1x2 Free Betting Tips !: Search results for Championship

Watford and Leicester wins cornerstone of Championship fourfold

It promises to be a weekend of home comforts in the Championship with Watford, Leicester, Reading and Bournemouth all backed to win in front of their own fans.

A £10 stake on this 7/1 fourfold accumulator pays out at £69.70 with Ladbrokes.

And to make placing an accumulator on the Championship even more tempting Ladbrokes are now offering a fantastic promotion for all domestic accumulators featuring five or more teams called “One Out Our Shout”.

Choose five teams and if one result lets you down we will refund you your losing stake.*

With that in mind, why not add Brighton (11/10) to bounce back from their FA Cup exit with victory at the Den to create a fivefold on at odds of nearly 15/1 – which could mean a return of £146.50!

Watford to beat Blackpool @ 4/5

Vicarage Road has become somewhat of a fortress for Watford in recent weeks after picking up four straight Championship wins in all competitions without conceding a goal.

And despite Blackpool picking up a much needed point against Ipswich in their last away fixture, the Tangerines are without a victory in 10 games on the road and Gino Pozzo’s side can inflict even more misery on the Seasiders.

Leicester to beat Charlton @ 4/9

Leicester have shown plenty of fighting spirit in recent weeks battling back to claim draws with East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest and an in-form Watford to extend their unbeaten run.

You have to go all the way back to December to find the last time the Foxes tasted defeat and despite Charlton causing the shock of last weekend when beating QPR, Nigel Pearson’s side should be backed for victory.

The Addicks are eight games without a win on their travels and Leicester can extend their 13 game unbeaten run in the league by sealing all three points.

Reading to beat Yeovil @ 8/15

Yeovil have picked up just two victories from their last 15 Championship away games and provide the perfect opposition for Reading, who need to rediscover some form in front of their home fans.

Two successive defeats at the Madjeski Stadium have stalled the Royals play-off push but they can now get back to winning ways against the Glovers.

Bournemouth to beat Doncaster @ 3/4

Only league leaders Leicester have picked up maximum points from a trip to Dean Court in recent weeks, pointing to the size of the task facing Doncaster when they take on Bournemouth.

Donny are struggling for form at the moment having gone four games without a win and 12 matches without victory on the road.

Eddie Howe’s side can put nine points between them and relegation rivals Rovers on Saturday and with that added incentive they are worth backing.

Was Malky Mackay ''lucky'' to land the Cardiff job? Erm, not quite Vincent - let us put you straight

So the ludicrous Vincent Tan reckons Malky Mackay "didn't do very well at Watford" and was lucky to get the Cardiff job where Dave Jones had fared better?

Let's all laugh at Vinny - except Cardiff City's precarious position, propping up the Premier League, is no laughing matter.

A proud club who had waited half a century to return to the top table has become a laughing stock among neutrals. And like England getting rid of Kevin Pietersen as their response to a 5-0 Ashes whitewash, Tan's casting of Mackay as a scapegoat is equally preposterous.

It is profoundly regrettable that Tan has played the race card, claiming the British press are "a little bit racist" by portraying him as a Bond villain, because it is an expedient deflection of the real issue.

Crass attempts to undermine your manager, with public ultimatums to resign or be sacked, are unattractive whatever your colour, race or creed.

If Tan insists on changing the Bluebirds' strip from blue to red, trampling over tradition and his own club's nickname, that is his prerogative. He has bankrolled Cardiff, he owns the club, he pays the bills.

To tuck your replica shirt into your suit trousers in the directors' box just makes it that little bit more tragic.

But did Mackay really "get lucky" by guiding Cardiff to the play-offs in his first season, when there were only nine players in his first-team squad on the first day of pre-season training?

Did he really "get lucky" to take them to a League Cup final in that first season, where it took a penalty shoot-out to separate the Bluebirds from Liverpool?

And did he really "get lucky" to win the Championship last year, clinching promotion which had eluded Jones through a raft of hard-luck stories and near misses, including a play-off final defeat by Blackpool?

Soccer - Coca-Cola Football League Championship - Queens Park Rangers v Watford - Loftus Road

By inference, Tan also managed to insult another club in his birthday 'goodwill' address from Malaysia, namely by claiming Mackay had not pulled up any trees in his two years as Watford manager.

Allow me to put you straight Vinny, old son, and tell you a little bit about Malky's spell in charge at Vicarage Road, since you evidently know sod-all about it.

Mackay landed his first job in management when Brendan Rodgers left the Hornets in the lurch, walking out after just 192 days in charge.

His first task was to preside over the £8million firesale of Mike Williamson, Jobi McAnuff, Tamas Priskin, Lee Williamson and Tommy Smith to save Watford from going into administration. You might remember Smith, Vinny: He helped you to win promotion last year.

