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BLAST ... Arsene Wenger

ARSENE WENGER has blasted Manchester Citys new owners and fumed: We wont sell Cesc Fabregas even for £135million.

The sheikhs who own the Eastlands outfit say they want Gunners ace Fab and Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Wenger said: The rules are there. Lets get them respected. You cannot come out and say next week we pay £250,000 to Ronaldo and £135million when the player has a contract with Man United. Its not possible or acceptable.

Arsenal manager Wenger also mocked Citys £32.5million signing of Robinho from Real Madrid.

The Brazil strike star wanted to join Chelsea but ended up at City the highest bidders.

Wenger added: What is worrying is that a player signs somewhere and then the next day he does not even know where he has signed. You cannot say that is a good trend.

Football is not a supermarket. There is money in the game and I take it in a positive way.

But the football bodies have to make sure money is ruled properly and used well for the ethic of the game.

Wenger fears the new foreign owners of Premier League clubs are killing off the managers role.

Alan Curbishley quit West Ham last week as players were sold behind his back by the clubs Icelandic owners.

Wenger added: On the Continent, at least you are informed on what kind of players you buy. It looks like some are not even informed any more.

It looks to be going a very worrying way. People who come from another country, they import the way people manage in their country. In England you had a tradition that was never questioned.

IT'S WAR ... Walcott and Rooney

WAYNE ROONEY has warned the world to get ready for WAR Walcott and Rooney.

Rooneys stunning partnership with hat-trick star Theo Walcott looks Englands best since the SAS strike force of Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham in the 1990s.

Croatia had no answer to the dynamic duo as England ran out 4-1 winners in their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

And Rooney said: Hes got frightening pace. Its probably something different to what weve had for the past four years.

Manchester United ace Rooney believes Walcott is Englands missing link in the hunt to end 42 years without victory at a tournament.

He added: Theo can help us win trophies. He deserves the headlines for scoring three brilliant goals in a tough away game at such a young age.

He likes to run behind defenders and does something different which keeps them on the back foot.

Ive not seen anyone as quick as him. He scored a goal in training the other week and everyone looked at how quick he was. When he gets going hes just unbelievable.

England boss Fabio Capello admits Walcotts display has given Arsenals Arsene Wenger a headache.

He conceded Walcott, 19, has moved to a new level and his club will have to deal with the extra spotlight.

Capello said: Weve created a problem for Arsenal, not for me. Arsene is a good manager for him, a very good manager.

The Three Lions boss added: When I choose the squad I pick the best player at that moment, not out of sympathy but because I watched the games.

Theo is young, with a good future, but we have to help him. At this moment people are talking about the team but we have to keep our feet on the ground.

 

Reggae Boyz Shawn Sawyers ( left), Jermaine Taylor (second left), Davian Thorpe and Keniel Moodie (right) board the national team's bus at the Norman Manley Interantional Airport yesterday. Jamaica lost 2-0 to Honduras on Wednesday night, four days after losing 3-0 to Mexico. - Norman Grindley

Despite admitting to harbouring a healthy respect for former national technical director Rene Simoes, Captain Horace Burrell, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) says the coach had to go, because the results were just not up to par.

"Professor Simoes is my very good friend, but there comes a time when you have to separate your professional life from your social life," Burrell told journalists at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.

"The results are what we have to go by, and they have not been good. Let's call a spade a spade. We have not been doing well, as it relates to the FIFA ranking we continue to slide and I had to take the appropriate action," he added.

The announcement that the Brazilian had been sacked, one, which came as a shock to many, came hours after a 2-0 defeat to Honduras for Jamaica's Reggae Boyz. The loss had come on the heels of a 3-0 defeat at the Azteca Stadium by regional kingpins Mexico, which put Jamaica's hope of qualification in dire straights. After three games, the team is at the bottom of the table - along with Canada on one point - behind Honduras, who have six, and unbeaten Mexico on nine.

The team could still progress, but that would depend on a number of bad results for Honduras. Burrell has not ruled that out.

"We are down, but not out, so we are looking to get the pieces together quickly and move, it is difficult, but not insurmountable," he said.

"It is not in our hands. We have to wait, but in football, strange things happen," he added.

Burrell, while admitting that the coach's removal in the middle of the campaign may unsettle the team at a crucial time, believes it's a risk that had to be taken.

"Life is a risk and you have to be willing to face challenges ... We are great friends, there is mutual respect, but I had to put all of that behind me, and we are just looking to move ahead now," he said.

Jamaica's love affair with Simoes began during the 1998 World Cup qualification campaign, which eventually saw the team claim a historic berth at the 1998 World Cup in France. However, following a number of losses with the national team, he resigned from the post in February 2000.

Simoes returned to Jamaica earlier this year, after he was again put in charge of the Reggae Boyz by Burrell who had regained control at the JFF after being defeated by Crenston Boxhill in 2003.

Coaching stints

Rene Simoes - file photo

During his time away from Jamaica, Simoes had stints in Trinidad and Tobago, with the Brazilian women's team, the Iran U-23 team and most recently Coritiba in Brazil.

Jamaica will play their final three home games against Mexico on October 11, Honduras on October 15 and Canada on November 19. Burrell expects to name a replacement for Simoes by the end of the week. Simoes has already returned to Brazil.

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS has revealed that he has not stopped smiling since rejoining Manchester City.

SMILES BETTER ... Shaun Wright-Phillips is delighted to be back at Manchester City

The winger is preparing to make his home debut at Eastlands against former club Chelsea tomorrow.

Wright-Phillips ended his Stamford Bridge misery last month to head back to City in a £9million deal.

And the England international said: "The day I came here to sign was when I realised I could be making my first start again in front of the home fans against Chelsea.

"I am looking forward to it, as all the players are. It doesnt mean a lot to me that its Chelsea, its more about playing my first home game after coming back to City.

"I started as a Blue here, became a Chelsea blue and am back now as a Blue.

"The smile is never going to go and hopefully the goals will keep coming just as they started here."

Wright-Phillips made a storming start to his second stint with City by grabbing a sensational brace in the 3-0 win at Sunderland.

He added: "I didnt feel any pressure against Sunderland. The key thing for me was that I was coming home.

"The move all happened in the space of 24 hours. I made up my mind immediately.

"I want to play football regularly and theres no better place for me to do that than where I started. I didnt need to get advice, it was what I wanted to do.

"I didnt go out in the Sunderland match thinking of scoring. I wanted to be part of the team that won and got the three points, that was the main thing on my mind.

"I knew a victory would put us in a good position for the games that are coming up, and happily that's how it turned out."

CHELSEA No2 Steve Clarke has resigned.

MOVE ... Steve Clarke

The Blues have confirmed the long-serving assistant wants to quit to join West Ham but they are refusing to let him go.

Clarke is desperate to link up with former team-mate Gianfranco Zola, who has taken over at the Hammers.

A Blues statement read: "Chelsea can confirm that West Ham have made an approach with regards to talking to Steve Clarke. They have not been given permission to talk to him.

"Steve Clarke has tendered his resignation as assistant first team coach. We have not accepted his resignation. Talks are continuing."

The Scot has spent over 20 years at Stamford Bridge as a player and coach but he is now ready for a new challenge.

After working with Ruud Gullit at Newcastle, Clarke was assistant to Chelsea managers Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Phil Scolari.

Big Phil said: "I have been told he is going I am sad but I understand Steve. All people have projects in their life.

I dont agree with his decision but I am happy for him because I like Stevie.

I like him as a person and as a coach and I wish him all the best.

Yesterday I invited Steve to visit my house and we discussed the situation between West Ham and Chelsea.

I told him what I thought and this morning told Peter Kenyon what I think about Steve, that he is very important for me and for Chelsea.

He is a man that is a link between me and the players and between me and the staff. He knows Chelsea very well and English players and clubs.

When he told me about his projects I said to him I could be the man who would open more chances for him to be the head coach in England or in other countries.

And I said I would give him more responsibility at Chelsea and would tell the press that Steve wanted to fly alone in the future.

I dont know what happened in the night but when I came here in the morning I heard he had resigned.

UP AND RUNNING ... Theo Walcott slots home the first of his hat-trick

ENGLAND turned on the style with a 4-1 win over Croatia in Zagreb.

