got underway, with Arsenal completely dominant in the first half - just as they were a week ago against Spurs. Arshavin finally converted that supremacy into goals five minutes before half-time, capitalising on a defensive mix-up to cut inside and find Brad Friedel's far corner.
Friedel's defensive cover was non-existent as Samir Nasri then nipped in to round the American, only to send his effort wide of an open goal. And then Friedel had to be at his best to deny a Chamakh header from point-blank range. He could do nothing on the stroke of the interval though, as Nasri arrived at the edge of the box to drill home a deflected volley for 2-0.
Pires was replaced at the break as Villa looked for a Tottenham-like reply, and the comeback looked well-and-truly on when Clark made the most of Gael Clichy's decision to back off, chesting down and volleying excellently past Lukasz Fabianski. Replays did show Arsenal had plenty of cause for complaint, with the offside John Carew blatantly blocking the view of Fabianski as Clark fired goalwards.
It mattered little as Chamakh settled Arsenal nerves within four minutes, beating
Friedel to Tomas Rosicky's through-ball for 3-1. Still Arsenal's brittle defence was not done though, with Clark heading home his second of the match to set up a nervy final 20 minutes, but on this occasion the Gunners found the late goal as Wilshere settled matters in injury time.
Manchester City missed their chance to move level with Chelsea on 28 points, taking away a 1-1 draw from their trip to Stoke. City are left five points adrift of their
Manchester neighbours as a result. Roberto Mancini fielded an attacking line-up featuring Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli, David Silva and James Milner, but Stoke enjoyed the majority of the territorial advantage and should have made it pay when Milner cleared off the line. However, Micah Richards appeared to have won it when he popped up with ten minutes remaining, only to see Matthew Etherington deny City the points in injury time.
At the bottom of the table, West Ham breathed fresh life into their relegation battle, beating Wigan 3-1 at Upton Park. The fixture had been dubbed the 'save our season' clash as Hammers chiefs lowered ticket prices, and their players duly responded. Valon Behrami grabbed the all-important breakthrough, capitalising on defensive mix-up to punctuate an opening 35 minutes of poor quality football. It could have been two before half-time, but Ali Al-Habsi produced an outstanding save to deny Frederic Piquionne from a corner. However, it mattered little as Victor Obinna and Scott Parker found the net against an extremely weak Wigan side. To rub salt into the Latics' wounds, Mauro Boselli saw a second-half penalty saved by Rob
Green, who was eventually beaten by Tom Cleverley.
Wolves grabbed an 89th-minute winner to keep themselves off the bottom of the table with a 3-2 victory over Sunderland at Molineux. Mick McCarthy's side had won just twice all season, but they are now just two points adrift of safety after a dramatic encounter.
Kevin Foley handed Wolves a second-half lead when finding the net from 12 yards, but Darren Bent ensured the hosts' wait for a first clean sheet of the season continued with a 67th-minute equaliser. Danny Welbeck then thought he had won it for the Black Cats with a close-range header, but Stephen Hunt and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake turned the game on its head for Wolves.
Bolton began the day in fifth place in the Premier League table but they were left to battle for a last-ditch 2-2 draw with Blackpool at the Reebok Stadium. Owen Coyle's men had lost just twice all season, but after shaking off their own 'functional' tag, they initially succumbed to two set-pieces. Ian Evatt was the man to get his head to a corner to open the scoring and then Luke Varney netted a carbon copy second.
However, Martin Petrov set up a tense final 15 minutes, before Mark Davies finished one of the moves of the season in the 89th minute.
Everton continue to frustrate in the lower half of the table, losing 4-1 to West Brom at Goodison Park. The Baggies had not won in their previous five matches, but Chris Brunt inspired a change of fortunes on Merseyside. First the former Sheffield Wednesday winger crossed beautifully for Paul Scharner to head home his fifth goal in nine games against Everton. And then Brunt curled a sublime free-kick over Tim Howard's wall to double the advantage.
Tim Cahill, so often Everton's saviour, rose highest at Leighton Baines' corner to half the deficit, but the Toffees then had Mikel Arteta sent off for a stamp. The ten men of Everton wasted a glorious chance to level through Jermaine Beckford, and he was punished by late strikes from Somen Tchoyi and an own goal from Sylvain Distin, before Youssuf Mulumbu also saw red at the death.
In the day's other game, Fulham earned their ninth league draw of the season under Mark Hughes, sharing the points after a 1-1 tie with Birmingham at Craven Cottage. Hughes' side played the better football for most of the first half, but succumbed to a Sebastian Larsson strike after some excellent build-up work by Alexander Hleb. However, Clint Dempsey registered his sixth of the season to rescue a point.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
PLAY OFFS AT THE MTN ARENA- RESULTS
GAME ONE
PLAY OFF RESULTS
UCU CANONS 64 : 61 KYU WARRIORS
“For the record, it is by God’s grace that we are defeating the Warriors,” said Ivan Enabu after leading the Canons to their third win in three games over the FUBA men’s defending champions on Sunday at Lugogo.