Four months later, when the grim reaper came calling again just before Christmas, Mackay joined a late-night vigil of club staff whose jobs were under imminent threat as they waited to find out if Watford had escaped financial meltdown again. His pastoral concern for colleagues backstage went far beyond bibs, cones and training ground drills.

Mackay kept Watford up, on a cabbage-patch pitch, and the following season launched an unlikely play-off charge on one of the smallest playing budgets in the Championship - yes, Vinny, he understands budgets - before they fell away amid a protracted takeover.

As it transpired, the new owner at Vicarage Road was another fascinating character - a discharged bankrupt, Laurence Bassini.

Intreresting chap, our friend Baz. When time was running out on his short-lived reign, he called the police when a female member of the Watford staff refused to hand over the keys to the club safe.

Soccer - npower Football League Championship - Cardiff City v Bolton Wanderers - Cardiff City Stadium

When Watford narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last May, Bassini - forced out of office 11 months earlier - sent gloating text messages mocking their near-miss with the £120 million jackpot to people with long affiliations to the club.

And he complained to the local paper when they kept using a picture of him wearing a yellow helmet outside a pub being refurbished.

Mackay decided to leave Watford when Cardiff, with a larger transfer budget, a shiny new stadium and a new training ground, came calling with a decent pay rise into the bargain. Only a minority of fans begrudged him the move at the time, now the dissenters are invisible and inaudible.

Some might say that Mackay, finally sacked by Tan two months ago, deserves to work under a less exotic owner when he lands his next job.

But on reflection, wouldn't you say he did rather a good job at Watford in the circumstances, Vinny?

Richard Gomez joins PH volleyball team

MANILA – Actor Richard Gomez will be donning the Philippine colors when he joins the country’s national volleyball team at the inaugural Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship next month.

The 47-year-old Kapamilya star said age won’t be a factor, and that he secured his place in the Philippine squad by going through the team tryouts.

“Nung nakikita ko ‘yung nagta-try out, ang babata nilang lahat pero sabi ko sa kanila age doesn’t matter for as long kaya kong tapatan ang physical ability nila at lakas,” said Gomez.

The actor has represented the Philippines in past international tournaments, competing in sports such as fencing, shooting and rowing.

The Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship will take place at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena and Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City from April 8 to 16.

Also making it to the national team are Australian reinforcements Cedric Legrand and William Robert Lewis, JP Torres, Ronjay Galang, Jeffrey Malabanan, Alnakaran Abdilla, Jason Ramos and Rodolfo Labrador.

Francis Vicente will be calling the shots for the team.

Gomez, who has been playing volleyball since his elementary school days, assured he will be giving his 100 percent, despite his showbiz commitments.

“I will do my best and nagpay off sa pagtitiyaga sa training at focus sa game,” he said. – Reports from Marie Lozano, ABS-CBN News, and Joey Villar, The Philippine Star

Labels:Championship,News,Sport

Crystal Palace looked certain for the drop back into the Championship in the early stages of the season

Crystal Palace: 2013-14 season in statistics

Crystal Palace looked certain for the drop back into the Championship in the early stages of the season. Under Ian Holloway, the Eagles laboured to just one win from their first nine games.

But Holloway resigned and, a month later former Stoke City boss Tony Pulis took charge at Selhurst Park and had an almost immediate effect on performances and results.

Palace became a tough defensive unit and proved a difficult team to beat under Pulis, averaging the second highest number of tackles per game (22.2) behind Liverpool in the top flight and boasting more interceptions per game (18.3) than any other side.

For all those stats and more, check out the statistical breakdown of Crystal Palace's season below:

Barton blasts latest foreign appointment

Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has blasted Championship rivals Charlton Athletic's sacking of Chris Powell and appointment of Jose Riga.

Powell was sacked by the Championship club on Tuesday morning, despite owner Roland Duchatelet having assured the former defender of his position at the club.

Duchatelet, who also owns Belgian side Standard Liege, recently discussed an extension for Powell, however, a disagreement on transfers and philosophy saw the decision to relieve the 44-year-old of his duties and AC Milan youth technical director Riga is set to be appointed as his successor.

Riga arrived at Charlton's training ground this morning and the opinionated Barton waded in on developments through Twitter voicing his discontent at the latest foreign appointment.

He wrote on his account: “AC Milan youth technical director? Do me a ****ing favour. How is this helping OUR game.

“We lose a young British coach who has done a great job at Charlton in Chris Powell. And replace him with some no mark from abroad. Stupidity like this is why we struggle on INT stage.

“Feel sorry for Chris Powell. Loyal player for the club, did a great job getting them up and this is how he is treated. Shambles.

