mario

...and striker Kevin Phillips secured victory at 21/10 and Middlesbrough, with just one win in their last 11 Premiership matches, can be backed at 9/2 for relegation.

West Ham United condemned Sunderland to their fifth defeat in six league matches with a 2-0 win at Upton Park. At 1/2, the Hammers will have been on many punters accumulators but it took until 81 minutes for Dean Ashton to break the deadlock and repay some of the 7.25 million invested in him.

On Sunday, Jermaine Defoe continued Tottenham's claims for a Champions League spot with a brace against former club Charlton Athletic. Despite never beating thr Addicks at home in the Premiership, Spurs were odds on at 4/5 before kick off. Two Defoe goals sandwiched Jermain Jenas strike while Jerome Thomas goal after 70 minutes was a mere consolation for Charlton.

Some Thoughts on the Super Bowl

...I am a genetically mapped New York Giant football fan which pretty much makes me just like millions of other DNA doomed dummies who for some unexplainable reason innately pledge their allegiance to a set of colors, numbers and helmet symbols for eternity. Like Canadian geese, we partner with a team for life, through thick and thin, good times and bad, seasons ending in playoffs and seasons ending with top five choices. It is the football gene and if you have it, you understand. Alas, if only marriage could work the same.

The fact is it isnt like marriage. It is not that we are in love with our teams and our teams in love with us. If that were true, it would be like a relationship, requiring everyones needs to be met, resulting in fans dropping the souring attraction of one team for the empty promises of another. Nope, love is not involved. Its a pathetic, sad, lonely one way street that is determined at birth. You are what you are: a Steeler, a Charger, a Seahawk, a Bengal, a Buccaneer. Some of us taste sweet victories frequently, while others wallow in self pity perpetually. It is no different from some people being tall and some people being short. It is my hope that someday stem cell research will produce a treatment to help some of my suffering brothers; for example, change a Cardinal fan into a Cowboy fan, giving them some hope of enjoying a winning season before they die.

It is our game. We dont particularly delight in watching our teams flounder amidst a room full of fence sitters, people without the gene. Youre either with us or against us. And when it is late October and all we can thin...more

Premiership Transfer Window Review - Part Three

...David Walker completes his review of the January transfer window and how the moves will impact each teams success, or survival at the end of the 2005/06 season.

Portsmouth

If ever there was a manager who enjoyed a bit of business during the January transfer window it was Harry Redknapp. He is running out of time to form a team capable of keeping Pompey in the top flight after 34 players have come and gone this season.

He has brought in 4.1 million Auxerre striker Benjamin Mwaruwari to try and fill the void left by Yakubu while midfield steel and creativity should come in the form of Tottenham trio Pedro Mendes, Sean Davies and wayne Routledge. Noe Pamarot, also of Spurs, Ognjen Koroman and goalkeeper Dean Kiely will assist defensive duties.

The most intriguing of Redknapps dealings is the loan capture of Andres DAllesandro, once tipped to be the next big thing out of South America. However, his career stalled following a move to Wolfsburg two and a half years ago.

Pompey are second from bottom in the table and lie five points from safety. The bookmakers dont fan...more

Learning from sport - By George!

... a young boy, we used to spar together. Hed be pretty gentle until Id catch him off guard with a punch. Then hed really show me how to do it!

His boxing gloves hang in my study.

George loved tennis.

His old wooden tennis rackets were put to good use when we used them to practice badminton in the back garden. Once Id learnt to control a heavy tennis racket, using a lightweight badminton racket seemed easy.

One of those old rackets stands in the corner.

George taught me to run and to swim. To cycle and to play chess. We joined a badminton club....more

// posted by 36717 @ 9:22 AM