The critical factor, of course, is UCU’s latest victory by 64-61, was in game one of the best-of-five semi-final playoff series and the Warriors are running out of explanations.
They can no longer say UCU’s wins came in the regular season. Gad Eteu’s team can no longer also claim to have a lot of time on their hands. Come game two on Friday, the Warriors must end their unprecedented losing streak against Nick Natuhereza’s team.
Many still fancy Kyambogo’s size advantage to determine this series but that might not happen if they don’t find an answer to UCU’s heart and speed. Not to mention Enabu, who remains their tormentor-in-chief.
This time Enabu made a game-high 17 points and seven-assists and, of course, his usual quota of amazing moments; the highlight being a 30 minute spell midway through the fourth period when he finished two fast-breaks with a dunk off either hand.
Enabu’s younger sibling Jimmy also hurt Kyambogo, sinking 11 points, the last two a run-away dunk that earned him a controversial technical foul for hanging too long on the rim with UCU leading 61-58 two minutes to the end.
But Steven Okias, Warriors second-highest scorer with 13 points, missed one of the two resultant free throws to let the Canons off-the-hook. In all, Kyambogo missed 12 free throws and 18 three-point attempts compared to UCU who missed eight and 11 respectively. Eric Malinga was Kyambogo’s top-scorer with 14 points.
KCC LEOPARDS 53:51 A1 CHALLENGE
In the women’s game, Carol Nantaro scored two of her six points with five seconds on the clock to lead the KCC Leopards to a 53-51 win over A1 Challenge in game one of their semi-final series.
Miriam Hamala gunned a game-high 18 for KCC while Hatima Kassim and Betty Namukasa were A1’s top-scorers with 11 points apiece.
PLAY OFF RESULTS
UCU CANONS 64 : 61 KYU WARRIORS
“For the record, it is by God’s grace that we are defeating the Warriors,” said Ivan Enabu after leading the Canons to their third win in three games over the FUBA men’s defending champions on Sunday at Lugogo.
The critical factor, of course, is UCU’s latest victory by 64-61, was in game one of the best-of-five semi-final playoff series and the Warriors are running out of explanations.
They can no longer say UCU’s wins came in the regular season. Gad Eteu’s team can no longer also claim to have a lot of time on their hands. Come game two on Friday, the Warriors must end their unprecedented losing streak against Nick Natuhereza’s team.
Many still fancy Kyambogo’s size advantage to determine this series but that might not happen if they don’t find an answer to UCU’s heart and speed. Not to mention Enabu, who remains their tormentor-in-chief.
This time Enabu made a game-high 17 points and seven-assists and, of course, his usual quota of amazing moments; the highlight being a 30 minute spell midway through the fourth period when he finished two fast-breaks with a dunk off either hand.
Enabu’s younger sibling Jimmy also hurt Kyambogo, sinking 11 points, the last two a run-away dunk that earned him a controversial technical foul for hanging too long on the rim with UCU leading 61-58 two minutes to the end.
But Steven Okias, Warriors second-highest scorer with 13 points, missed one of the two resultant free throws to let the Canons off-the-hook. In all, Kyambogo missed 12 free throws and 18 three-point attempts compared to UCU who missed eight and 11 respectively. Eric Malinga was Kyambogo’s top-scorer with 14 points.
KCC LEOPARDS 53:51 A1 CHALLENGE
In the women’s game, Carol Nantaro scored two of her six points with five seconds on the clock to lead the KCC Leopards to a 53-51 win over A1 Challenge in game one of their semi-final series.
Miriam Hamala gunned a game-high 18 for KCC while Hatima Kassim and Betty Namukasa were A1’s top-scorers with 11 points apiece.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Game One Play Offs......
DMark Power vs Mountain Dew Falcons
Alot is being said prior to the game but again that doesn't come as a surprise. Seeing the problems that hit the Falcons camp towards the end of the regular season.
If its any consolation, the players atleast most of them returned to camp and have been in training.
The six time champions Mountain Dew Falcons have so many challenges they are yet to overcome if they are going to put up a solid performance because right now there are too many uncertainities.
First, it is unknown what the Falcons’ line-up will look like since they ended the regular season without Mike Buzangu and Bienvenue Ngandu – who walked out in protest against unpaid wages causing a little drama towards the end of the regular season.
The starting team of Falcons is yet to be confirmed because it has been nothing short of dramatic for the Falcons who had to fight their way into the play offs. In view of the events in the Falcons camp, we can only hope that the team they put out today will be good enough to stand against the DMark Power force.
Information reaching my desk hints that Smatts Olumbo will be on the Falcons bench. Olumbo on any day when he gets on that court can tear apart any defense. The question is can he rise up when it matters?
This promises to be a slamming and great game to watch. If put to the task i may say that the winner of the FUBA championship is coming off this fixture, you can quote me on that.
Got to go and prepare for the game now. Be sure to catch up after the game.
Till the next post stay blessed
Alot is being said prior to the game but again that doesn't come as a surprise. Seeing the problems that hit the Falcons camp towards the end of the regular season.
