Steven Gerrard Is Journalists' Footballer of the Year

Steven Gerrard has been voted Footballer of the Year by England's Football Writer's Association for his efforts in putting Liverpool in contention for a first Premier League title since 1990.
The 28-year-old Liverpool captain has scored 15 league goals from an attacking midfield role to make his team a genuine rival to defending champion Manchester United.

Congratulation

Manchester United Will Face Chinese Club Hangzhou Greentown

Manchester United will face Chinese club Hangzhou Greentown on the final leg of its four-game tour of Asia in July.

That game will be July 26 against Greentown, which is a Chinese Super League team from the Zhejiang province.

Juergen Klinsmann Out From Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich fired coach Juergen Klinsmann on Monday after just 10 months in one of the most closely scrutinized jobs in German football.
The defending German champions dismissed the 44-year-old Klinsmann two days after the club lost at home to Schalke 1-0 in the latest of a string of disappointing results. Bayern is now third in the Bundesliga.

Van Persie Will Miss Next Match Against Manchester United

Arsenal and The Netherlands striker Robin van Persie will miss the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against Manchester United next week because of a groin injury.

Van Persie has been ruled out of Sunday's Premier League match against Middlesbrough as well as Wednesday's game at Old Trafford.

Roy Keane Has Taken Over Ipswich

Roy Keane has taken over at English club Ipswich on a two-year contract.
The League Championship club announced on Thursday that the former Manchester United midfielder, who left as manager of Sunderland in December, was appointed to get the club back into the Premier League. Keane replaces Jim Magilton, who was fired on Wednesday.
Keane got Sunderland promoted in his first season in charge in 2007 but it failed to make a big impact in the top flight. Ninth-place Ipswich was last in the Premier League seven seasons ago but has missed out on promotion again.

Lazio Beats Juventus 4-2

Lazio eliminated Juventus from the Italian Cup with a 2-1 victory, advancing to the final 4-2 on aggregate.

Mauro Zarate scored with a curving shot from beyond the area in the 38th minute and Aleksandar Kolarov doubled the lead in the 52nd with an even longer shot that was deflected past Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero came on in the 60th and scored four minutes later, stopping a cross from Mauro Camoranesi with his chest and finding the target from the center of the area.

Juventus played the final eight minutes with 10 men after Camoranesi was sent off.

Liverpool Will Play in South East Asia

Liverpool will play two preseason games in Asia this summer.
The Reds will face Thailand's national team in Bangkok on July 22 and then play at Singapore against that country's national team on July 26.