“Wish him every success going forward. It will end in tears for Charlton.”

Barton continued to speculate that he feels that coaches from abroad are not brought in solely on their credentials.

He added: “I'm all for the best coming here to work. But not just any old s***e. At one stage we attracted the best players/coaches. Now it just cheap labour. Its not based on skill. Its based on the fact the lesser foreign coaches will work for less and do as they are told.”

Shrewsbury confirm that they have signed Yeovil winger Sam Foley on a one-month loan.

Shrewsbury confirm that they have signed Yeovil winger Sam Foley on a one-month loan.

The former Newport man was a crucial cog in the Glovers side that clinched promotion to the Championship last season but has been restricted to just seven appearances this term.

"I spoke to Gary Johnson about him and he came on the radar a week or two ago so I've been doing some checks on him," said manager Mike Jackson, who could hand Foley his debut against Bristol City on Saturday.

"He's scored goals for Newport and he did for Yeovil last season. I was impressed when he played for Yeovil last year and he's been part of a promotion team which is always good.

"He's got an energy about him and he can play off the left, off the front, so he gives us a few options. It will be competition for places again so I'm made up he's here."

The former Newport man was a crucial cog in the Glovers side that clinched promotion to the Championship last season but has been restricted to just seven appearances this term.

"I spoke to Gary Johnson about him and he came on the radar a week or two ago so I've been doing some checks on him," said manager Mike Jackson, who could hand Foley his debut against Bristol City on Saturday.

"He's scored goals for Newport and he did for Yeovil last season. I was impressed when he played for Yeovil last year and he's been part of a promotion team which is always good.

"He's got an energy about him and he can play off the left, off the front, so he gives us a few options. It will be competition for places again so I'm made up he's here."

Manager Arsene Wenger maintains Arsenal will be ready for their 'Olympic moment' when they tackle a fixture run which could make or break their season

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal side face a tough run of fixtures

Manager Arsene Wenger maintains Arsenal will be ready for their 'Olympic moment' when they tackle a fixture run which could make or break their season.

The Gunners host Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday afternoon and then must regroup for the visit of Champions League holders Bayern Munich in the first leg of their last-16 clash just over 72 hours later.

Last season, Wenger's men were found wanting in such a crunch period as they first crashed out of the FA Cup at home to Championship side Blackburn and were then outclassed 3-1 by Bundesliga giants Bayern, which rendered their second-leg victory in Germany a hollow one to exit on away goals.

This time around, the Gunners boss claims there can be a different outcome.

"It is like a guy who goes to the Olympic Games after four years, he prepares for one race which decides his success, and that is it," said Wenger.

"I think we have produced quality until now and we have just to continue to focus on that and expect the quality of our game will decide the results."

Wenger insists his side will be stronger for their disappointments of recent seasons in the continuing quest for a first trophy since 2005.

"You learn from failure that is for sure, especially intelligent people," Wenger said.

"Some stupid (people) never (learn), the definition of stupidity is they make always the same mistakes."

Wenger does not intend to switch focus to tackling Bayern until the Liverpool tie is out of the way, although he admitted there could be a few selection changes for the FA Cup game as Arsenal look to avenge last weekend's 5-1 thrashing at Anfield in the Barclays Premier League.

The Arsenal boss believes Bayern are now a "bit more offensive oriented" under new manager Pep Guardiola.

He said: "How they are better? I don't know because they won the Champions League, the (German) championship, the (German) cup and the (FIFA) world (club) championships, so I don't know what more they can do."

Matildas star Sally Shipard calls time on her magnificent football career

Sally Shipard with Ellie Brush during her Canberra United career.

She leaves a legacy as one of Australia's greatest female footballers, but even Sally Shipard admits she's a "pretty complicated soul".

An Olympian at age 16, retired with an eating disorder at 21, a successful comeback to feature in two World Cups and a W-League championship, then retired again - this time for good - at 26.

Shipard relives the rollercoaster ride, telling her story from Washington DC, in the US, where she is on a "six-month sabbatical" supporting her partner and former Canberra United teammate, Lori Lindsey. Lindsey, 34, is playing with the Washington Spirit in the US Women's National Soccer League.

Sally Shipard and her partner Lori Lindsey.

"She was the first teammate I have ever fallen for,'' Shipard said.

"I have this thing with my football where I want it to remain professional and I don't want to go over that line, but with Lori I had no choice.

"It was going against my moral fibre in a sense with that professional barrier, but in the team situation it was quite easy just to be us and have respect for the team and from the team. It was pretty smooth sailing."

Sally Shipard was dogged by injuries throughout her career.

The latter part of Shipard's career hasn't been so smooth.