See how the players rated, with marks out of 10.

 

---

DAVID JAMES

HAD a hairy time dealing with his first corner but recovered well. Looked
confident taking ball at his feet, unlike Paul Robinson the last time
England visited Croatia. The Portsmouth mans positioning was good for
set-pieces and he organised the men in front of him well at corners. 6

WES BROWN

VERY solid at the back and moved forward sensibly without exposing the defence
to any danger. Supported Walcott with an out ball when he needed one and did
not waste too much in the way of possession. Manchester United defender will
have done his future chances no harm at all. 7

RIO FERDINAND

NO sign of his dodgy back as he breezed through much of the game and even had
a stroll up front. The Manchester United star always looks comfortable
beside his Premier League rival John Terry and the pair were Englands best
defenders on the night. 7

JOHN TERRY

DID exceptionally well in the air against Olic, who was barging into him at
every opportunity. Held the line well and dished out the orders when the
team needed to be pulled back as they defended their surprise lead. Might
have done a little better in build-up to the Croatia goal. 7

ASHLEY COLE

OLIC and Corluka danced past him too easily in early exchanges. But he stood
up to the pressure and upped his game. Much better tackling in the second
half as well as on the overlap. Won much more of the ball on the left as
well as helping to make the third goal. 7

THEO WALCOTT

LOOKED a bit nervous to start with, then just stepped up a gear and scared the
hell out of the Croatians. Provided some good crosses and a lot of energy as
well as taking the opening goal with great skill. Smashed the second even
better, then got a third. STAR MAN. 9

GARETH BARRY

VERY quiet match. Covered the space and forward runs of Niko Kovac but did not
follow up as much as he might have. Effective in enforcing the area in front
of the back four, which will give Capello food for thought on who should
play with Lamps. 6

FRANK LAMPARD

SUPPLIED some good early free-kicks and a fine one after half-time which the
keeper spilled and Rio Ferdinand nearly pounced on. Ran the midfield, opened
up space for team-mates, helped set up Walcott for the second and unlucky to
have a brilliant goal of his own ruled out. 7

JOE COLE

ANOTHER forced too far back to be effective but did a brilliant job tracking
Croatian players when they were forcing pressure. Never got the chance to
repeat his weekend scoring feats. Cruel blow by Robert Kovac ended his
night. 7

EMILE HESKEY

FIRST contribution was to go through Stipe Pletikosa in the Croatia goal.
Struggled to get involved through most of the first half. Improved as
England settled into the game and linked play well after Croatia went down
to 10 and changed to three at the back. Booked. 6

WAYNE ROONEY

FORCED to play as a defender for much of the first half and worked hard
in areas where he should not have needed to be. Came to life after the
break. Had hand in the second goal and stroked in the third. Then laid
on Walcotts hat-trick goal as well to delight of Capello and the fans.
7

SUBSTITUTES

JENAS (J Cole 55) 5, BECKHAM (Walcott 84) 5, UPSON (Terry
88) 5. Not used: Robinson, Johnson, Downing, Defoe.

CROATIA: Pletikosa 5, Corluka 6, R Kovac 4, Simunic 6, Pranjic 5, Srna
5, N Kovac 5, Modric 6, Rakitic 5, Petric 5, Olic 5. Subs: Knezevic (Petric
57) 4. Pokrivac (N Kovac 63) 5, Mandzukic (Olic 74) 3. Not used:
Runje, Krizanac, Klasnic, Leko.

REF: Lubos Michel (Slovakia) 6.

Terrell Owens vividly recalls the fans chanting his name and the cheers he used to hear in Philadelphia the ones he feels drove a wedge between himself and Donovan McNabb.

Owens once thought he was going to have the kind of relationship with McNabb in Philadelphia that he has since developed with Tony Romo in Dallas. The pair are good friends and the NFL's top-scoring quarterback-receiver tandem with 26 touchdowns since 2006.

"The fans and just the excitement of me coming there and being there, it became too overwhelming for Donovan," Owens said Thursday. "I think at one point in time, I will say that we had a good relationship. I think I got too big for Philly, too big for him. I just feel like in a sense that he felt like I was just probably getting too much attention."

 

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ABUSED ... England striker Emile Heskey

ENGLAND chiefs have asked FIFA to investigate racist abuse towards Emile Heskey by Croatia fans.

Monkey chants could be heard after Wigan striker Heskey was booked during the Three Lions' 4-1 victory in Zagreb.

A Football Association spokesman said: "We can confirm that we will be making a report to FIFA about the racist chanting aimed at Emile Heskey by some Croatia fans during the World Cup qualifying game in Zagreb.

"It is unacceptable for anyone to be subjected to racial abuse and we will be asking FIFA to investigate this.

"The FA and England team are determined to do all they can to eradicate any form of racism from football and society."

West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been named the International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year at the annual awards ceremony in Dubai.

Cricketer of the Year
Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Test Player of the Year
Dale Steyn

ODI Player of the Year
Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Emerging Player of the Year
Ajantha Mendis

Associate Player of the Year
Ryan ten Doeschate

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year
Yuvraj Singh

Women's Player of the Year
Charlotte Edwards

Spirit of Cricket
Sri Lanka

Umpire of the Year
Simon Taufel

---

ICC World Test team of the Year (in batting order):

Graeme Smith (SA, captain)
Virender Sehwag (Ind)
Mahela Jayawardene (SL)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)
Kevin Pietersen (Eng)
Jacques Kallis (SA)
Kumar Sangakkara (SL, wicketkeeper)
Brett Lee (Aus)
Ryan Sidebottom (Eng)
Dale Steyn (SA)
Muttiah Muralitharan (SL)
12th man: Stuart Clark (Aus)

ICC World ODI Team of the Year (in batting order):

Herschelle Gibbs (SA)
Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)
Ricky Ponting (Aus, captain)
Younis Khan (Pak)
Andrew Symonds (Aus)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind, wicketkeeper)
Farveez Maharoof (SL)
Daniel Vettori (NZ)
Brett Lee (Aus)
Mitchell Johnson (Aus)
Nathan Bracken (Aus)
12th man: Salman Butt (Pak)

RETURN ... Gianfranco Zola

GIANFRANCO ZOLA returns to London today after agreeing to become West Ham boss.

The ex-Chelsea striker is set to sign a three-year deal worth £4.5million at Upton Park. Zola, 42, feared a backlash from Hammers fans because of his Chelsea links.

And officials spent yesterday e-mailing positive comments from supporters to his Sardinia home to calm his concerns.

West Ham hope to unveil Zola as their first foreign manager today.

But he will not start work until Monday and his first game in charge will be at home to Newcastle on Saturday week.

He is set to be joined by Chelsea No2 Steve Clarke and ex-Blues fitness coach Antonio Pintus.

Zola left Chelsea in 2003 after seven years.

Hammers legend Billy Bonds, 61, said: I can understand his apprehension over the fans.

If he hits the ground running and gets six good games under his belt they will like him.

Walcott shines as England beats Croatia 4-1 in qualifier

LOWE WALKS FREE

SIR Alex Ferguson welcomes Dimitar Berbatov to Old Trafford last night after finally winning his amazing battle to sign him before the closure of the midnight transfer window.

In a day of sensational developments, the Manchester United boss even played the role of taxi driver taking Berbatov to the clubs training ground in his £130,000 Bentley.

Fergie intervened after rivals Manchester City tried to hijack the signing following their £220million takeover by an Arab consortium.

Striker Berbatov, 27, was snapped through a window talking to Fergie in a room at the club last night after arriving on a private jet from London to Manchester Airport.

After clinching the £31million deal, Sir Alex said: This is a key signing. Dimitar is one of the best and most exciting strikers in world football.

Berbatov, 27, said: Joining Manchester United is a dream come true for me.

After putting pen to paper he appeared in a United strip and thrilled a 300-strong crowd of United fans at Old Trafford.

Earlier eager Fergie met Berba as his plane landed on the tarmac.

At the airport Sir Alex, 66, turned cabbie and ushered the Bulgarian goal machine and his representative into the back of his motor and drove them from the private arrivals area just after 3.15pm.

Ironically, Berbatovs touchdown came as fans of fierce rivals City were revelling in THEIR clubs amazing last-ditch bid to steal the player from under Uniteds noses.