Asian Championship League Results

Al Ahli (United Arab Emirates) 1, Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) 2 Wednesday, March 11
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) 1, Saba Battery (Iran) 1
Tuesday, March 17
Saba Battery (Iran) 0, Al Ahli (UAE) 0
Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) 1, Al Hilal 1 (Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, April 7
Saba Battery (Iran) 0, Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) 2
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) 2, Al Ahli (UAE) 1
Wednesday, April 22
Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) vs. Saba Battery (Iran
Al Ahli (UAE) vs. Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, May 6
Saba Battery (Iran) vs. Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia
Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan) vs. Al Ahli (UAE
Wednesday, May 20
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) vs. Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan
Al Ahli (UAE) vs. Saba Battery (Iran
GROUP B
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Shabab 4 3 1 0 11 2 10 Piroozi Athletic 4 2 1 1 7 7 7 Al Gharafa 4 2 0 2 9 7 6 Sharjah 4 0 0 4 2 13 0
Tuesday, March 10
Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 3, Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) 1
Al Gharafa (Qatar) 1, Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 3
Tuesday, March 17
Sharjah (UAE) 0, Al Gharafa (Qatar) 2
Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 0, Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 0
Wednesday, April 8
Sharjah (UAE) 1, Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 3
Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 3, Al Gharafa (Qatar) 1
Tuesday, April 21
Shabab (Saudi Arabia) 5, Sharjah (UAE) 0
Al Gharafa (Qatar) 5, Piroozi Athletic (Iran) 1
Wednesday, May 6
Sharjah (UAE) vs. Piroozi Athletic (Iran
Shabab (Saudi Arabia) vs. Al Gharafa (Qatar
Wednesday, May 20
Piroozi Athletic (Iran) vs. Shabab (Saudi Arabia
Al Gharafa (Qatar) vs. Sharjah (UAE
GROUP C
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Al Ittihad 3 2 1 0 5 2 7 Umm-Salal 3 2 0 1 3 3 6 Al Jazira 3 0 2 1 1 2 2 Esteghlal 3 0 1 2 2 4 1
Wednesday, March 11
Al Jazira (United Arab Emirates) 0, Umm-Salal (Qatar) 1
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) 2, Esteghlal (Iran) 1
Wednesday, March 18
Umm-Salal (Qatar) 1, Al Ittihad 3 (Saudi Arabia
Esteghlal (Iran) 1, Al Jazira (UAE) 1
Tuesday, April 7
Umm-Salal (Qatar) 1, Esteghlal (Iran) 0
Al Jazira (UAE) 0, Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) 0
Wednesday, April 22
Esteghlal (Iran) vs. Umm-Salal (Qatar
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) vs. Al Jazira (UAE
Tuesday, May 5
Umm-Salal (Qatar) vs. Al Jazira (UAE
Esteghlal (Iran) vs. Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, May 19
Al Jazira (UAE) vs. Esteghlal (Iran
Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) vs. Umm-Salal (Qatar
GROUP D
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Ettifaq 4 3 0 1 11 5 9 Bunyodkor 4 2 1 1 5 5 7 Foolad Sepahan 4 1 1 2 5 5 4 Al Shabab Al Ahli 4 1 0 3 4 10 3
Wednesday, March 11
Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 2, Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 1
Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 2 Al Shabab Al Ahli (United Arab Emirates) 0
Wednesday, March 18
Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 2, Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 1
Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 2, Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 0
Wednesday, April 8
Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 4, Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 1
Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 2, Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 2
Tuesday, April 21
Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 1, Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) 4
Foolad Sepahan (Iran) 0, Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) 1
Tuesday, May 5
Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) vs. Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan
Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) vs. Foolad Sepahan (Iran
Tuesday, May 19
Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) vs. Al Shabab Al Ahli (UAE
Foolad Sepahan (Iran) vs. Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia
Group E
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Nagoya Grampus 4 2 2 0 5 2 8 Beijing Guoan 3 1 1 1 2 1 4 Newcastle Jets 4 1 1 2 3 4 4 Ulsan Hyundai 3 1 0 2 2 5 3
Tuesday, March 10
Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) 1, Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 3
Beijing Guoan (China) 2, Newcastle Jets (Australia) 0
Tuesday, March 17
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 0, Beijing Guoan (China) 0
Newcastle Jets (Australia) 2, Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) 0
Tuesday, April 7
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 1, Newcastle Jets (Australia) 1
Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) 1, Beijing Guoan (China) 0
Wednesday, April 22
Newcastle Jets (Australia) 0, Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 1
Beijing Guoan (China) vs. Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea
Wednesday, May 6
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) vs. Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea
Newcastle Jets (Australia) vs. Beijing Guoan (China
Wednesday, May 20
Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) vs. Newcastle Jets (Australia
Beijing Guoan (China) vs. Nagoya Grampus (Japan
GROUP F
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Gamba Osaka 4 4 0 0 15 2 12 Shandong Luneng 4 2 1 1 8 4 7 FC Seoul 4 1 1 2 7 9 4 Sriwijaya FC 4 0 0 4 2 17 0
Tuesday, March 10
Gamba Osaka (Japan) 3, Shandong Luneng (China) 0
Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 2, FC Seoul (South Korea) 4
Tuesday, March 17
Shandong Luneng (China) 5, Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 0
FC Seoul (South Korea) 2, Gamba Osaka (Japan) 4
Wednesday, April 8

Shandong Luneng (China) 2, FC Seoul (South Korea) 0
Gamba Osaka (Japan) 5, Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 0
Tuesday, April 21
FC Seoul (South Korea) 1, Shandong Luneng (China) 1
Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) 0, Gamba Osaka (Japan) 3
Tuesday, May 5
FC Seoul (South Korea) vs. Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia
Wednesday, May 6
Shandong Luneng (China) vs. Gamba Osaka (Japan
Wednesday, May 20
Sriwijaya FC (Indonesia) vs. Shandong Luneng (China
Gamba Osaka (Japan) vs. FC Seoul (South Korea
GROUP G
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Kashima Antlers 4 3 0 1 12 5 9 Suwon Bluewings 4 3 0 1 9 4 9 Shanghai Shenhua 4 2 0 2 7 6 6 Armed Forces 4 0 0 4 2 15 0
Wednesday, March 11
Suwon Bluewings (South Korea) 4 Kashima Antlers (Japan) 1
Shanghai Shenhua (China) 4, Armed Forces (Singapore) 1
Wednesday, March 18
Armed Forces (Singapore) 0, Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) 2
Kashima Antlers (Japan) 2, Shanghai Shenhua (China) 0
Tuesday, April 7
Armed Forces (Singapore) 1, Kashima Antlers (Japan) 4
Shanghai Shenhua (China) 2, Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) 1
Wednesday, April 22
Kashima Antlers (Japan) 5, Armed Forces (Singapore) 0
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) 2, Shanghai Shenhua (China) 1
Tuesday, May 5
Armed Forces (Singapore) vs. Shanghai Shenhua (China
Kashima Antlers (Japan) vs. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea
Tuesday, May 19
Shanghai Shenhua (China) vs. Kashima Antlers (Japan
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) vs. Armed Forces (Singapore
GROUP H
Team GP W D L GF GA Pts Kawasaki Frontale 4 3 1 0 9 2 10 Pohang Steelers 4 1 3 0 2 1 6 Tianjin Teda 4 0 2 2 2 4 2 Central Coast Mariners 4 0 2 2 3 9 2
Wednesday, March 11
Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 0, Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 0
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 1, Tianjin Teda (China) 0
Wednesday, March 18
Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 1, Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 1
Tianjin Teda (China) 2, Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 2
Wednesday, April 8
Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 1, Tianjin Teda (China) 0
Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 0, Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 5
Tuesday, April 21
Tianjin Teda (China) 0, Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 0
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 2, Central Coast Mariners (Australia) 1
Tuesday, May 5
Pohang Steelers (South Korea) vs. Central Coast Mariners (Australia
Tianjin Teda (China) vs. Kawasaki Frontale (Japan
Tuesday, May 19
Central Coast Mariners (Australia) vs. Tianjin Teda (China
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) vs. Pohang Steelers (South Korea