If its any consolation, the players atleast most of them returned to camp and have been in training.
The six time champions Mountain Dew Falcons have so many challenges they are yet to overcome if they are going to put up a solid performance because right now there are too many uncertainities.
First, it is unknown what the Falcons’ line-up will look like since they ended the regular season without Mike Buzangu and Bienvenue Ngandu – who walked out in protest against unpaid wages causing a little drama towards the end of the regular season.
The starting team of Falcons is yet to be confirmed because it has been nothing short of dramatic for the Falcons who had to fight their way into the play offs. In view of the events in the Falcons camp, we can only hope that the team they put out today will be good enough to stand against the DMark Power force.
Information reaching my desk hints that Smatts Olumbo will be on the Falcons bench. Olumbo on any day when he gets on that court can tear apart any defense. The question is can he rise up when it matters?
This promises to be a slamming and great game to watch. If put to the task i may say that the winner of the FUBA championship is coming off this fixture, you can quote me on that.
Got to go and prepare for the game now. Be sure to catch up after the game.
Till the next post stay blessed
Friday, October 22, 2010
Weekend Match Previews
MAN CITY vs ARSENAL
Manchester City and Arsenal face-off at Eastlands in one of the most important matches of the season so far.
Manchester City and Arsenal look like two of the sides most likely to challenge Chelsea for the Barclays Premier League title.
City are the only team to have beaten the Blues this season, but Arsenal slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal have scored only four of their 18 goals this season away from home and have gone six matches since they last kept a clean sheet.
The Gunners have not been involved in a 0-0 draw since 24th April and the stalemate with City at the Emirates Stadium.
In a total of 82 matches between the sides at City's home ground, Arsenal have won 32, lost 30 and drawn 20.
LIVERPOOL vs BLACKBURN
The Reds have not won a Barclays Premier League match since August when they defeated West Bromwch Albion at Anfield. That is their only win to date in the league.
Blackburn have failed to record a victory in their last 14 visits to Anfield. Their last win away to the Reds was in September 1993 and since then they have lost nine and drawn five.
An under-strength Liverpool team earned a 0-0 draw away to Napoli in the Europa League on Thursday. But a win in this fixture is much-needed after last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby.
STOKE CITY vs MAN UNITED
Man United enter this fixture unbeaten in their last 13 Barclays Premier League matches. However, they have not won away yet this season, having drawn all four on the road.
Stoke's four-match unbeaten run was ended by a late Bolton Wanderers goal last Saturday.
Last season second-half goals from Dimitar Berbatov and John O'Shea handed United a 2-0 win in this fixture, with Stoke managing just one shot on target.
SPURS vs EVERTON FC
Tottenham Hotspur have the chance to move level on points with second-placed Manchester City as they host Everton.
Spurs have scored just five goals in four home matches this season while the Merseysiders have managed just two on the road, both in their win at Birmingham.
The Toffees have chalked up three straight clean sheets, going a total of 315 minutes - more than six hours - without conceding a goal in the Barclays Premier League. Last season's 2-1 defeat ended a run of three successive wins for Everton at White Hart Lane.
CHELSEA vs WOLVES
Mick McCarthy's men begin a run of successive matches against the top four clubs as they travel to a Chelsea side looking to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The Blues have won all four home matches to date, scoring 14 and conceding none while Wolves have taken just one point from four road trips.
The Molineux men have not won in seven and have gone 11 matches without keeping a clean sheet.
Well have a great sporting weekend.
Manchester City and Arsenal face-off at Eastlands in one of the most important matches of the season so far.
Manchester City and Arsenal look like two of the sides most likely to challenge Chelsea for the Barclays Premier League title.
City are the only team to have beaten the Blues this season, but Arsenal slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal have scored only four of their 18 goals this season away from home and have gone six matches since they last kept a clean sheet.
The Gunners have not been involved in a 0-0 draw since 24th April and the stalemate with City at the Emirates Stadium.
In a total of 82 matches between the sides at City's home ground, Arsenal have won 32, lost 30 and drawn 20.
LIVERPOOL vs BLACKBURN
The Reds have not won a Barclays Premier League match since August when they defeated West Bromwch Albion at Anfield. That is their only win to date in the league.
Blackburn have failed to record a victory in their last 14 visits to Anfield. Their last win away to the Reds was in September 1993 and since then they have lost nine and drawn five.
An under-strength Liverpool team earned a 0-0 draw away to Napoli in the Europa League on Thursday. But a win in this fixture is much-needed after last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby.
STOKE CITY vs MAN UNITED
Man United enter this fixture unbeaten in their last 13 Barclays Premier League matches. However, they have not won away yet this season, having drawn all four on the road.
Stoke's four-match unbeaten run was ended by a late Bolton Wanderers goal last Saturday.
Last season second-half goals from Dimitar Berbatov and John O'Shea handed United a 2-0 win in this fixture, with Stoke managing just one shot on target.
SPURS vs EVERTON FC
Tottenham Hotspur have the chance to move level on points with second-placed Manchester City as they host Everton.