But Fergie was not to be denied as he pulled into Uniteds Carrington training ground via a back exit around 20 minutes later to seal the dramatic swoop.

The gaffer left the state-of-the-art footie complex in the same black Bentley at around 4.50pm, with Berbatovs people in the back.

The free-scoring centre forward followed about half an hour later in a Mercedes 4x4 and was driven to Manchesters Bridgewater Hospital for a medical.

Wearing jeans, he was flanked by a United security guard as he arrived. He left at 8.40pm, refusing to talk.

In a separate twist yesterday, Man City had a British record £35million bid accepted for Berbatov and were given permission to negotiate with the star.

But United upped their offer from £28million to £31million to clinch the deal.

The Berbatov saga came amid a breathless round of last-ditch deals on transfer deadline day.

Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin went on loan to Hertha Berlin, while Reds full-back Steve Finnan was sold to Spanish side Espanyol.

Manchester Utd striker Louis Saha joined Everton and Newcastle bad boy Joey Barton was reported to be the subject of a transfer bid from a top ten Premier League club.

But Barton insisted he was staying, because I owe the club and the fans so much because of everything I have put them through.

Pele stated that Chelsea, who was originally going to be Robinho's new club, should be happy the 24-year-old went elsewhere.

Pele said: "Chelsea are lucky. This boy needs some serious counselling. In my view he has been badly advised."

Robinho's move from Real Madrid to City has not been well received by his fellow Brazilians.

Both Pele and Robinho started their careers at Santos in Brazil.

The president of Santos, Marcelo Teixera said: "This is one of the most disgraceful episodes in Brazilian football.

"He is a player who is an idol to children, an example. But he has not acted like one."

And Santos general manager, Jose Fernandos, added: "We are ashamed at having produced such a player."

Armstrong coming out of retirement for Tour By JIM VERTUNO, AP Sports Writer 3 hours, 2 minutes ago Buzz Up PrintAUSTIN, Texas (AP)Lance Armstrong is getting back on his bike, determined to win an eighth Tour de France. Armstrongs return from cancer to win the Tour a record seven consecutive times made him a hero to cancer patients worldwide and elevated cycling to an unprecedented level in America. The 36-year-old Armstrong told Vanity Fair in an exclusive interview posted on its Web site Tuesday that he was inspired to return after finishing second last month in the Leadville 100, a lung-searing 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies. This kind of obscure bike race, totally kick-started my engine, he told the magazine. Im going to try and win an eighth Tour de France. The sport and particularly the Tour have missed his star power, even though skeptics refused to believe he could win 7 Tours without the help of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. ADVERTISEMENT The 2009 Tour is the intention, Armstrongs spokesman Mark Higgins told The Associated Press, but weve got some homework to do over there. Tour director Christian Prudhomme did not return messages seeking comment on Armstrongs decision. His staff said he would not comment before Wednesday morning, if at all. Armstrongs close friend and longtime team director, Johan Bruyneel, now with team Astana, sent a text message to an AP reporter in Paris saying he did not want to comment now. In a video statement on his foundations Web site, Armstrong said details such as a team and schedulewill be announced Sept. 24 at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City. I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden, Armstrong said in a statement released to The Associated Press. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. Its now time to address cancer on a global level. In the Vanity Fair interview, Armstrong told the magazine hes 100 percent sure hes going to compete in the Tour next summer. Were not going to try to win second place, Bill Stapleton, Armstrongs lawyer and longtime confidant, told the AP. I think its great, said longtime teammate George Hincapie, who added he spoke to Armstrong on Tuesday morning. Like I said earlier today without Lance half the teams in this race probably wouldnt be around. Hes done more than anyone for the sport especially in America and around the world. On a personal note, I like that hes going to be back in the peloton. Hes a great friend of mine, and I also think for the sport its good, too. Armstrong noted in the magazine interview that other athletes in his age range are competing at a high level, specifically 41-year-old Olympic medalist swimmer Dara Torres and 38-year-old Olympic womens marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita, of Romania. Older athletes are performing well, he said. Ask serious sports physiologists and theyll tell you age is a wives tale. Age will be an issue for Armstrong in the Tour de France. Hell be 37 next week, ancient for such a grueling competition. Only one rider older than 34 has ever won the Tour36-year-old Firmin Lambot in 1922. On Monday, the cycling journal VeloNews reported on its Web site that Armstrong would compete with the Astana team, led by Bruyneel, in the Tour and four other road racesthe Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere. But there are no guarantees Astana would be allowed to race in the 2009 Tour. Race officials kept the team out of the 2008 Tour because of previous doping violations. If Armstrong and his team arent invited in 2009, he plans to appeal directly to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Ive already put a call in to him, he told Vanity Fair. Armstrongs return to competition raises the question of whether he risks damaging his athletic legacy. And his own words likely will cause some to wonder if hell approach his return with the same steely-eyed determination and passion. In an interview published in the October issue of Mens Journal, Armstrong said, Im glad Im not cycling anymore It was fun while it lasted, and I liked it, but Im so focused on other things now that I never think about it. Hes certainly thinking about it now. With his riveting victories over cancer and opponents on the bike, to his work for cancer awareness and gossip-page romances, Armstrong has become a modern-day American icon. He was an established sprint champion when he was diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him less than a 50 percent chance of survival. Surgeryhe has a half-moon scar on his head from the brain operationand brutal cycles of chemotherapy saved his life. From there, it was determination and powerful self-discipline that led him back to the bike. His stunning win at the 1999 Tour de France was just the start. Under the guidance of close friend and U.S. Postal Service team director Bruyneel, Armstrong morphed from a sprinter into a technical expert who could climb mountains at speeds that punished other riders. Armstrongs goal every year was to win the Tour de France, the sports biggest race, and he dominated the Pyrenees and Alps like no other rider ever had. The victories also forced him to defend himself against skeptics who questioned whether he was cheating by using performance-enhancing drugs. He got in several public spats with officials at the World Anti-Doping Agency. Theres this perception in cycling that this generation is now the cleanest generation weve had in decades, if not forever, Armstrong told Vanity Fair. And the generation that I raced with was the dirty generation. Although many riders were caught doping, Armstrong never tested positive and has always maintained he was a clean rider, using hundreds of passed drug tests during his career as proof. His Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer awareness and survivorship. The foundations yellow Livestrong wristbands that started selling in 2004 are still seen everywherewith many copycats. He retired after his 2005 Tour de France victory, diving head first into making cancer a political issue and causing some to ask if he may someday run for office himself. This is a damn war for me. Its nothing other than that, Armstrong told The Associated Press in 2007. I had the disease and I hate it and I hate that we havent made enough progress against it. Armstrong has lobbied for cancer treatment funding in Washington, D.C., co-hosted televised cancer forums with presidential candidates and was instrumental in 2007 persuading the Texas Legislature to approval a $3 billion fund for cancer research. He can rally millions of his Livestrong Army through his Web site to support cancer causes. His social life has done just as much to keep him in the spotlight. After his divorce from wife Kristin, the mother of his three children, Armstrong has had high-profile relationships with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion designer Tory Burch and most recently, actress Kate Hudson. Associated Press Writer Jerome Pugmire in Paris contributed to this report

	Arsenal
	Name	Pos.	Previous Club	New Club	Transfer Fee
	Nacer Barazite	M	Arsenal	Derby	On loan
	Amaury Bischoff	M	Bremen	Arsenal	Undisclosed
	Mathieu Flamini	M	Arsenal	AC Milan	Free
	Alexander Hleb	M	Arsenal	Barcelona	$24 million
	Justin Hoyte	D	Arsenal	Middlesbrough	Undisclosed
	Jens Lehmann	GK	Arsenal	Stuttgart	Free
	Samir Nasri	M	Marseille	Arsenal	Undisclosed
	Aarson Ramsey	M	Cardiff City	Arsenal	Undisclosed
	Philippe Senderos	D	Arsenal	AC Milan	On loan
	Gilberto Silva	M	Arsenal	Panathinaikos	$2 million
	Mikael Silvestre	D	Manchester United	Arsenal	Undisclosed
	Armand Traore	D	Arsenal	Portsmouth	On loan