She retires with 62 appearances for the national team, including two World Cups, being part of the first Australian team to win an Asian Cup in 2011 and the Julie Dolan Medal as the best player in the W-League in the 2011-12 season to lead Canberra United to its maiden championship.

But a degenerative knee injury which limited her to a handful of games in the past two seasons forced Shipard's decision.

Shipard began her Matildas career at just 16.

Shipard began her Matildas career at just 16. Photo: Vince Caligiuri

After a couple of aborted attempts, Shipard made her much-awaited comeback in a match with the Newcastle Jets in February.

She scored a rare goal within the opening 15 minutes.

"I was advised [to retire] by our national team doctor about a year-and-a-half ago based on the fact my knees were degenerative,'' Shipard said.

''I feel like my knees could probably handle a hugely modified program, but it's too much of a mental battle for me.

''Some people are capable of it, but I knew it was my time to step away.''

Shipard is the perfect case case study for the opportunities football can provide.

At 15, she moved from her home in Wagga Wagga to study at The Hill Sports High in Sydney.

One of her teachers was Alen Stajcic, the now interim coach of the Australian Matildas.

"I was walking down the stairs as he was walking up, and he stopped me in my stride, and says, 'you're going to the Olympics','' Shipard said.

"It was such a huge achievement, but one I probably didn't expect to happen so quickly.

"Beyond that it's been a bit of a rollercoaster.''

In 2011, she bravely went public with her battle with bulimia in the hope her story would inspire others to get help after fighting her inner demons during her career.

Her year away from the sport, when she was 21, provided her the time to figure out if football was the influence for her sexuality.

"It turns out it was the way I felt,'' she said.

"When I returned home I was able to share that with my family.

''My family are amazing with anything I've thrown at them in my life.''

Retiring wasn't a decision Shipard made lightly.

Messages from current Matildas players Clare Polkinghorne and Elise Kellond-Knight and memories of that amazing Asian Cup triumph make Shipard wish for one last hurrah.

But ultimately, she is satisfied she has squeezed everything possible out of her power-packed career.

Shipard wants to remain involved in football and is passionate about her Chasing Leather project, which aims to pass on the lessons she has learnt into everyday life.

"I would love to run Chasing Leather clinics in Canberra and head back down to Wagga and give back to the community that helped me grow and prosper,'' Shipard said.

"I'm really excited about this fear of not feeling passionate about something beyond football and not feeling that natural high.

"I know I can achieve it through what I can see Chasing Leather becoming.''

West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison has joined Championship side QPR on a 93-day emergency loan

West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison has joined Championship side QPR on a 93-day emergency loan.

The England Under-21 international has fallen out of favour at Upton Park of late, despite having previously been linked with an England call-up.

Morrison, who moved to West Ham from Manchester United in 2012, was also reportedly close to joining Premier League rivals Fulham in the January transfer window.

However, he will link up with former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp at Loftus Road and will be eligible to feature in the play-offs - provided fourth-placed QPR qualify for them.

Sam Allardyce will be able to recall Morrison after 28 days of the loan spell, with the 21-year-old joining fellow West Ham loanee Modibo Maiga at QPR.

He told QPR's official website: "I just want to help QPR get to the Premier League – that's my only objective during my time here.

"If we manage to do that, it would be great for everybody connected with the club.

"All I want to do is play football. I just want to show everyone what I can do week in, week out.

"The aim here is to get the club promoted and I want to contribute in helping QPR to get there."

Morrison, who has not started a Premier League game since December and had a spell on loan at Birmingham City last season, could make his QPR debut at Chalrton Athletic on Saturday.

Labels:News,QPR,Sport,Sporting

Tottenham youngster Harry Kane has thanked boss Tim Sherwood for handing him opportunities to play for

Tottenham youngster Harry Kane has thanked boss Tim Sherwood for handing him opportunities to play for the first team this season. Kane has netted four times in 18 appearances for the north London club this term since returning from a loan spell with Championship winners Leicester City. The striker has taken the opportunity with both hands and impressed during the second half of the season for the White Hart Lane outfit. The England Under-21 international insists he hopes that he can continue to get a run in the side next term as he continues to develop. Kane said: "He gave me the chance here. I was training well and looking sharp. "When he was going to play me, he let me know a few days before and I've been able to repay his faith with the goals. "Tim knew what I could do. I have known him for a while and he has seen me score goals before. He has just told me to play my game, be confident and express myself."

One of India's leading golfers believes Tiger Woods' short visit next week to Delhi will generate a long-lasting interest in golf.

One of India's leading golfers believes Tiger Woods' short visit next week to Delhi will generate a long-lasting interest in golf.