Spurs have scored just five goals in four home matches this season while the Merseysiders have managed just two on the road, both in their win at Birmingham.
The Toffees have chalked up three straight clean sheets, going a total of 315 minutes - more than six hours - without conceding a goal in the Barclays Premier League. Last season's 2-1 defeat ended a run of three successive wins for Everton at White Hart Lane.
CHELSEA vs WOLVES
Mick McCarthy's men begin a run of successive matches against the top four clubs as they travel to a Chelsea side looking to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The Blues have won all four home matches to date, scoring 14 and conceding none while Wolves have taken just one point from four road trips.
The Molineux men have not won in seven and have gone 11 matches without keeping a clean sheet.
Well have a great sporting weekend.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Saturday Sports Highlights
SOCCER
ARSENAL FC 2 BIRMINGHAM CITY 1
Arsenal got their Barclays Premier League campaign back on track with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Birmingham, but had Jack Wilshere sent off in stoppage time for a rash challenge.
The Blues went ahead through Nikola Zigic after 33 minutes as once again the Gunners - who lost their past two league matches before the international break - failed to make the most of their early possession.
However, Samir Nasri levelled from the spot just before half-time, with Marouane Chamakh slotting home a well-taken second two minutes after the restart which proved enough for all three points - only for Wilshere to be shown the red card for a reckless challenge on Zigic.
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 WESTBROM 2
Javier Hernandez gave Manchester United the lead after just five minutes, tapping in after Scott Carson had parried from Nani who then got the second on 25 minutes with a left-foot shot following a one-two with Dimitar Berbatov.
But the Baggies scored two in five minutes at the start of the second half. After 50 minutes a deflected free-kick from Chris Brunt went in off Patrice Evra before bouncing beyond Edwin van der Sar, who was unable to claw it out.
If that was bad, what followed was even worse for the hosts as Brunt lofted a high cross skywards into the United six-yard box which should have provided Van der Sar with the easiest of catches.
Instead, the veteran Dutchman dropped the ball straight at the feet of Somen Tchoyi, who gleefully tapped into an empty net. Very disappointing game by their standards despite the fact that they remain unbeaten.
BASKETBALL
A1 CHALLENGE 103 NABISUNSA 34
At 5:30 in the MUBS main court saw A1 Challenge take on Nabisunsa Girls School in a weekend where most clubs are playing their last games as the regular season comes to an end.
Nabisunsa playing for pride, i believe, though they couldn't continue with the win they registered last week. A1 Challenge currently preparing for the play-offs next week were on a roll.
With almost everything clicking for them it's no wonder they managed to score over the century mark. A little tightening of the defense will see them go far especially as the play-offs commence soon.
See all y'all during play-offs next week.
Congrats ladies
ARSENAL FC 2 BIRMINGHAM CITY 1
Arsenal got their Barclays Premier League campaign back on track with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Birmingham, but had Jack Wilshere sent off in stoppage time for a rash challenge.
The Blues went ahead through Nikola Zigic after 33 minutes as once again the Gunners - who lost their past two league matches before the international break - failed to make the most of their early possession.
However, Samir Nasri levelled from the spot just before half-time, with Marouane Chamakh slotting home a well-taken second two minutes after the restart which proved enough for all three points - only for Wilshere to be shown the red card for a reckless challenge on Zigic.
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 WESTBROM 2
Javier Hernandez gave Manchester United the lead after just five minutes, tapping in after Scott Carson had parried from Nani who then got the second on 25 minutes with a left-foot shot following a one-two with Dimitar Berbatov.
But the Baggies scored two in five minutes at the start of the second half. After 50 minutes a deflected free-kick from Chris Brunt went in off Patrice Evra before bouncing beyond Edwin van der Sar, who was unable to claw it out.
If that was bad, what followed was even worse for the hosts as Brunt lofted a high cross skywards into the United six-yard box which should have provided Van der Sar with the easiest of catches.
Instead, the veteran Dutchman dropped the ball straight at the feet of Somen Tchoyi, who gleefully tapped into an empty net. Very disappointing game by their standards despite the fact that they remain unbeaten.
BASKETBALL
A1 CHALLENGE 103 NABISUNSA 34
At 5:30 in the MUBS main court saw A1 Challenge take on Nabisunsa Girls School in a weekend where most clubs are playing their last games as the regular season comes to an end.
Nabisunsa playing for pride, i believe, though they couldn't continue with the win they registered last week. A1 Challenge currently preparing for the play-offs next week were on a roll.
With almost everything clicking for them it's no wonder they managed to score over the century mark. A little tightening of the defense will see them go far especially as the play-offs commence soon.
See all y'all during play-offs next week.
Congrats ladies
Mid Week Results
On another seemingly cold Wednesday evening FUBA graced us with resilient basketball action. Games started as early as 5:30pm. On a wet evening one would think that the fans would shy away from the YMCA home of basketball venue but this was not to be true.
Fans trickled in slowly but surely which im sure had everything to do with the late game on the day. The first game we had the ladies category where KCC Leopards were against Makerere Cubs.