	Chelsea
	Name	Pos.	Previous Club	New Club	Transfer Fee
	Tal Ben Haim	D	Chelsea	Manchester City	$11.9 million
	Jose Bosingwa	D	FC Porto	Chelsea	$32.1 million
	Khalid Boulahrouz	D	Chelsea	Stuttgart	$8 million
	Deco	M	Barcelona	Chelsea	Undisclosed
	Claude Makelele	M	Chelsea	Paris-Saint Germain	Undisclosed
	Fabio Paim	M	Sporting Lisbon	Chelsea	On-loan
	Shaun Wright-Phillips	M	Chelsea	Manchester City	Undisclosed
	Claudio Pizarro	F	Chelsea	Werder Bremen	On-loan
	Slobodan Rajkovic	D	Chelsea	FC Twente	On loan
	Ben Sahar	F	Chelsea	Portsmouth	On loan
	Lee Sawyer	M	Chelsea	Southend	On loan
	Andriy Shevchenko	F	Chelsea	AC Milan	Undisclosed

	Liverpool
	Name	Pos.	Previous Club	New Club	Transfer Fee
	Godwin Antwi	D	Liverpool	Hartlepool	On-loan
	Scott Carson	GK	Liverpool	West Brom	$6.5 million
	Diego Cavalieri	GK	Palmeiras (BRA)	Liverpool	Undisclosed
	Peter Crouch	F	Liverpool	Portsmouth	$21.9 million
	Philipp Degen	D	Borussia Dortmund	Liverpool	Free
	Andrea Dossena	D	Udinese	Liverpool	Undisclosed
	Danny Guthrie	M	Liverpool	Newcastle	Undisclosed
	Adam Hammill	M	Liverpool	Blackpool	On loan
	Robbie Keane	F	Tottenham	Liverpool	$35.8 million
	Harry Kewell	M	Liverpool	Galatasaray	Free
	Sebastian Leto	M	Liverpool	Olympiakos	On loan
	David Martin	GK	Liverpool	Leicester	On loan
	Emmanuel Mendy	D	Murcia Deportivo	Liverpool	Undisclosed
	Davis N'Gog	F	Paris-Saint Germain	Liverpool	Undisclosed
	Albert Riera	M	Espanyol	Liverpool	Undisclosed
	John Arne Riise	D	Liverpool	Roma	$7.6 million
	Nikola Saric	F	Herfolge (DEN)	Liverpool	$1.8 million
	Manchester City
	Name	Pos.	Previous Club	New Club	Transfer Fee
	Tal Ben Haim	D	Chelsea	Manchester City	$11.9 million
	Rolando Bianchi	F	Manchester City	Torino	Undisclosed
	Vedran Corluka	D	Manchester City	Tottenham Hotspur	$16.2 million
	Andreas Isaksson	GK	Manchester City	PSV Eindhoven	Undisclosed
	Geovanni	M	Manchester City	Hull City	Free
	Leandro Glauber	D	Nuremburg	Manchester City	Undisclosed
	Jo	F	CSKA Moscow	Manchester City	$37.6 million
	Vincent Kompany	D	Hamburg	Manchester City	Undisclosed
	Robinho	M	Real Madrid	Manchester City	$58.5 million
	Georgios Samaras	F	Manchester City	Celtic	Undisclosed
	Shaun Wright-Phillips	M	Chelsea	Manchester City	Undisclosed
	Pablo Zabaleta	D	Espanyol	Manchester City	$12.4 million
--
	Manchester United
	Name	Pos.	Previous Club	New Club	Transfer Fee
	Dimitar Berbatov	F	Tottenham	Manchester United	$55.1 million
	Fraizer Campbell	F	Manchester United	Tottenham	On loan
	Chris Eagles	M	Manchester United	Burnley	Undisclosed
	Tom Heaton	GK	Manchester United	Cardiff City	On loan
	Davide Petrucci	F	AS Roma	Manchester United	Undisclosed
	Gerard Pique	D	Manchester United	Barcelona	$8 million
	Louis Saha	F	Manchester United	Everton	Undisclosed
	Mikael Silvestre	D	Manchester United	Arsenal	Undisclosed

-- Edited by shamar at 16:47, 2008-09-09

Ronaldo coy over interest from Cityby RivalsDM

Updated: September 3, 2008, 5:07 PM EST 6 comments add this RSS blog email print Brazil striker Ronaldo has admitted being contacted by Manchester City but refused to reveal the chances of him moving to Eastlands.

The 31-year-old striker, who is a free agent after his contract with AC Milan expired in June, ruptured ligaments earlier this year and has been undergoing rehabilitation in his native Brazil.
The 2002 World Cup-winner admits he has been approached over a possible deal to join compatriot Robinho at Eastlands next year, but is non-committal.

"There was some contact [with City]," he said. "I have some projects but I am focused on getting over this injury."

Ronaldo has also been linked with Brazilian club Flamengo, where he has been receiving treatment.

Stuttgart, Germany - A total prize purse of $3,020,000 will be paid by the IAAF at this weekends IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, 13 - 14 September 2008 in Stuttgart, Germany for the following finishers in each of the 36 events: (all amounts are in US$) Place / Prize* 1st - 30,000 2nd - 20,000 3rd - 12,000 4th - 7000 5th - 5000 6th - 4000 7th - 3000 8th - 2000 Athletes competing in 1500m, 5000m, 3000m, 3000m Steeplechase who finish from 9th to 12th place will receive prize money of US $1000 each. World Record Bonus Any Athletes surpassing a World Record in the World Athletics Final will be awarded US $100,000. IAAF *All prizes and bonuses are dependent upon athletes undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures, in the case of a World record as part of the overall ratification of the performance.

Home			Visitor		Status	Stadium
	Liverpool	vs.	Manchester United		7:45 AM	Anfield Road
	Newcastle	vs.	Hull City		10:00 AM	St. James' Park
	Blackburn Rovers	vs.	Arsenal		10:00 AM	Ewood Park
	Fulham	vs.	Bolton Wanderers		10:00 AM	Craven Cottage
	West Bromwich Albion	vs.	West Ham		10:00 AM	The Hawthorns
	Portsmouth	vs.	Middlesbrough		10:00 AM	Fratton Park
	Wigan Athletic	vs.	Sunderland		10:00 AM	JJB Stadium
	Manchester City	vs.	Chelsea		12:30 PM	City Of Manchester

Sunday, September 28, 2008
Home			Visitor		Status	Stadium
	Portsmouth	vs.	Tottenham Hotspur		8:30 AM	Fratton Park
	Wigan Athletic	vs.	Manchester City		11:00 AM	JJB Stadium

-- Edited by BOOOOOOOOOM at 09:07, 2008-09-06

Mexican coach Sven-Goran Ericksson might be a little preoccupied with the change of schedule, but is when the two teams meet in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifier this Saturday in the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City.

"I am a bit worried about them," Ericksson lamented in a press conference yesterday. "They are strong, tall, robust and powerful. I believe they proved themselves in the draw against Canada. I respect them a lot."

"I don't know how prepared they are," said Ericksson. "But whatever shape they turn up in, we have to win."
The change of schedule puts his team in a precarious position in that they have to play their last three games away.

This puts us in a dangerous position," said Ericksson. "But it is necessary. It will be strange playing this way, but it was necessary."

Ericksson then sympathised with Jamaica for the bad weather being experienced but said, "It is nobody's fault. Come what may, we have to win." He then mentioned that the Reggae Boyz might be suffering from the rainy conditions and therefore he is unsure of the condition of the team. It was even mentioned that the European-based players may not be able to report to camp.

When asked if the occasion is therefore ripe for a blowout, he replied, "I hope so. But it will be very difficult. Mexico is always favourite. But a blowout is not so easy. They (Jamaica) must be doing something to try to win here."

FABREGAS ... slammed Robinho

CESC FABREGAS has slammed the way Robinho engineered his exit from Real Madrid.

The La Liga champions lost their opening game of the season to Deportivo La Coruna and Arsenal's Spanish ace reckons Bernd Schuster's team were distracted by the transfer saga.

Fabregas said: "I dont know him but I wouldnt like one of my team-mates to do that, most of all before a game as important as the leagues opener.

