Cristiano Ronaldo Calendar 2009
October 7, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo has done the unthinkable and has released a very saucy calendar, seemingly following suit from David Beckham’s own recent calendar. Strangely, both calendars are released on exactly the same date - 30th October. Surely the latest United no.7 legend isn’t going to complete head-on with David Beckham?
The Portuguese star’s calendar features many pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo naked, well practically naked anyway. This is sure to delight the many millions of Ronaldo fans around the world, both male and female.
Pre-Order The Cristiano Ronaldo Calendar At Amazon For £4.99
Pre-Order The David Beckham Calendar At Amazon For £4.99
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Video: Girl getting hit by Football
August 11, 2008
A Hans Moleman Production. Wolfsburg’s Christian Gentner proves why the DFB-Pokal is called a knockout competition during his team’s first round match against fourth division side Heidenheim (3-0).
via: 101 Great Goals
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DFB-Pokal Previews: The Friday Fixtures
August 7, 2008
Luke is back with the second installment of his DFB-Pokal previews. He covered all games except for Hertha’s match against Trier. We don’t want to make life too easy for our team bloggers…
SpVgg Unterhaching vs SC Freiburg
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Generali Sportpark, Unterhaching
SpVgg Unterhaching
Last Cup apperance: 2007-08
Last Cup title: Still waiting..
Last year: Lost in 1st round to Hertha Berlin
What their supporters will be drinking: Löwenbräu
Did you know…Tobias Schweinsteiger, older brother of Bastian, is on the roster. Photo evidence appears to exonerate him of any poor role modelling re: the younger Schweini’s hairstyle choices.
Unterhaching finds itself an inaugural member of the Dritte Liga. They have a win and a draw under their belt so far this season. Former Czech national player Roman Týce scored last time out against Paderborn, and is one of the few recognizable names.
SC Freiburg
Last Cup Appearance :2007-2008
Last Cup Title: Not once
Last year: Lost in 2nd round to Hamburger SV
What their supporters will be drinking: Ganter
Did you know…Freiburg were 2. Bundesliga Champions in both 92-93 and 02-03
Having his 1st season promotion dreams dashed, coach Robin Dutt looks to this season to carve out his own niche and step out of the sizeable shadow of former headman Volker Finke. Freiburg was a sensation in the 90’s and in the early 00’s, due in large part to Finke’s singular tactics and philosophy. Mohammadou Idrissou (Duisburg) and Tommy Bechmann (Bochum) are a couple new arrivals whose exploits you may remember from the Bundesliga last season.
The pick: ‘Haching 1-2 Freiburg (AET)
Preussen Münster vs VfL Bochum
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Preussenstadion, Münster
Preussen Münster
Last Cup Apperance: 1997-98
Last Cup Title: Maybe this year?
Last year: Westfalen Cup champions
What their supporters will be drinking: Perhaps Herforder or Pinkus, though Warsteiner is a sponsor
Did you know…Preussen Münster was an original member of the Bundesliga. They were relegated that first season..and have never been back. Sort of a bizarro Hamburg.
I guess the most interesting thing I can tell you about this team is that they have that rare type of player for a German team: an Italian! They were the Oberliga Westfalen champions and now find themselves in the new Regionalliga West.
VfL Bochum
Last Cup Appearance: 2007-08
Last Cup Title: Twice in the final, but never hoisted the cup.
Last year: Lost in the 2nd Round to Alemannia Aachen:
What their fans will be drinking: Fiege, unless they are sellouts and drink Dortmund-brewed products.
Did you know…“4630 Bochum” by Herbert Gronemeyer is still one of the most popular German recordings of all time. I’ll still take the German version of “I Want to Hold You Hand”, thank you very much.
You’ve got to figure this is the year the elevator goes down for Bochum, despite being buyers this offseason…but for now, Shinji Ono and Christian Fuchs gets their first tastes of the Pokal. Bochum was quietly a very strong home side in the Bundesliga last season, so if they get the right draws, they may have some staying power here.
The pick: Preussen 1:3 Bochum
Erzgebirge Aue vs St. Pauli
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Erzgebirgestadion, Aue
Erzgebirge Aue
Last Cup Apperance: 2007-2008
Last Cup Title: An East German Cup in 1955 is all they can boast.
Last year: Lost in the 1st round to Wuppertaler SV
What their supporters will be drinking: The club would have you think Hasseröder, but more likely Freiberger
Did you know…The club won four East German Oberliga (top flight) titles under the alias “SC Wismut Karl Marx Stadt”?
I hate trying to say “Erzgebirge Aue”. I hope it’s more pleasing to German tongues. They took the drop into the Dritte Liga, and have started the season off badly, losing twice. Even when they were a midtable squad in the 2nd division in recent years, this was the kind of team that would put you to sleep. All the style points will be going to their opponents.