5:30 KICK OFF
KCC LEOPARDS : 106
MAKERERE CUBS : 22
This was a game where we had two teams with very different objectives faced off. One team seeking to finish on a high as they headed to the play-offs and the other was literally playing for pride as I believe they’ve already been relegated.
KCC had Baby, Miriam Hamala and Hellen all scoring double figures to helping them go past the 100 point mark. Great defensive all round game helped them totally chock the Cubs offense. In the last quarter, as I may highlight it took the Cubs over 7 minutes to score their first points in that quarter in a game where you literally have running time of 10 minutes. It’s clear that these two teams are not supposed to be on the same court. It was an all-round mismatch.
At the end of the day it was always going to be one winner and that was the KCC Leopards who have already booked their slot in the play-offs which begin in two weeks’ time.
7:30 KICK OFF
NKUMBA MARINES : 102
ST. MICHEAL : 62
This was the second game of the day. St. Micheal High School tried to make life had for the Marines offense playing pretty well in the first quarter. The difference was kept to 4 points. But Mr. Swaleh and his team mates had other ideas, as they went on riot for the rest of the quarters. St. Micheal’s defense couldn’t take the pressure crumbling totally after that.
9:30 KICK OFF
DMARK POWER : 98
UCU CANONS : 68
This was the late night kick off and they were complaints around about how the game began a little late. Nevertheless, it’s a fact that whenever these two teams meet you are guaranteed more than your money’s worth. The magical hands of Ivan Enabu and the great shooting abilities of Jimmy Enabu plus the great talent of Norman Blick, Ikong and Emma Enabu all on one court, is what I’d refer to as a juicy fixture.
The first quarter saw DMark Power exchanging beautiful passes that seemingly overwhelmed the UCU Canons defense. With Ikong in the centre of the offense and Emma Enabu orchestrating the game plan effectively the mood was looking good for the DMark Power side. It should be noted that Isaac Afidra had one of his best games in this second round for Power with fearless effective offense and a decent defensive game.
The UCU Canons side I’d say took a little while to get in the game with their main threat Ivan Enabu on and off till about the third quarter where he began taking the game to the heart of the DMark defense. But with Jimmy Enabu being fouled out in the fourth quarter, yet he was shooting the three pointers like he is meant for that purpose, the situation went from bad to worse. Not even the mean defense of Jeff could stop the Power forwards from running riot on UCU Canons.
In all fairness this was another case of too little too late. The damage was done in the first quarter and from then on it was always going to be hard for UCU Canons to play catch up against a DMark Power side that was looking pretty good (both offensively and defensively) with their form coming in time as we head to the play-offs soon.
In a game that had no significance to their qualifications for the play-offs, DMark Power humbled the UCU Canons 98:68 and gave them a lot to think about as we soon shift our attention to the play-offs.
Score Board
DMark Power UCU Canons
First Quarter 33 First Quarter 09
Second Quarter 12 Second Quarter 12
Third Quarter 23 Third Quarter 20
Fourth Quarter 30 Fourth Quarter 27
Total Points Scored 98 Total Points Scored 68
Fans trickled in slowly but surely which im sure had everything to do with the late game on the day. The first game we had the ladies category where KCC Leopards were against Makerere Cubs.
5:30 KICK OFF
KCC LEOPARDS : 106
MAKERERE CUBS : 22
This was a game where we had two teams with very different objectives faced off. One team seeking to finish on a high as they headed to the play-offs and the other was literally playing for pride as I believe they’ve already been relegated.
KCC had Baby, Miriam Hamala and Hellen all scoring double figures to helping them go past the 100 point mark. Great defensive all round game helped them totally chock the Cubs offense. In the last quarter, as I may highlight it took the Cubs over 7 minutes to score their first points in that quarter in a game where you literally have running time of 10 minutes. It’s clear that these two teams are not supposed to be on the same court. It was an all-round mismatch.
At the end of the day it was always going to be one winner and that was the KCC Leopards who have already booked their slot in the play-offs which begin in two weeks’ time.
7:30 KICK OFF
NKUMBA MARINES : 102
ST. MICHEAL : 62
This was the second game of the day. St. Micheal High School tried to make life had for the Marines offense playing pretty well in the first quarter. The difference was kept to 4 points. But Mr. Swaleh and his team mates had other ideas, as they went on riot for the rest of the quarters. St. Micheal’s defense couldn’t take the pressure crumbling totally after that.
9:30 KICK OFF
DMARK POWER : 98
UCU CANONS : 68
This was the late night kick off and they were complaints around about how the game began a little late. Nevertheless, it’s a fact that whenever these two teams meet you are guaranteed more than your money’s worth. The magical hands of Ivan Enabu and the great shooting abilities of Jimmy Enabu plus the great talent of Norman Blick, Ikong and Emma Enabu all on one court, is what I’d refer to as a juicy fixture.
The first quarter saw DMark Power exchanging beautiful passes that seemingly overwhelmed the UCU Canons defense. With Ikong in the centre of the offense and Emma Enabu orchestrating the game plan effectively the mood was looking good for the DMark Power side. It should be noted that Isaac Afidra had one of his best games in this second round for Power with fearless effective offense and a decent defensive game.