As a team-mate you dont like those things."

Robinho, 24, joined Manchester City in a blockbuster £33million deal last night but Fabregas warned the Brazilian he has it all to prove if he is to become a big star in English football.

The 21-year-old added: "Life in The Premier League is very difficult right now. Robinho is a good player but finding an edge is very tough.

And the Gunners ace once again confirmed his desire to remain at the Emirates.

He said: "I feel great here. We have been in good form since the game we lost at Fulham, as we scored seven goals in two games.

 

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) - Eight-time Caribbean Cup champions Trinidad & Tobago have climbed back to the top of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) rankings, following recent wins over El Salvador and Cuba.

T&T knocked off El Salvador 3-1 in a friendly in mid-August and then toppled the Cubans also 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier on August 20.

Cuba, the CFU's No 1 team for July and August, dipped 12 places on FIFA's latest rankings list released yesterday to 92nd while T&T jumped 12 spots to 80th and took over as the region's top team.

T&T's Soca Warriors had been No 1 in the CFU for four consecutive months from March to June, but gave way to Cuba in the summer months after a shock loss to Bermuda in a first-leg World Cup qualifier.

Suriname retained the No 2 spot in the region with a FIFA rating of 84th, and the Cubans are now down to third, followed by Jamaica (105th), with Guyana fifth in the CFU with a world rating of 112th.

The CFU's top 10 is completed by Haiti (117th), Antigua & Barbuda (122nd), Bermuda (125th), and Barbados (134th), with Grenada (139th) in 10th position.

Mexico and the USA maintained their clear positions as dominant teams in CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football.

Ranked 24th in the world, the Mexicans remain No1 in CONCACAF ahead of the USA, who are 28th.
Honduras stay third in the confederation at No 60 on the FIFA list.

Costa Rica, 73rd in the world, are fourth in CONCACAF, ahead of T&T, Canada (81st), Suriname, Cuba, Panama (96th) and Guatemala (99th).

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz are in an unfamiliar position outside CONCACAF's top 10, showing up as 11th in the current ratings.

Among the world's top teams, new European champions Spain retain the No 1 spot, stalked by Italy and Germany, with the Netherlands fourth and Croatia fifth and Brazil sixth.

CFU Top 10 Rankings
(world ranking in brackets)

1 Trinidad & Tobago (80)
2 Suriname (84)
3 Cuba (92)
4 Jamaica (105)
5 Guyana (112)
6 Haiti (117)
7 Antigua & Barbuda (122)
8 Bermuda (125)
9 Barbados (134)
10 Grenada (139)

YES YES PEOPLE, EXCLUSIVE INFORMATION REACHING ME VIA TEXT MESSAGE FROM THE "KRAZILY INSANE" HIMSELF ****POSTINOR**** IS THAT JAMAICAN RUNNER USAIN BOLT HAS TIED THE OLD WORLD RECORD OF 9.76 IN BECOMMING ONE OF THE WORLD'S FASTEST MAN ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOLT IS NOW THE SECOND FASTEST MAN IN THE WORLD ANSWERING ONLY TO THE 0.02 DIFFERENCE FROM THE CURRENT WORLD RECORD WHICH STANDS AT 9.74 BY THE BIG MAN HIMSELF...MR ASAFA POWELL.

AS SOON AS POSTINOR GRACES THE PRESENCE OF MEDIAZONEJA.COM, HE WILL CERTAINLY HAVE MINUTE BY MINUTE DETAILS TO PRESENT

POSTINOR'S COMMENT:

FIRSTLY I MUST ADD THAT I GOT MY MONEY'S WORTH...
THE MEET STARTED AS A REGULAR one WHERE ATHLETES WERE TRYING TO SHOW JUST HOW MUCH PREPARATIONS THEY HAVE DONE FOR THE OLYMPICS AS THIS IS AN OLYMPICS YEAR.

NOW BACK TO THE MATTER ON HAND, A FEW WEEKS AGO BOLT RAN AN ASTONISHING 10.03 AT A TRACK MEET AT THE G.C.FOSTER COLLEGE, THIS RACE WAS WON BY BOLT DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE WERE NOT ONE, OR TWO, BUT THREE FALSE STARTS IN THAT RACE, SEEING TWO OF THE ATHLETES BEING DISQUALIFIED.

Bolt ran the second fastest 100 meters ever when he clocked 9.76 seconds at the Jamaican International Invitational on Saturday.

Bolt's time was just two hundredths of a second slower than the world record of 9.74 set last year by his compatriot Asafa Powell.

"It was a good time for me and I know that with a bit more work I can break the world record," Bolt, the world 200 meters silver medalist, told postinor.

"I am just happy that I broke the meet and the stadium record (previously 9.84 held by Powell) before my home crowd and I know that they can look for better things from me this year," the 21-year-old Bolt added.

Bolt made a good start and left the field behind to reach home ahead of American Darvis Patton in 10.08 and Antigua's Daniel Bailey in 10.12.

The wind assistance factor was timed at 1.8 seconds.

American Wallace Spearmon Jr., the world 200 meters bronze medalist, was clearly upset by two false starts and finished fifth in 10.13 seconds.

World 100 and 200 meters champion Tyson "the" Gay ran his first 200 of the year and claimed victory in a season-leading 20.00 seconds.

-- Edited by Crazypickney at 14:51, 2008-05-04

WAYNE ROONEY has been told to expect another kicking in Barcelona tomorrow.

Andorra hatchet man Oscar Sonejee had a running battle with the England striker when the sides clashed 18 months ago.

GET READY FOR MORE ... Oscar Sonejee is up for a battle with England striker Wayne Rooney

Rooney was booked and hauled off in the 3-0 win by then boss Steve McClaren in the European Championship qualifier.

And Enforcer Sonejee has vowed to get stuck into him again when the Three Lions start their bid to reach the World Cup finals against the minnows.

Sonejee, an insurance salesman, revealed: Rooney was using the F word then said Im a star player and insulted me, then I insulted him back.

He was thinking who are Andorra? Rooney was arrogant.

He is very hot and aggressive. He said things to me and I said them back.

"But I insulted him in Spanish so he probably didnt understand.

"Its important for us to be physical and, in this game, I will try to do better than last year.

Since then hes become a European champion with Manchester United. But all that does for guys like us is motivate us to work harder.

Rooneys a fighter but so am I and Ill try to put him under the same mental and physical pressure to see whether hes up for it.

If England show any lack of respect they are going to suffer.

As soon as a team lacks respect the game stops being superstars against part-timers and reverts to 11 versus 11, thats when anything can happen.

Sonejee also plans to teach captain John Terry a thing or two about sportsmanship.

The Andorra defender said: After our last match, Terry snatched the shirt which Id swapped with Jermain Defoe out of my hands. Hed better not do it again.

 

-- Edited by Krazily Insane at 16:35, 2008-09-05

FERNANDO TORRES looks certain to miss Liverpools big showdown with Manchester United on September 13.

The Spanish hitman limped out of Sundays 0-0 draw at Aston Villa and a scan confirmed he tore a hamstring.

Boss Rafa Benitez has been told he could be out for three weeks while skipper Steven Gerrard is also struggling to be fit to face United at Anfield after a groin op.

Torres has been withdrawn from Spains qualifiers with Bosnia and Armenia over the next few days.

He could also be struggling for the opening Champions League group game against Marseille in a fortnight.

At least Benitez got a lift after completing the signing of Espanyol winger Albert Eiera for a knockdown fee of around £5.5million.

It is a real coup for the Reds as rivals Everton bid £12m last month.

However with defender Steve Finnan going in the opposite direction in an independent transfer worth around £1.2m, the Reds drove a hard bargain for the former Manchester City ace.

Benitez said: He also had offers from other English clubs but said no because he wanted to play for us. That means a lot to me because it shows the commitment he has to play for Liverpool.

He can talk English and of course he knows the Premier League, which is a big bonus.

Hes the kind of player we have been talking about. He can beat players and get good deliveries into the area for our strikers.

The 26-year-old has signed a four-year deal with an option of a further 12 months if he does well.

Riera became the target for Benitez after he failed to land Gareth Barry and Stewart Downing.

Finnan, 32, leaves Anfield after five seasons and has signed a two-year deal with Espanyol.