St. Pauli
Last Cup Apperance 2007-2008
Last Cup Title: None, I’m afraid
Last year: Lost in 2nd round to Werder Bremen (amateurs)
What their supporters will be drinking: Astra
Did you know…The clubs met twice in the 2. Bundesliga last season, St. Pauli taking the first match 4-2, the second ending 0-0.
Well, what can I add to the legend that is St. Pauli? Every neighborhood needs a football team, and this is the Reeperbahn’s. Although St. Pauli may be better known for what happens in the stands than on the field, this is a squad with the edge in experience and offense in this matchup, and it’s always a good thing to see them go far. For their sake, let’s hope they don’t run into Bayern this time around.
The pick: Aue 0:2 St. Pauli
Kickers Offenbach vs Greuther Fürth
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Bieberer Berg, Offenbach
Kickers Offenbach
Last Cup Apperance: 2007-2008
Last Cup Title: 1969-1970
Last year: Lost in the 2nd round to Hansa Rostock
What their supporters will be drinking: Henninger is a sponsor
Did you know…The DWD (German equivalent to the National Weather Service) is headquartered in Offenbach.
I can’t say I’m particularly impressed with Offenbach’s roster, but Steffen Haas, a young midfielder on loan from Hoffenheim, might be one to watch. This is a team that has been in a slow decline over the last couple years, and finally finds itself out of the 2. Liga. They won their first home match of the year against Wacker Burghausen last weekend.
Greuther Fürth
Last Cup Apperance 2007-08
Last Cup Title: None, but surely some fair weather supporters celebrated with Der Club.
Last year: Lost in 2nd round to Hoffenheim
What their supporters will be drinking: I’m going to say Tucher predominately
Did you know…One of the clubs that merged to form the current side (TSV Vestenbergsgreuth) defeated Bayern Munich in 1st round of the 1994-95 Pokal in a tremendous upset.
This is a team that has not done a lot to improve itself, after flirting with promotion for a good stretch last season. Success will not come as easily this year, and maybe home field is enough for Kickers to pull the upset. Then the club’s fans can focus on the Nuremburg grudge matches in the 2. Liga this season.
The pick: Offenbach 6:5 Fürth on penalites
FSV Frankfurt vs VfL Osnabrück
August 8, 2008 20:30 CET
Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt
FSV Frankfurt
Last Cup Apperance: 1995-96
Last Cup Title: Made the final once (more on that below)
Last year: Regionalliga Süd Champions
What their supporters will be drinking: Henninger
Did you know…FSV Frankfurt are one of only two teams to lose the Pokal final to..an Austrian team! Austrian sides were permitted to play in the tournament after the Anschluss, and Rapid Vienna took the title in 1938.
This is an old team by 2nd division standards, which gives one the sense that it’s cobbled together from 1st division castoffs and other assorted spare parts rather than young superstars in the making. They have really put together some cool t-shirts to commemorate the match though..that’s got to count for something.
VfL Osnabrück
Last Cup Apperance: 2007-08
Last Cup Title: Zilch
Last year: Lost in 1st round to ‘Gladbach
What their supporters will be drinking: Well, Herforder is their jersey sponsor..
Did you know…King George I was born in Osnabrück. King George I of England that is. Ah, the House of Hannover, always good for a little trivia…
Remember what I said about FSV Frankfurt being old by 2. Liga standards? That also applies is Osnabrück, but with a few exceptions…First, Bayer Leverkusen seems to have loaned about half their youth system to Osnabrück..Secondly, they have former Bayern Munich and Cologne keeper Stefan Wessels in goal.
The pick: FSV Frankfurt 1:2 VfL Osnabrück
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Daily Calcio News and Notes: 8/5/08
August 5, 2008
Here’s the calcio news that I thought was most interesting today:
-Luciano Spalletti said that: “Our club can’t just go out and buy whoever it wants, everything has to be carefully done and hopefully we’ll have some players that can benefit our roster. Malouda and Baptista are two targets that we want, but we’ll have to see how the deals evolve. Our target doesn’t chance, we will try to win the Scudetto.” He better hope they come soon. 25 days until Serie A starts and counting…
-After bringing back Antonio Chimenti, Juventus have signed another goalkeeper. Austrian goalkeeper Alex Manninger (most recently with Siena), joins the bianconeri on a 4 year deal. He will most probably be Buffon’s backup, with Chimenti relegated to third goalkeeper. Manninger is a solid keeper with excellent reflexes, and should do a good job of backing up Buffon.
-Looks like the proposed Pele-Stendardo deal between Lazio and Inter won’t happen. After thinking about it the Nerazzurri decided not to continue the deal. Now Lotito will try to shop Stendardo to Milan, and try to get Christian Brocchi in exchange. I still don’t understand the big hype surrounding Stendardo. He’s a decent defender at best, yet Juventus signed him last year, and now Inter and Milan have shown interest in him. Am I missing something?