The UCU Canons side I’d say took a little while to get in the game with their main threat Ivan Enabu on and off till about the third quarter where he began taking the game to the heart of the DMark defense. But with Jimmy Enabu being fouled out in the fourth quarter, yet he was shooting the three pointers like he is meant for that purpose, the situation went from bad to worse. Not even the mean defense of Jeff could stop the Power forwards from running riot on UCU Canons.
In all fairness this was another case of too little too late. The damage was done in the first quarter and from then on it was always going to be hard for UCU Canons to play catch up against a DMark Power side that was looking pretty good (both offensively and defensively) with their form coming in time as we head to the play-offs soon.
In a game that had no significance to their qualifications for the play-offs, DMark Power humbled the UCU Canons 98:68 and gave them a lot to think about as we soon shift our attention to the play-offs.
Score Board
DMark Power UCU Canons
First Quarter 33 First Quarter 09
Second Quarter 12 Second Quarter 12
Third Quarter 23 Third Quarter 20
Fourth Quarter 30 Fourth Quarter 27
Total Points Scored 98 Total Points Scored 68
Monday, October 11, 2010
After alot of hype, 9th October was the day marked on every Kenyan and Ugandan football fan. To every Ugandan not only was it the day when they got their independence but also the day they were supposed to face-off with their rivals and believe you-me this intense and fierce rivalry between the two camps goes back in time.
The 12th man question was undoubtebly answered when a record of over 70 buses and taxi's crossed the border filled with football fans who had all travelled to cheer their boys on. Its no wonder they fought hard to earn a much needed away point.
The officials especially the man at the centre of the action Mr. Diarra of Senegal who is no stranger to every Ugandan following a string of poor decisions that cost us qualification in 2008 against Niger. But thats all behind us. As for his performance on the day i'd say it was good. Afew fans thought he should have dished afew yellow cards for two cases of raised boots but at the end of the day it was good officiating.
The environment being Nairobi and the rivalry between the two camps, this was definitely not a game for the faint hearted. Ugandans showed up in huge numbers and so did the Kenyans. But when i was confronted with a barrage of insults hailed towards our political leader and generally us as Ugandans i begun to wonder whether it was "healthy rivalry" also known as passion or they were simply venting out their on and off-the -pitch frustrations towards us. Ask me, i'd say it's the latter.
Issues to address:
FUFA makes an official announcement concerning the ticket fares in Kenya and it was as follows; Ksh 300 (terrace) Ksh 500 (VIP). Every Ugandan fan has this on the back of their mind. So when planning was done that was the figure we all looked at. Drama ensued in Nairobi when most of the outlets supposed to sell the tickets claimed that they were sold out. The only place the fans could get the tickets was G4S offices moreover at Ksh 1000 for VIP only. If thats not total madness then i honestly don't know what it is. My understanding is that a certain amount of tickets is supposed to be alloted to the away fans travelling. Anyway im sure quite a number of fans couldn't access the tickets because of the rates. All the way from Kampala to go and watch the game on DSTV was a silly thought. So those who were about to fight through and get the tickets at that rate were some what lucky.
After paying Ksh 1000 for the VIP section even accessing it was another issue, not even water was served; my vuvuzela was confiscated, something to do with them not allowing them in the VIP section. Sincerely Kenyan Football Federation is this hot far the rivalry has come?
Security concern especially the fans who literally climbed the flood light towers to illegally access the stadium as some police literally looked on?
Generally i'd say the Kenyan Football Federation may be weren't adquately prepared for this game and it would have cost them if any violence (God forbid) had broken out especially if the result had ended in our favor.
All in all it was such a memorable experience and we eagerly wait to put them in their place when they travel this side for the return leg.
Anyway im totally thankful for the boys who fought tooth and nail to earn that point which sees us top the table. And now all the attention shifts to the CECAFA competition next month.
East African Derby Ends In Stalemate
FULL TIME:
KENYA : 0
UGANDA: 0
After alot of hype, 9th October was the day marked on every Kenyan and Ugandan football fan. To every Ugandan not only was it the day when they got their independence but also the day they were supposed to face-off with their rivals and believe you-me this intense and fierce rivalry between the two camps goes back in time.
The 12th man question was undoubtebly answered when a record of over 70 buses and taxi's crossed the border filled with football fans who had all travelled to cheer their boys on. Its no wonder they fought hard to earn a much needed away point.
The officials especially the man at the centre of the action Mr. Diarra of Senegal who is no stranger to every Ugandan following a string of poor decisions that cost us qualification in 2008 against Niger. But thats all behind us. As for his performance on the day i'd say it was good. Afew fans thought he should have dished afew yellow cards for two cases of raised boots but at the end of the day it was good officiating.