Woods is visiting the world's largest democratic nation for the first time to compete on Tuesday in an 18-hole corporate outing on the Delhi Golf Club in the India capital.

The 14-time major winner has been invited by Pawan Munjal, CEO and Managing Director of the Hero Motor Group, one of the largest motor cycle manufacturers in the world.

Munjal, who first met Woods in Florida some years back during the staging of the annual Tavistock Cup, was in Dubai up until Friday night local time, finalising arrangements for Tuesday's historic visit.

Woods also will open a special 'Tiger Woods' block of luxury apartments after Michael Schumacher and Maria Sharapova each unveiled similar named buildings.

The 14-time Major winner will play alongside Munjal and European Tour based Shiv Kapur, who is also a member at the Delhi Club and is sponsored by Hero.

Joining the trio will be one of Woods long-time golfing friends and PGA Tour colleague, Arjun Atwal who resides on the exclusive Isleworth Estate in Flordia where Woods lived for much of his career.

Kapur is the son of an India stock broker and graduated from Purdue University where he was an all-American.

The 31-year old is one of India's most successful golfers first winning the Asian Tour 'Rookie of the Year' title in 2005 after capturing the Volvo Masters of Asia championship.

Kapur has won twice on the secondary Challenge Tour but still awaits a first main Tour victory.

"Tiger's visit to India is going to make a huge impact and there is a big buzz already not only in Delhi but the whole country," said Kupur after shooting a third round of 70 at the Dubai Desert Classic.

"I know the members at my club are very excited and there is going to be people climbing all over the walls just to get a glimpse of Tiger.

"But the interest he will generate even in his short visit is not just from a golf perspective but basically he is one of the biggest celebrities in the world and with him coming to India for a first time is going to generate a huge amount of interest in golf.

"As everyone knows cricket dominates sport in India, so for at least one day the world's top golfer is going to steal all the attention away from the Sachin Tendulkars and Virender Sehwags and it's all going to be about golf and Tiger Woods.

"So I really don't see any downside in his visit, and I can only see an upside with more attention to golf with Woods coming to India it can only increase the fan base.

"All the members and juniors at Delhi Golf Club will be watching with enormous interest, and while it will not be open to the media it's all about promoting the game, Delhi Golf Club and golf.

"Tiger's already had such a big impact on golf in India because seven or eight years ago we never saw young kids in India taking up golf and now in India those playing the game are getting young and younger and that's predominantly due to Tiger.

"So his visit to Delhi and India is going to generate huge spin offs."

Kapur has never met Woods but is expecting to do that before the close of play in Dubai on Sunday.

Labels:golf,News,Sport,Sports

Your favourite World Cup moments: 'Der Bomber' bows out with 1974 victory

Gerd Muller guaranteed goals, perhaps more so than any other player in the history of football, and it was he who delivered West Germany's second World Cup in 1974.

West Germany, as hosts, started the tournament as favourites, but all was not well. Following the terrorist attack on the Munich Olympics in 1972, the German camp at Malente was on lockdown, guarded by helicopters and snipers.

On the pitch, the German public were not impressed early on despite wins against Chile and Australia, and the team's coach Helmut Schon, born in Dresden, nearly had a nervous breakdown after his side lost embarrassingly to East Germany.

VIEW FROM GERMANY

By Christian Nier | Goal Germany

40 years after his early retirement from the national team, Gerd Muller says: "I would not make the same decision today. I would like to have played at Euro 1976."

For almost every German, he is the epitome of the perfect striker. With his winning goal against the Netherlands, he sent the country into raptures. Germany fans nowadays can only dream of having a striker like him.

Franz Beckenbauer sums up Germany's thoughts on 'Der Bomber': "Without him, neither Bayern or the national team would have ever won the titles that they did. To him we owe everything."

Watch Muller's moment on One Stadium

Four changes were then made as Franz Beckenbauer spearheaded an overhaul of the team, with the "Bayern Munich spirit", as Paul Breitner put it, taking hold. Muller scored in a 2-0 win against Yugoslavia, and a 4-2 victory against Sweden convinced supporters that the team were hungry again.

Muller scored the only goal in a tight game against Poland, setting up a final clash with a formidable Netherlands side. The Dutch, led by Johann Cruyff, had breezed to the final at the peak of totaalvoetbal and were a scary proposition, even for the Germans.

The Dutch had been in blistering form, had destroyed Brazil and Argentina, and arrived in Munich in confident mood.

"They had the feeling they were invincible, you could see it in their eyes. Their attitude to us was 'How many goals do you want to lose by today, boys?'," said Germany star Bernd Holzenbein.

From the first whistle the Dutch knocked the ball around casually before finding Cruyff. He breezed past Berti Vogts and was felled in the box by Uli Hoeness. Johan Neeskens rattled his side ahead after just 55 seconds.