Inter Milan Ready To Sever Adriano's Contract

Inter Milan appears ready to sever its contract with Adriano after the Brazil striker deserted the club earlier this month.
Inter has already reached an agreement with Adriano's agent, Gilmar Rinaldi, and needs only to register the move with the league office, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported Wednesday.

Adriano joined Inter in 2001. After loan spells with Fiorentina and Parma, he scored 29 goals in his first full two seasons with the Nerazzurri in 2004-05 and 2005-06, but has struggled with his form since. He moved to Sao Paulo on loan for the second half of last season and returned to Inter for the start of this campaign, but did not find his stride under new coach Jose Mourinho.
In all, Adriano scored 74 goals in 177 matches in all competitions with Inter.

Freestyle Battle 2008

Watch Free Style Battle 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robinho, Lionel Messi, and much more soccer's star around the world

Aston Villa Fly To The Top

Aston Villa 4 - Manchester City 2

Gabriel Agbonlahor made his hatrick to the Manchester City goal. J. Carew's also made a goal, he scored on 47'.
Today EPL has made a lot of goal.

Chelsea Destroy Portsmouth

Chelsea 4 - Portsmouth 0

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari enjoyed a spectacular debut as his side turned on the style to rout Portsmouth 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Goals from Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka put Scolari's team in control before Frank Lampard's penalty capped the most impressive 45 minutes you will see this season. Deco added a final flourish with a stunning strike in the last minute.

With Didier Drogba injured, Scolari deployed Anelka as a lone striker and instructed his midfielders to flood forward in support.

Del Piero Hits Hat-Trick

...Juventus go top of Serie B



Alessandro Del Piero scored three as Juventus beat Piacenza 4-0 to go back to the top of Italy's second division Serie B on Sunday.

The striker's hat-trick - his second in two weeks after scoring three times in a 5-0 victory over Crotone last month -- gave Juventus 49 points from 24 games, two points ahead of Napoli despite their nine point-penalty for match-fixing.

David Trezeguet got the opening goal in the first minute with a shot from the edge of the area, but Del Piero came alive early in the second half, firing home his first goal from the penalty spot after being brought down by goalkeeper Ferdinando Coppola.

He curled in his second with a free kick midway through the half then jinked round two defenders to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time.

Piacenza played the final 20 minutes of the match with 10 men after defender Hugo Campagnaro was sent off for a second bookable offence.
[Source]

Gary Lineker Writes About David Beckham

Former England striker Gary Lineker has called for David Beckham to return to the international fold on a short-term basis ahead of the crunch Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel on March 24.

Lineker believes the Real Madrid midfielder's experience would be invaluable when the national team travel to Tel Aviv for the critical game with qualification for next year's tournament in Austria and Switzerland looking uncertain.

However, Lineker insists a recall for the former England captain should only be temporary with Beckham set for a summer move to Los Angeles Galaxy.

In his column in The Sunday Telegraph, Lineker wrote:

"David Beckham has made a powerful case for a return to the international fold.

"I think (manager Steve) McClaren would be wise to bring back Beckham as a short-term measure and he should be welcomed back with open arms.

"He has shown his usual determination by battling back into the Real Madrid team after being told that he would never play under (manager) Fabio Capello again.

"Now he is playing as well as anyone at the Bernabeu and, with England wobbling, he could provide invaluable experience in what is looking like a crucial match.

"Beckham is a proven international class player and, while he might have lost some of the sharpness in his legs, if you look at it objectively he remains one of the top 20 players available to McClaren.

"His passing remains first rate and his ability at set-pieces is still undiminished.

"Beckham knows how to play international football. Yes, he did not play well for England over the past couple of years, but I think he was more of a victim of the way the team played rather than a cause of it.

"Of course, bringing back Beckham, who has 94 caps, could only be considered a short-term fix because, when he moves to the United States in the summer, he is going into semi-retirement.

"That is what is happening. I know what it is like because I went through it when I moved into Japanese football.

"The standards will be lower and he will be a long way from home. That will definitely be the end for him."

Owen Hargreaves Won’t Be Joining Manchester United

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Wednesday that Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves would not be joining the club, just an hour before the end of the January transfer window.

The England international, who has just recovered from a broken leg sustained in September, is a long-time transfer target for United.

Bayern turned down a sizeable bid earlier this month and the sacking of coach Felix Magath on Wednesday changed nothing.

“There’s nothing happening in January. We will carry on with the players we have got,” Ferguson told Sky Sports News after United’s 4-0 win over Watford on Wednesday.
[Source]