The environment being Nairobi and the rivalry between the two camps, this was definitely not a game for the faint hearted. Ugandans showed up in huge numbers and so did the Kenyans. But when i was confronted with a barrage of insults hailed towards our political leader and generally us as Ugandans i begun to wonder whether it was "healthy rivalry" also known as passion or they were simply venting out their on and off-the -pitch frustrations towards us. Ask me, i'd say it's the latter.
Issues to address:
FUFA makes an official announcement concerning the ticket fares in Kenya and it was as follows; Ksh 300 (terrace) Ksh 500 (VIP). Every Ugandan fan has this on the back of their mind. So when planning was done that was the figure we all looked at. Drama ensued in Nairobi when most of the outlets supposed to sell the tickets claimed that they were sold out. The only place the fans could get the tickets was G4S offices moreover at Ksh 1000 for VIP only. If thats not total madness then i honestly don't know what it is. My understanding is that a certain amount of tickets is supposed to be alloted to the away fans travelling. Anyway im sure quite a number of fans couldn't access the tickets because of the rates. All the way from Kampala to go and watch the game on DSTV was a silly thought. So those who were about to fight through and get the tickets at that rate were some what lucky.
After paying Ksh 1000 for the VIP section even accessing it was another issue, not even water was served; my vuvuzela was confiscated, something to do with them not allowing them in the VIP section. Sincerely Kenyan Football Federation is this hot far the rivalry has come?
Security concern especially the fans who literally climbed the flood light towers to illegally access the stadium as some police literally looked on?
Generally i'd say the Kenyan Football Federation may be weren't adquately prepared for this game and it would have cost them if any violence (God forbid) had broken out especially if the result had ended in our favor.
All in all it was such a memorable experience and we eagerly wait to put them in their place when they travel this side for the return leg.
Anyway im totally thankful for the boys who fought tooth and nail to earn that point which sees us top the table. And now all the attention shifts to the CECAFA competition next month.
My man-of-the-match performance goes to the goalkeeper Denis Onyango.
Uganda Cranes we are proud of you.
K.J
KENYA : 0
UGANDA: 0
After alot of hype, 9th October was the day marked on every Kenyan and Ugandan football fan. To every Ugandan not only was it the day when they got their independence but also the day they were supposed to face-off with their rivals and believe you-me this intense and fierce rivalry between the two camps goes back in time.
The 12th man question was undoubtebly answered when a record of over 70 buses and taxi's crossed the border filled with football fans who had all travelled to cheer their boys on. Its no wonder they fought hard to earn a much needed away point.
The officials especially the man at the centre of the action Mr. Diarra of Senegal who is no stranger to every Ugandan following a string of poor decisions that cost us qualification in 2008 against Niger. But thats all behind us. As for his performance on the day i'd say it was good. Afew fans thought he should have dished afew yellow cards for two cases of raised boots but at the end of the day it was good officiating.
The environment being Nairobi and the rivalry between the two camps, this was definitely not a game for the faint hearted. Ugandans showed up in huge numbers and so did the Kenyans. But when i was confronted with a barrage of insults hailed towards our political leader and generally us as Ugandans i begun to wonder whether it was "healthy rivalry" also known as passion or they were simply venting out their on and off-the -pitch frustrations towards us. Ask me, i'd say it's the latter.
Issues to address:
FUFA makes an official announcement concerning the ticket fares in Kenya and it was as follows; Ksh 300 (terrace) Ksh 500 (VIP). Every Ugandan fan has this on the back of their mind. So when planning was done that was the figure we all looked at. Drama ensued in Nairobi when most of the outlets supposed to sell the tickets claimed that they were sold out. The only place the fans could get the tickets was G4S offices moreover at Ksh 1000 for VIP only. If thats not total madness then i honestly don't know what it is. My understanding is that a certain amount of tickets is supposed to be alloted to the away fans travelling. Anyway im sure quite a number of fans couldn't access the tickets because of the rates. All the way from Kampala to go and watch the game on DSTV was a silly thought. So those who were about to fight through and get the tickets at that rate were some what lucky.
After paying Ksh 1000 for the VIP section even accessing it was another issue, not even water was served; my vuvuzela was confiscated, something to do with them not allowing them in the VIP section. Sincerely Kenyan Football Federation is this hot far the rivalry has come?
Security concern especially the fans who literally climbed the flood light towers to illegally access the stadium as some police literally looked on?
Generally i'd say the Kenyan Football Federation may be weren't adquately prepared for this game and it would have cost them if any violence (God forbid) had broken out especially if the result had ended in our favor.
All in all it was such a memorable experience and we eagerly wait to put them in their place when they travel this side for the return leg.
Anyway im totally thankful for the boys who fought tooth and nail to earn that point which sees us top the table. And now all the attention shifts to the CECAFA competition next month.
My man-of-the-match performance goes to the goalkeeper Denis Onyango.
Uganda Cranes we are proud of you.
K.J
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Scunthorpe host United only to be knocked out of the Carling Cup
Welcome to the long awaited blog that I will be maintaining. Basically, focusing on all round sports within the continent and the international scene as I seek to spill out the makers and breakers, the victors and the losers, the glory and shame.