The Dutch toyed with the Germans, pulling them this way and that, but they could not find the second goal. Holzenbein won a penalty for West Germany and Breitner, showing that Bayern mentality, rifled home.

The winner came before half-time, and it was classic Muller. Rainher Bonhof had got into the penalty area and pulled it back from the right. Muller's touch, by accident or design, took the ball behind him, but with three defenders closing in he quickly swivelled and struck a low shot into the far corner, with keeper Jan Jongbloed stranded.

Come the full-time whistle, Muller sank to his knees having scored the winning goal for his country in a World Cup final played less than 100 miles from his birthplace. West Germany had become the first country to hold the European Championship and the World Cup at the same time, and Muller's goals had been key.

Muller scored 68 goals in 62 appearances for his country. The winner in Munich was his 14th in World Cup matches. And his last.

At the post-final banquet at the Hilton hotel, a row broke out after the DFB insisted that the players' wives were not allowed to attend. Muller, reportedly disgusted by the furore, retired from international duty.

He will be remembered as one of the very best goalscorers in the history of football, and the 1974 World Cup final, on the pitch at least, was his finest hour.

Marco Van Basten, Milan's swan punished by the Gods of football

Marco Van Basten, Milan's swan punished by the Gods of football

A looked like a slim guy with a gentle face, but he was one of the most ruthless strikers in the history of football. As strong on the pitch as unlucky: he had to retire at his 30

by Mohamed Ezzat

submit to reddit

“San Marco “ is not the Christian saint who’s church lies in the heart of Venice, our “San Marco” is the player who was so prolific in front of the goal that the fans gave him this name. Our football saint is the Dutch player Marco (Marcel) Van Basten. Marco was born on the 31st October, 1964 in the city of Utrecht, where he started his football career at the age of 6 at a local team, EDO.

At the age of seven he moved to UVV, where he spent 9 years. After which he moved to another club in Utrecht named Elinkwijk. His professional career began in 1981, at the tender age of 17 Marco was spotted by Ajax's scouts. He was aware of the great prospects this opportunity could provide and hence agreed to join the famous football club in Amsterdam.

The coaches at Ajax immediately recognized Marco’s great potential. He demonstrated what a great striker he could become already in his debut (April 3, 1982), in which Van Basten immediately scored a goal. What's more, in that match he was substituted on for the famous Dutch footballer, Johan Cruyff. In the following season Marco scored 9 goals. However, his most important achievement arrived in 1983 when he earned a call up to the Dutch national team, on the 7th of September, in a match against Iceland. Van Basten scored his first goal for the Oranje only two weeks later, in a very prestigious match against Belgium.

Marco was unrivalled in the Dutch Eredivisie; he was top scorer four times. He also won the Golden Boot Award in 1986 with 37 goals in only 26 matches! During his rip-roaring stay in Ajax, Marco scored 151 goals, appearing in 172 games and his outstanding performances for the Dutch club was topped off with a victory in the Cup Winner's Cup. As befits a champion, he found the back of the net in the final.

On the international stage, the Dutch striker scored some memorable goals like the one in the final against the USSR ending the game and the European championship in his country’s favor, as well as giving him the title of top goal scorer with 5 goals. He also gave his contribution in the 1990 World Cup and earned the third place in Euro 1992. His score with the Oranje is impressive as well: 58 caps, 24 goals.

Labels:Ajax,football,goals,Marco,Sport

Nottingham Forest see their Wembley dreams go up in smoke yet again

Forest's Wembley dreams go up in smoke yet again

While they were leading 1-0 at a Sheffield United side that had posed virtually no threat during the first half of yesterday’s FA Cup fifth round tie, news filtered through that a home draw with Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday or Charlton awaited the winners in the sixth round.

No disrespect to any of those sides but suddenly a Wembley semi-final became more than a possibility.

Then, in trademark Forest fashion, those dreams were brought crashing back down to earth by a Blades team managed by Reds legend Nigel Clough.

When Nigel was ‘the number nine’ in his dad Brian’s side, Forest fans used to brag about having a season ticket at Wembley, appearing at the famous old stadiums six times in three years and three days, a sequence ended with an uninspiring 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the 1992 League Cup final.

In the 22 years that have passed, QPR and Fulham of are the only other sides in the top two divisions that haven’t played at Wembley at least once – although Rangers visited Cardiff for a play-off final and Fulham lost a Europa League final in Hamburg.

Forest, meanwhile, have found some astonishing ways of snatching failure from the jaws of success.

The Blades started it all off in the 2003 play-off semi finals, over-turning Paul Hart’s Forest who held a 2-0 second half lead at Bramall Lane only to lose 4-3 after extra time.