Striker Andrei Voronin has also left on loan to Hertha Berlin.

Benitez also signed Brazilian striker Vitor Flora, 18, on a free from Botafogo plus Hungarian keeper Peter Gulasci, 18, from MTK Hungaria.

MANCHESTER CITYS dramatic capture of Robinho has left Big Phil Scolari angry and let down.

The Chelsea boss saw the Brazil striker as the missing piece in his Blues jigsaw.

HO DEAR ... Robinho was the missing piece in Phil Scolari's Stamford Bridge jigsaw

 

And it was understood that the manager is bitterly frustrated that his Stamford Bridge outfit did not equal Citys deadline-day bid for the player.

The clubs record of paying over-the-odds for less talented players than Robinho has left Scolari mystified at their actions.

And a source close to Scolari said: Its no secret that Chelsea has paid a lot of money for players in the last few years.

"Some of those players have been successful and others not so.

Felipe understands the budget has a limit but feels that he did not ask too much of the club.

He bought Deco for £8million and made it clear how important Robinho was to his plans for the season.

So he is entitled to feel let down that the club would not increase its offer by £4m to get the player.

He is too professional to make a fuss but this is a blow.

Chelsea originally agreed a fee of £28.4m for Robinho and both Scolari (below) and the Blues chief executive officer Peter Kenyon made comments to the effect that the deal was done.

But subsequent rows with Real wrecked that agreement and when news of Citys bid emerged there were late calls between Chelseas hierarchy on what to do.

Billionaire owner Roman Abramovich and Kenyon had agreed they would not meet Reals asking price of £32.5m.

And on Monday evening Robinhos agent, Wagner Ribeiro, assured Chelsea that the player would not sign at Eastlands.

Real would therefore have to sell for a lower fee to Chelsea or keep hold of an unhappy star.

Yet that position changed dramatically as midnight approached and Robinho was told by Real he HAD TO go to City and that he was no longer on the payroll at the Bernabeu.

Real president Ramon Calderon then made it clear that if Chelsea matched Citys bid, he would have no problem letting 24-year-old Robinho move to Stamford Bridge.

Scolari made an 11th-hour call to convince Robinho to snub a City move.

But, minutes later, the player went for a British record £32.5m.

A source close to Robinho, who was present when the Brazil frontman took Scolaris call, recalled: It was all very tense and we could sense Scolaris frustration.

"Throughout the last few weeks Scolari was calling Robinho almost on a daily basis to reassure him that Chelsea would conclude the deal.

Robinho felt he had done everything to put pressure on Madrid to allow him to go to Chelsea. But he made it clear to Scolari that Chelsea had wasted precious time and left him with no option but to go to City.

Robinho was afraid that, after going on all-out attack against manager Bernd Schuster on Sunday, he would spend the season watching from the stands.

He had backed himself into a corner. And Manchester City presented the perfect escape route.

Incredibly, in the end, Robinho agreed to join City without knowing the terms of his five-year contract.

Yet his agent had negotiated a £108,000-a-week deal, £10,000 a week MORE than he would have had at Chelsea.

MICHAEL OWEN and Joey Barton are at the centre of the explosive bust-up that has torn Newcastle and Kevin Keegan apart.

TV stations incorrectly reported yesterday that Keegan had been sacked as boss though it is unclear whether he offered to resign or will stay at Toon.

But we can reveal a bitter row DID break out between Keegan and Newcastle owner Mike Ashley on Monday.

IT'S WOR ... Kevin Keegan had a bust-up with Mike Ashley over hitman Michael Owen

Without Kevs approval, Ashley tried to sell striker Owen and controversial midfielder Barton.

Both Mark Hughes at Manchester City and Everton boss David Moyes declared their interest in Owen, while Portsmouth chief Harry Redknapp moved in for Barton.

Kevin has raised a number of issues and those have been discussed with him.

The club wants to keep progressing with its strategy and would like to stress that Kevin is extremely important, now and in the future.

Newcastle values the effort and commitment shown by Kevin and wants him to continue to play an instrumental role as manager of the club.

For the avoidance of doubt, the club has not sacked Kevin Keegan as manager.

The reality may be that the rift between Ashley and Keegan cannot be repaired and that a deal to part company may still be struck.

If that were to happen, it is understood Newcastle would want Spurs assistant boss Gus Poyet as team boss working alongside his old pal, Toon executive director Dennis Wise.

Both are friends of Magpies vice-president Tony Jimenez.

But Keegan was incensed when he found out what was going on especially as he had already been forced to accept the £12million sale of star winger James Milner to Aston Villa.

A Toon source said: Kevin believed he would get money to spend from Milners sale but it was clear he wasnt going to get a penny to spend on the last day of the transfer window.

So when he found out the club were trying to sell Owen and Barton, he hit the roof. It was the final straw.

In an astonishing showdown with the board, Keegan insisted that Owen and Barton had to stay.

He argued there was no time to get in replacements and that they were essential for the clubs wellbeing.

Our source added: It was a tense and angry showdown and Kevin wasnt giving any ground. He was determined players were not going to be sold without his say so.

He felt that, while he had little control over the players coming in, he could certainly do something about anyone going out.

But the board didnt like his attitude. As far as they are concerned, Keegan was being paid handsomely to accept their decisions.

Keegans future was not totally clear last night, although the club issued a statement insisting he is still in charge.

It read: Newcastle can confirm that meetings between members of the board and Kevin Keegan were held both yesterday and today.

IAN WRIGHT believes Alex Ferguson is the man to help Dimitar Berbatov find his smile.

CHEER UP ... Dimitar Berbatov

The Bulgarian finally completed the move he craved when Tottenham reluctantly accepted Manchester United's £32million bid on Monday night.

And Arsenal legend Wright is confident Fergie will help the 27-year-old shake off his reputation as a sulker.

In an exclusive video interview with The Sun, Wrighty said: "I've said this many times but I was disappointed with Berbatov's attitude towards the move.

"He could have left with a much nicer taste in his mouth for himself and the Tottenham fans.

"United have got a great player, it's just a pity about his attitude during his last year at Spurs.

"But Ferguson has definitely seen something he can help Berbatov with and I'm looking forward to seeing how he fits in with United's style of play.

"His touch is great and his finishing is top class so it will be interesting to see how that will fit in with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo."

Manchester City made a late bid to pip their fierce rivals to Berbatov's signature.

But Wright insists the striker was only ever going to end up at Old Trafford after United made their intentions clear.

He added: "Once United come in for someone, and they pursue him as hard as they did with Berbatov, they always get their man.

"When you spend over £30million, it is always going to be a quality player, so you can only see United moving onwards and upwards now."

Despite allowing Fraizer Campbell to join Spurs on a year-long loan and Louis Saha sign for Everton, Berbatov's arrival has left Ferguson with ample striking options.

And Wrighty is backing the Scot to find the best c****ination to bring more success to the Theatre of Dreams.

He said: "I think Carlos Tevez should play no matter what. He's industrious, he works defenders, he makes chances and he's the type of player who lifts the fans because of his constant workrate.

"He's up there with anybody and I think Tevez will play because of his sheer determination."

Sheikh's £500m City dream team

SALES of Manchester City shirts trebled yesterday with 95 per cent of fans snapping up copies of Brazilian striker Robinhos new number 10 jersey. One worker said: Weve never seen anything like this. Robinho shirts are flying off the shelves. Manchester United fans were also clamouring for new hero Dimitar Berbatovs number 9 jersey.   BLUE is certainly the colour for Manchester Citys new owner. Dr Al Fahim is often seen wearing a royal blue Arab robe and wears a sky blue gem on his wedding ring finger. And despite his wealth, he is down-to-earth. A pal said: He is very approachable, you could go and sit with him at breakfast and hed be fine. He is not shy, but he is not an extrovert either.

 

WHILE ADMITTING there are a number of things to be ironed out, national technical director Rene Simoes is satisfied with preparations so far, as the Reggae Boyz get ready for an impromptu trip to the Azteca Stadium, where they face, Mexico in the semi-final round of the World Cup qualifiers on Saturday.

Switched

Originally a home game for the Reggae Boyz, the fixture against Mexico had to be switched as the National Stadium would not have been ready to host the fixture, due to the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav.