Whatever it is this eye meets, I can guarantee you in depth analysis. So I kindly request you to follow me and actively participate as I seek to make this blog one to reckon with.
Having said that, just reported from duty, and having concluded the Carling Cup games this evening I’d like to have my say on a couple of the games as they were played.
Carling Cup Results:
Manchester United 5
Scunthorpe 2
A slow start for United at Bradford Park saw them go down a quick 19th minute goal by Wright which sent a brief shock on the Manchester United bench. The lead lasted for about 3 minutes as Gibson looped the ball which got the back of the net having found the Murphy way out of his line. Shortly after Wes Brown finds Park who then passes the ball for Chris Smalling to slice it past the Murphy to the back of the net. At the end of the first half and Scunthorpe is by far the better side, though it unfortunate that they are behind at the break.
Half Time:
Manchester United 2
Scunthorpe 1
After the break United quickly add a third after Kiko Macheda plays a last though ball past Bryne and Mirfin to find Micheal Owen who races to the box and beautifully places the ball into the back of the net beating Murphy again.
Ji Sung Park makes it 4 after he shoots out of the box following a loose ball from a corner kick that was not cleared.
On the 71st minute, Park initiates a counter attack till the Scunthorpe 18 area and tries to beat the keeper with a bending low drive which Murphy saves but the ball is still loose and Owen pounces on it to slot it in the back of the net to make it 5:1. United are on a roll.
Scunthorpe throughout were applying so much pressure and being caught on the break , but on the 90th minute it paid off to get a second scored by Woolford.
My man of the match performance is arguably Chris Smalling. Solid in defense, provided the beautiful looping assist for Gibson’s equalizer and scored the second goal.
Other results:
Chelsea FC 3 (Aanholt, Anelka 70th, 86th)
Newcastle United 4 (Ranger,Taylor,Ameobi 49th, 90th)
Liverpool FC 2 ( Jovanovic, Ngog)
Northampton 2 ( Mckay, Jacobs )
(Nothampton go through 3-2 on penalties)
WestBrom 2 ( Zuiverloon, Cox)
Manchester City 1 (Jo)
Wigan Athletic 2 (Jordi Gomez, Nzogbia)
Preston North End 1 (Treacy)
Aston Villa 3 (Heskey, Young 75th, 77th )
Blackburn 1 (Givet)
In the next edition I’ll bring to you the 5th round fixtures of the Carling Cup, and also analyze the weekend fixture and the Champions League next week.
Look Out For:
Basketball
DMark Power vs Kyambogo Warriors (This Friday@7:30pm)
Whatever it is this eye meets, I can guarantee you in depth analysis. So I kindly request you to follow me and actively participate as I seek to make this blog one to reckon with.
Having said that, just reported from duty, and having concluded the Carling Cup games this evening I’d like to have my say on a couple of the games as they were played.
Carling Cup Results:
Manchester United 5
Scunthorpe 2
A slow start for United at Bradford Park saw them go down a quick 19th minute goal by Wright which sent a brief shock on the Manchester United bench. The lead lasted for about 3 minutes as Gibson looped the ball which got the back of the net having found the Murphy way out of his line. Shortly after Wes Brown finds Park who then passes the ball for Chris Smalling to slice it past the Murphy to the back of the net. At the end of the first half and Scunthorpe is by far the better side, though it unfortunate that they are behind at the break.
Half Time:
Manchester United 2
Scunthorpe 1
After the break United quickly add a third after Kiko Macheda plays a last though ball past Bryne and Mirfin to find Micheal Owen who races to the box and beautifully places the ball into the back of the net beating Murphy again.
Ji Sung Park makes it 4 after he shoots out of the box following a loose ball from a corner kick that was not cleared.
On the 71st minute, Park initiates a counter attack till the Scunthorpe 18 area and tries to beat the keeper with a bending low drive which Murphy saves but the ball is still loose and Owen pounces on it to slot it in the back of the net to make it 5:1. United are on a roll.
Scunthorpe throughout were applying so much pressure and being caught on the break , but on the 90th minute it paid off to get a second scored by Woolford.
My man of the match performance is arguably Chris Smalling. Solid in defense, provided the beautiful looping assist for Gibson’s equalizer and scored the second goal.
Other results:
Chelsea FC 3 (Aanholt, Anelka 70th, 86th)
Newcastle United 4 (Ranger,Taylor,Ameobi 49th, 90th)
Liverpool FC 2 ( Jovanovic, Ngog)
Northampton 2 ( Mckay, Jacobs )
(Nothampton go through 3-2 on penalties)
WestBrom 2 ( Zuiverloon, Cox)
Manchester City 1 (Jo)
Wigan Athletic 2 (Jordi Gomez, Nzogbia)
Preston North End 1 (Treacy)
Aston Villa 3 (Heskey, Young 75th, 77th )
Blackburn 1 (Givet)
In the next edition I’ll bring to you the 5th round fixtures of the Carling Cup, and also analyze the weekend fixture and the Champions League next week.
Look Out For:
Basketball
DMark Power vs Kyambogo Warriors (This Friday@7:30pm)
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