The most infamous was the 2007 League One play-off semis in which Colin Calderwood’s Reds won 2-0 at Yeovil in the first leg only to contrive to lose 5-2 at home.

They have even managed it twice under Davies, crashing 4-3 at home to Blackpool in 2010 before failing to beat Swansea the following year even though the Welsh side had Neil Taylor sent off in the first minute of the first leg.

Some Forest fans may cruelly refer to the second best goalscorer in their history as ‘Non League Nigel’ but he provided the right motivation yesterday, mentioning the prospect of a Steel City quarter-final during his half-time team talk, and seeing his side come back from 1-0 down to win 3-1.

That’s not a criticism of Davies. The FA Cup may have been treated with contempt by some of his contemporaries but the manager’s desire to take Forest as far as possible in the competition, despite being in the midst of a promotion battle, cannot be questioned.

However, it irked a little after the game when a dignified Davies suggested the Blades’ players wanted it more. That may be so, but since Forest fans went to Wembley, Sheffield United have been there four times, as well as playing in two FA Cup semi-finals at Old Trafford and a play-off in Cardiff.

As Forest took more than 5,000 fans to Sheffield, it may have been more suitable to talk about which set of fans wanted it more.

Having thrown away their Wembley dreams in the cup, the best way Forest can ease their fans’ latest disappointment would be to avoid the play-offs – and a possible trip to Wembley – by winning automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Birmingham City's Yeung found guilty of laundering $93m

March 3 - After months trying to clear his name, Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong businessman who bought English club Birmingham City, faces a lengthy jail term after being found guilty of five counts of money laundering by a court in Hong Kong. Last month Yeung resigned as a director of both the club and its parent company Birmingham International Holdings Ltd (BIHL) as he awaited the verdict of a trial that had lasted 50 days having already lost two appeals to get it thrown out.

Yeung, a hairdresser-turned-businessman, had pleaded not guilty to five charges of laundering through his bank accounts HK$721.3 million ($93 million) of deposits from parties including a Macau casino operator and securities firms over a seven-year period up to 2007.

Throughout the trial , Yeung, son of a vegetable stall holder, tried to explain how he amassed his fortune, telling the court that he set up a total of five salons and was "very famous" in the industry and in social circles. But prosecutors said he was unable to show where almost HK$100 million (£7.7m) in his bank accounts had come from.

The judge Douglas Yau said Yeung was "self-contradictory" in his testimony and he had been "making it up as he went along". He said he had lied about how he made his money and exaggerated the amount of profits generated by his hair salon business. "I find the defendant not a witness of truth. I find that he is someone who is prepared to, and did try to, lie whenever he saw the need to do so," Yau stated.

Yeung took over Birmingham in 2009 but two years later the club was relegated from the English Premier League and Yeung was arrested in June that year. Birmingham, despite a large fan base, remain in the second-tier Championship with little hope of a return to the top flight in the near future.

Yeung will be sentenced later this week but the case re-inforced the unpredictable and often precarious nature of foreign ownership in club football and the need to scrutinise takeovers by overseas investors who make big promises about major cash injections.

The judge based his findings on the fact that huge amounts of money went through five accounts in Yeung's name or of which he was a signatory at Wing Lung Bank and HSBC between January 2001 and December 2007. Yau noted that the accounts were used as a repository of funds as deposits and withdrawals of the accounts were almost identical.

The judge said many of the deposits were cash deposits because Yeung knew precisely that would make the money more difficult to trace. "The defendant did not tell the whole truth about the true nature of the deposits," Yau said.

Yeung's lawyer was quoted as saying locally said that in light of the verdict "an immediate custodial sentence is inevitable".

Football Federation Australia has confirmed the Socceroos will play Ecuador in a friendly in London next month.

Football Federation Australia has confirmed the Socceroos will play Ecuador in a friendly in London next month.

The match will take place at The Den, home of Championship side Millwall, and serve as preparation for the World Cup finals, where Australia will take on Spain, the Netherlands and Chile.

Ecuador, captained by Manchester United's Antonio Valencia, have also qualified for the tournament in Brazil, drawn in a group with France, Honduras and Switzerland.

"We're excited to have secured the match against Ecuador, which offers us a good test against South American opposition leading into the World Cup," Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou said in a statement.

"We have tried to secure opponents for the games leading into the World Cup to replicate the type of football we are expecting to face in Brazil and playing Ecuador gives us some quality South American opposition ahead of the first group stage match against Chile.

"This is also the last match we will play before we get together in May for our final World Cup preparations so it's important that we can build on the first positive steps we took in the match against Costa Rica late last year."