While the team has had to make haste in its preparations for the unexpected trip to Mexico, the Brazilian does not believe it will be a big problem.

Adjustments

"We have to be ready. The players must adjust. This is not a book that you study and expect things to happen in theory, it is real life and you have to make adjustments," Simoes said.

"There a few things that we need to work on in terms of some of the technical aspects of the game but we will be ready," he said.

Jamaica captain Ricardo Gardner sat out yesterday's training session with a minor injury, while midfielder Andrew Williams is yet to join the team, having been delayed with personal issues.

While Simoes expects Gardner to be a starter for the fixture, Williams is in doubt, as he will have had limited preparation with the team by the time he joins the squad today.

The team will leave the island tomorrow for Mexico City and will not return to Jamaica until after the next World Cup qualifier against Honduras, which will take place on September 10.

Early leaders

Following a 2-1 win over Honduras, Mexico are the early leaders in the 'Group of Death' followed by Jamaica and Canada, who played their way to a 1-1 draw at the BMO Stadium in Toronto. Honduras are yet to get off the mark.

Jamaica are now scheduled to host Mexico at the National Stadium on October 11.

Asafa Powell aiming to run under 9.60

BRUSSELS: World champion Tyson Gay has pulled out of Friday's eagerly-awaited Golden League 100m showdown with Olympic champion, and world record holder, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, organiser Wilfried Meert said.

After training on Thursday, American Gay, who has been dogged by hamstring troubles which sabotaged his Olympic Games dream in Beijing where he failed to make the final, said he withdrew as he didn't want to risk further damage.

Gay, who had been due to face the two fastest men in the world for the first time in a 100m race, suffered his injury at the US Olympic trials in July and has yet to fully recover.

The 26-year-old now intends to focus on his preparations for defending his 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles at the 2009 world championships in Berlin.

-- Edited by MZJA at 00:27, 2008-09-05

FORMER 100-METRE world record holder Asafa Powell, inspired by fellow countryman Usain Bolt, has vowed to reclaim his world mark, but knows it is going to take a time faster than 9.60 seconds to do so.

Since the sudden emergence of Bolt, who remarkably broke Powell's world record in May and then lowered his own mark to win the 100m at the Beijing Olympics, Powell has since become the forgotten Jamaican sprinter.

Powell has failed to shine at the major World Championship and Olympic meets, but the Common-wealth Games champion still believes he has what it takes to run very fast, and admits that Bolt's 9.69 world mark in Beijing has inspired him to go below 9.60 seconds.

"Two years ago I said to myself I could go 9.65 or faster, but based on how Usain is running it's my aim now to go below 9.6," Powell told a news conference in Lausanne on Tuesday after a brilliant win in 9.72 seconds.

Astonishing

"Usain can obviously run very fast but I'm not going to put him out of my reach," added Powell, who finished an astonishing fifth in Beijing after being one of the gold medal favourites.

Bolt's majestic run in the Bird's Nest stadium in China's capital stunned everyone, including Powell, who is no stranger to running fast times.

Powell was surprised at the manner at which the feat was accomplished, the 6-foot-5-inch Bolt smashing his own world mark with arms open celebrating victory about 15 metres before the finish.

Fastest man

Powell concedes that his compatriot is definitely the fastest man on the planet at the moment, but remains confident of running back into the limelight.

"I'd say in the Olympic 100m it looked like Usain could have run 9.63, 9.65 maybe," said Powell.

He added "I was shocked to see what he did in the race, it was ridiculous. I can't imagine the times he's capable of running at the moment. He's the man to beat right now but before it was me and if I can break another world record then I'll be the one back in the spotlight."

Powell ran his 43rd sub-10 second timing for the 100m on Tuesday when he equalled the second fastest time ever to win the event in Lausanne in a remarkable 9.72 seconds.

USAIN BOLT will run the 100 metres in the fastest field ever assembled at the Van Damme Memorial tomorrow, seeking to break the world record for the third time this season.

The Olympic champion will face Asafa Powell, the former record-holder who matched the second fastest 100 of all time on Tuesday, and Tyson Gay, the world champion seeking to recapture his form after a hamstring injury.

They are the three fastest men ever and have posted the 10 fastest 100 dashes ever run. Meet organiser Wilfried Meert said such a select field is unique.

Never before

"This has never happened before," Meert said.

All eyes at the 50,000-capacity King Baudouin stadium will be on Bolt. The Jamaican won three gold medals and set three world records in Beijing last month to become the face of the Games, alongside swimming great Michael Phelps.

"Usain Bolt, we all know he is on fire right now," Gay said.

Tomorrow, Bolt will be chasing his 100-metre mark of 9.69 seconds, which he set while slowing across the line and showboating over the last dozen metres. Some observers have said he could have gone below 9.6 if he had run hard all the way.

Tomorrow's meet gives Bolt a last chance to prove what he is really capable of.

And he is in form, even after a cold and intercontinental travel from Beijing.

In Lausanne, Switzerland, on Tuesday, he eased up well before the finish in his 200 and still tied the fourth-best 200 of all time at 19.63 seconds, just .33 off his world record of 19.30 in Beijing.

Last Friday, Bolt won the 100 in 9.83 seconds in the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, his first competition since Beijing.

With the pressure of big competition challenges off, fellow-Jamaican Powell is at his very best again.

Former world record

Powell ran 9.72 in Lausanne, equalling the former world record Bolt set in New York City last May.

Powell's time was a personal best by two-hundredths and was one-tenth faster than his season's best, run in Monaco before his relative loss of form on the Olympic stage where he finished fifth.

"I'm very happy, after all that I've been through this year," Powell said.

Gay, who failed to make the final in Beijing, is still slowed by a lingering hamstring injury.

"I don't think I am as sharp right now, considering my leg, to be very, very, competitive with those guys," he said, indicating he could still decide to skip the highly anticipated race.

Obstacle

If no human can stop him, Bolt's biggest obstacle might well be the weather.

Weather predictions call for downpours and tomorrow's temperatures will peak at just 20°C (68°F) in the afternoon and will have cooled down considerably by the time Bolt lines up at 12.30 p.m. (Ja time).

"It will all depend on the weather, and it doesn't look too good," Meert said. "It will be very difficult for the athletes that come out of the heat of Beijing."

ALAN CURBISHLEY quit as West Ham manager claiming he was knifed over transfer dealings at Upton Park.

Curbs walked away just three league games into the new season, insisting he could no longer stomach players being sold behind his back.

Former fans idol Paolo Di Canio emerged as a shock contender for the vacancy last night, while favourites for the job - Slaven Bilic and Harry Redknapp - both ruled themselves out of the running.

Curbs insists he was overruled when defenders Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney were sold to Sunderland this summer against his wishes.

He blasted: The selection of players is critical to a manager and I had an agreement with West Ham that I alone would determine the composition of the Upton Park squad.

But the club continued to make significant player decisions without involving me. In the end, such a breach of trust and confidence meant that I had no option but to leave.

Ferdinand had made it categorically clear to me that he wanted to stay.

Then I said no other players would be leaving but McCartney was sold on Monday.

Former terrace hero Di Canio has made it crystal clear he wants to return as the new boss.

Ex-striker Di Canio has already done his groundwork and has passed the coaching courses demanded of top-flight managers.

The Italian, 40, said: I took the coaching badges in the summer and I would like to have a job.

I am waiting for a job in England because my dream is to come back and I think there are a lot of good things I can bring.

My dream team is West Ham. I keep the club in my heart. One day I hope to come back to London and sit on the bench at West Ham.

He has already helped the Hammers this term he was instrumental in persuading 32-year-old Torino strike star David Di Michele to join on loan for the season.

Former Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini is another Italian who has been talked about as a possibility to replace Curbishley in the hot-seat.

But the bookies favourite is former Hammer Bilic even though there are severe doubts he would break his deal as Croatia national chief.

Bilic is known to honour contracts and is relishing the thought of beating England again in Wednesdays World Cup Group Six showdown having already dumped Steve McClarens side out of the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Hammers reserve team coach Kevin Keen has been made caretaker boss.

FURIOUS Newcastle fans have threatened a bitter backlash against what they regard as attempts to force Kevin Keegan out of the club.