-Looks like Matteo Ferrari has finally found a club. After weeks of wondering if Inter would pick him up, it looks like Genoa have swooped in to pick up the ex-Inter, Parma, and Roma center back. The Rossoblu aren’t refuting the deal, and most expect it to be official sometime this afternoon.
-Fiorentina have signed Juventus midfielder Sergio Almiron on a one year loan deal. The Argentine midfielder was one of the top midfielders in Italy two seasons ago at Empoli, but last year had trouble fitting in at Juventus. La Viola have decided to take a chance on Almiron and have strengthened their midfield.
-Roma defender Marco Andreolli, who was considered one of the most promising defensive prospects in Italy, looks set to join Serie B club Rimini on loan for the season. Andreolli was a U-21 regular and looked very promising but a series of injuries set him back and now he will try to show his potential once again.
-Rangers manager Walter Smith has confirmed that he’s interested in getting Torino midfielder and Campione del Mondo Simone Barone. Before the World Cup Barone was one of the top midfielders in Italy and impressed Lippi enough to be a part of the 2006 World Cup squad. After the World Cup however Barone never really got back into form and even lost his place in the national team. Maybe a move abroad is what he needs to refresh his career.
-Today was the first day of training for 21 year old Uruguayan midfielder Mathias Cardaccio, who was bought by Milan along with 19 year old midfielder Tabare Viudez. Cardaccio will be a part of Milan’s first team and former Roma and Juventus striker Daniel Fonseca, who helped Milan sign these players, says that Cardaccio will fit in well, as he is a classic “regista” (holding midfielder) that has good feet and excellent vision. But then again, Fonseca also said Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was going to be great. And we all know how that went…
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Daily Calcio News and Notes: 7/31/08
July 31, 2008
Here’s what I scrounged around for today:
-Milan striker Marco Borriello has been operated on and will now start his recovery. Reports are he will be out for around 2 months. (could be less if he puts a lot of hard work into the recovery process.)
-Pierluigi Casiraghi is predicting a big Olympic performance from Lazio striker Tommaso Rocchi. Casiraghi says that Rocchi has the experience and skill to score many goals in Beijing. The Azzurri debut on August 7th vs. Honduras.
-According to Tuttosport, Lippi is ready to call Amauri up to the national team. The problem is that Amauri doesn’t have an Italian passport yet, so he can’t be called up. The FIGC is reportedly pushing Juventus to get the paperwork done quickly.
-Corriere dello Sport is reporting that Lazio may sign a well known player in the coming days. Who is it? Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, who would arrive on a free transfer and is willing to cut his salary to join the Biancocelesti. He is seen as Behrami’s replacement, and Behrami was transferred to West Ham, Ljungberg’s last club.
-For weeks we have been reading that Roma are close to signing Real Madrid and Brazil midfielder/striker Julio Baptista. Reportedly the deal is now as close as ever, since Real Madrid are close to completing the deal for Rafael Van der Vaart, which would allow Baptista to leave. After the whole Mutu debacle, I think we should wait until Baptista is actually at the Trigoria training ground holding up a Roma kit before we think the deal is done.
-The 2008/2009 Coppa Italia starts on August 9th and the bracket is out. Everyone praise the good Lord because Roma and Inter are on the same side of the bracket, meaning finally no Roma-Inter final this season!
-Newly promoted Lecce have signed Palermo midfielder Fabio Caserta. The 30 year old arrives on a 3 year deal. Caserta impressed many in Catania’s first season in Serie A and was signed by Palermo, where he did a discrete job in midfield.
-Nicola Legrottaglie, Giorgio Chiellini, and Christian Molinaro would all welcome Dejan Stankovic at Juventus. The Serbian midfielder was close to signing for Juve but the fans are the against the move since Stankovic is an Inter player. However the three Juventus defenders all said that they would welcome Stankovic, and Legrottaglie used the example that a few years ago Fabio Cannavaro was bought from Inter and turned out to be an excellent signing.
-Goalkeeper Massimo De Sanctis, who was Italy’s third keeper at Euro 2008, is close to moving to Turkish giants Galatasaray. De Sanctis spent last season at Sevilla but wasn’t a regular starter and wants to move somewhere where he will play all the time. It seems as the deal is done, since Sevilla have not even decided to bring De Sanctis to the preseason Moscow tournament (which Milan are also participating in). EDIT- This has since become official.
-And to conclude, yesterday was “Cassano-day” in the small northern town of Moena, where Sampdoria is doing their pre-season training. Antonio Cassano arrived for his first day of training and was all smiles. The fans cheered for El Pibe di Bari and he signed autographs for 17 minutes. He also sat down and had a long chat in Spanish with Samp’s new Uruguayan striker Bruno Fornaroli, who in his presentation interview called Cassano “one of the best 5 players in the world”. Marcello Lippi is also visiting Samp’s training next week to look at certain players, and Fantantonio will most certainly be one of them. It finally appears that Cassano will finally start a season in shape and in form, and if things go well this could shape up to be his best season as a player yet.
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