Hull City v Manchester City

The Citizens have seen their stellar season take some bitter blows in recent weeks, having gone down 4-1 on aggregate against Barcelona in the Champions League while also losing their FA Cup quarter-final against Championship side Wigan.

Manuel Pellegrini's men did, however, manage to lift the Capital One Cup in that time following the 3-1 Wembley win over Sunderland at the beginning of March, and the manager will now be looking to make the most of their three games in hand over leaders Chelsea.

The Tigers, meanwhile, are enjoying a decent run of form, having lost just one of their last five matches in all competitions, while they most recently booked their place in the FA Cup semi-final thanks to a 3-0 win over the Black Cats.

Their league form, though, leaves much to be desired, with Steve Bruce's side having won just two of their last nine, leaving themselves only five points clear of the relegation zone but having played a game more than 18th.

On the team front, Hull will hand a late fitness test to Jake Livermore (thigh), although Robbie Brady, Joe Dudgeon and Paul McShane remain long-term absentees.

Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic, though, are expected to return to the squad, having been cup-tied against Sunderland.

For City, Sergio Aguero suffered another injury setback and misses the match with a hamstring strain, meaning Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo are likely to lead the line up front.

Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis, meanwhile, are eligible to play as their respective bans are only in European competition.

Graham Rowntree expects England's pack to grow even stronger during the Six Nations.

Graham Rowntree: Says there is more to come from England's forwards

There were concerns about the England forwards' physicality after the 30-3 rout by Wales in last year's title decider.

However, an impressive autumn saw England hold their own against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand and they now look to possess a pack that will be feared across the Championship.

Lawes: Discipline will be key

"I'm pleased with how we're progressing, particularly in that last game against New Zealand," said forwards coach Rowntree.

"New Zealand are the best team in the world and we reeled them in to 22-20.

"What I liked was that the blend of our game was good in terms of our set piece and carrying. You must have threats across the field in every fact of the game.

"Towards the end of the game we had a couple of slip ups at the line out which we can't afford to do.

"They're the learnings we take, but I'm happy with the way we're going.

"There's lots more to come. Test level, as I say to the lads, is about doing lots of little things exceptionally well.

"We have to learn to do those for 80 minutes. That's the progression for us and it will come with experience."

Labels:England,News,Sport

Macheda refused to blame the United players for this poor season

Fed up: Macheda refused to blame the United players for this poor season

Federico Macheda has refused to lay the blame for Manchester United's poor season at the door of the players.

The Red Devils have struggled to adjust under David Moyes following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, and the champions are currently a whopping 18 points behind league leaders Chelsea in seventh.

They also trail fourth-placed Manchester City by 12 points and their hopes of playing in next season's Champions League realistically hinge on winning the tournament, but Moyes' side were beaten 2-0 by Olympiacos from the first leg in Greece last month.

The United striker, who is currently on loan at Championship side Birmingham City, is at a loss to explain the rapid decline, but stopped short of admonishing the squad for their performances.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the Italian said: "It’s been very difficult, I don’t know the reasons why [they're struggling]. Are new players needed? Well yes, of course, but last season they won the title with the same team and now they’ve got Juan Mata.

“People say they need new signings but it’s still basically the same team that finished first last year. It’s a big gap to the top four but they could have a chance. This season the title has gone but there is always next season."

Macheda is out of contract at the end of the season, but with Moyes set to be begin a major phase of his Old Trafford restoration, it is unlikely the 22-year-old will be kept on

Former Sunderland midfielder hopes final can boost

Former Sunderland midfielder Jason McAteer hopes his old side playing at Wembley in the League Cup final can boost their league form.

Sunderland face Manchester City in the League Cup final at Wembley this afternoon in search of a first major honour since winning the FA Cup in 1973.

McAteer made 53 appearances for the Black Cats between 2001 and 2004 and he hopes that, win or lose, Sunderland playing in the League Cup can help boost their league form as they look to fight relegation from the Premier League.

Sunderland currently sit 18th in the Premier League but just one point adrift of West Brom in 17th with a game in hand.

The Black Cats haven't won in the league since beating Newcastle United 3-0 at St James' Park in the Tyne-Wear derby at the start of February, but have continued their run in the FA Cup after beating Southampton 1-0 in the fifth round of the competition.

Cup competitions have come as a welcome distraction from the club's dismal league form this season and, whether they come away winners or not at Wembley later today, McAteer hopes that Sunderland can use the experience to help their fight against relegation.

He wrote on his official Twitter account: “Whatever the result. Hope it inspires them (Sunderland) to kick on in the league an stay up.”

In 2011, Birmingham City famously shocked Arsenal to win the League Cup, but then suffered relegation to the Championship and just last season Wigan lifted the FA Cup, beating Man City in the final, and suffered the drop just days later.