Around 500 supporters gathered at St James Park yesterday as rumours the man they call The Messiah had been sacked spread through the city.

Their chants of Theres only one Kevin Keegan and Sack the board left no one in any doubt where their sympathies lay.

They want owner Mike Ashley and his chief lackey Dennis Wise out of the door.

Ashley was seen downing a pint in one on TV at the weekend. But last night Toon fans reckoned he must have been smashed out of his head even to think about dumping Keegan as boss.

Even the clubs statement insisting Keegan had not been sacked did little to appease them.

Earlier Keegans No 2 Terry McDermott allegedly told the players King Kev was off, that James Milner was sold against the managers will and that the board did not go for a single one of the players on a wanted list he gave them.

The fans vowed there would be a mass boycott of the home match against Hull on September 13, saying as far as they were concerned he is being forced out by Ashley.

There is no doubt Ashley, a hero when Keegan returned to the club last January, is now public enemy No 1 on Tyneside.

Season-ticket holder Ray Evans, 37, said: Ive supported Newcastle all my life and cant ever remember being this angry about the goings-on at the club.

When I heard the rumours on the radio about Kevin going I decided to take time off work and come to the ground to see what was going on. The mood here is very ugly and rightly so.

Its an absolute disgrace. Kevin Keegan is one of the few good things about this club and theyve treated him like dirt.

He has had no money for players, no support for what hes trying to achieve and no respect from Ashley and the rest of the board.

Ashley likes to represent himself as a man of the people, who sits with the fans and buys us a pint. Wed prefer it if he bought a few decent players instead.

I will be giving the Hull match a swerve in protest at what is going on. And from what I gather, there will be a good few thousand more empty seats.

Another lifelong fan, Michael Sweeney, declared: The board havent given him a fair chance and theres a definite feeling among the fans they are trying to force him into a corner so he will resign.

Kevin is a man of principles and the board probably feel if they push him too far hell tell them to stuff it.

We would understand him doing that but, of course, its the last thing we want to happen.

Keegan IS The Messiah, the only person who can lead us out of this mess and get the club back to a position where we can hold our heads up with pride.

Frank Gilmour, of the Independent Newcastle United Supporters Association, said: Its a farce. You cannot run a football club like this. With all the interference and messing about he has had to put up with, I wouldnt blame Keegan for going.

The ugly mood at St James Park yesterday, with hysterical television coverage inaccurately claiming Keegan had been sacked, was in stark contrast to the celebrations eight months before.

Then delirious fans partied until they dropped after Keegans return. The Toon Army dreamed that Keegan, who in the mid-90s turned Newcastle into the great entertainers and almost won the Premier League, was going to bring back the glory days.

Ashley had delivered The Messiah to the faithful and donned a new shirt bearing the legend King Kev. It seemed like a marriage made in heaven. Instead it was a union forged in hell.

Keegan made a bad start, failing to win any of his first eight games, the football was drab and his bosses got twitchy as the club flirted with relegation.

Wise was appointed head of recruitment and seemed to have little rapport with the manager.

It seemed players were arriving of whom Keegan had never heard.

Keegan pulled Newcastle out of trouble but claimed they could not hope to challenge the top four as he lacked funds and supporters would have to make do with fifth at best.

Ashley, who bought the club for £133.1m in May 2007, was gobsmacked. Keegan was summoned to a tense meeting in London to explain himself and told, in no uncertain terms, to belt up.

He has since hit trouble over the new deal for Michael Owen, Milners shock exit for Aston Villa and bad boy Joey Barton.

Keegan wanted to keep Barton yet, on transfer deadline night on Monday, Newcastle were talking to Portsmouth about his possible sale.

Toon bosses wanted £4m. Portsmouth offered £1m, then £1.5m plus midfielder Papa Bouba Diop.

Newcastle said No. Yet the fact the club had entered negotiations was a clear snub to Keegan.

What was also clear was Keegan and his board just could not work together.

Brussels, Belgium - For the first time ever, the worlds three pre-eminent sprinters Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, will meet in the same 100m race when the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme meeting, the finale of the ÅF Golden League 2008, takes place in the Belgian capital on Friday 5 September 2008. The Brussels dash is literally the premier encounter between the premier sprinters of our time. Sadly, in his own words, Gay is looking forward to it but I'm not a 100% yet. The American is still nursing a hamstring injury sustained in the 200m at the US Olympic Trials. By contrast the two Jamaicans continued to be in sparkling form in the days since the Beijing Olympic Games. Bolt has run 9.83 in Zürich and 19.63 for the 200m last night in Lausanne (2), while Powell slid his way to an astonishing 9.87 victory in horrendously wet conditions in Gateshead on Sunday (31 Aug), and backed that up with a PB 9.72 dash in Lausanne, equalling the second fastest time ever run. Yet whatever the fitness or form of our triumvirate, Brussels King Baudouin Stadium on Friday will witness an historic sprinting moment. The newly crowned Olympic champion Usain Bolt has only ever once met World champion Tyson Gay at the 100m distance, the Jamaican beginning his current period of ascendancy with a 9.72 World record in New York on 31 May, ahead of a stunned Gay, who ran 9.85. With the American champion not making it through to the final in Beijing, the New York encounter remains their only 100m clash. At 200m, the balance remains in Gays favour, the World champion having headed the Beijing winner in six of their eight meetings at the longer sprint. Bolt, a newcomer to the 100m this season having only raced the dash once prior to the start of this year, has met the former World record holder Powell on just three occasions in their careers. The win-loss gauge is 2 to 1 in favour of Bolt, with Powell having taken a narrow victory in Stockholm just prior to Beijing when, the soon to be crowned Olympic champion, absolutely slept in his blocks. The two have never met over the 200m. When the head to head battles between World 100m and 200m champion Gay and Powell are scrutinised, overlooking Gays aforementioned absence from the Olympic final, then the Jamaican has a 5 to 1 victory credit over the American. As with Bolt, Powell has never raced Gay over 200m DIS IS A MUSS SEE TO RA$$

Unsettled Inter Milan striker Hernan Crespo could leave for Roma in January, according to the player's agent.

Crespo appears to not figure in Jose Mourinho's plans at the Giuseppe Meazza and the Argentine international has been omitted from the club's squad list for the UEFA Champions League.

The former Chelsea hit-man is thought to be unhappy at being left out of their European campaign and is seeking a move away from Inter.

The 33-year-old was linked with moves to Sampdoria and Palermo, but any deal failed to materialise before the transfer window slammed shut on Monday night.

Crespo's agent Fernando Hidalgo has admitted the player is likely to move on when the transfer window reopens and that the former Lazio player would be interested in a move to Roma.

"Hernan has always liked Roma and he was very close to moving there when he was at Chelsea," Hidalgo told Radio Radio. "He spoke to the Giallorossi then but they couldn't reach an agreement.

Unhappy

"The player wasn't happy with what happened on the final day of the transfer market.

"But these things happen in football and now he must try and find space in Serie A and the Coppa Italia to show his value.

"Nobody from Roma has spoken to me but we will see in January. For now, Crespo must prove to Inter that they made a mistake in not choosing him for the Champions League."

-- Edited by Krazily Insane at 16:17, 2008-09-02

Newcastle have announced that they have not sacked Kevin Keegan and they want him to remain as manager.

Keegan's future has been the subject of widespread speculation after reports emerged on Tuesday that Keegan had left the club.

The rumours about Keegan's future saw fans stage angry protests outside St James' Park with supporters calling for the head of owner Mike Ashley and the club's board.

However, the club have now revealed that they have not dispensed with Keegan's services and that the 57-year-old remains part of their plans.

It remains to be seen if Keegan will stay on as manager with reports suggesting the former England manager could still resign.

The club statement read: "Newcastle United can confirm that meetings between members of the Board and manager Kevin Keegan were held both yesterday and today.

"Kevin has raised a number of issues and those have been discussed with him.

"The club wants to keep progressing with its long-term strategy and would like to stress that Kevin is extremely important, both now and in the future.

"Newcastle United values the effort and commitment shown by Kevin since his return to St. James' Park and wants him to continue to play an instrumental role as manager of the club.

"For the avoidance of doubt the club has not sacked Kevin Keegan as manager."