football

1. new england patriots links 1/20/10 - coaching changes: more in store?

   
   
   how long will quarterbacks coach and de facto signal caller bill o'brien be with the patriots? view full size photo » andy hart speculates as to what other organizational shake-ups might be in store this offseason. obviously the most common scenario in new england is all about promoting from within. that leads everyone to believe that either matt patricia or pepper johnson could be promoted to defensive coordinator. my money is on patricia. but there is also a part of me – and this is pure speculation – that thinks we could see some more shakeup than that. unsubstantiated rumors have linked bill o'brien as possibly landing as the playcaller at syracuse with doug marrone, a guy he worked with at georgia tech. i hope this doesn't happen because i think the oft-criticized o'brien is a bright offensive mind and would like to see him get more time with tom brady and co. but i also wouldn't be surprised if pees isn't the only guy who's not back in new england next season. the next few weeks should shed some light, if there is any, in that area. albert breer reports tom brady will miss pro bowl with undisclosed injury. patriots qb tom brady will -- as expected -- pull out of the january 31 pro bowl, after dealing with injuries through the 2009 season.brady dealt with rib and finger injuries right up through the end of the year, and he didn't miss a snap, showing a pretty substantial deal of toughness to get through.he'll be replaced by matt schaub on the afc roster. right now, only logan mankins and vince wilfork will represent the patriots in miami. team talk ask pfw: moving on.  reader mailbag part i and part ii. the nfl announced the names of 53 players granted special eligibility for the 2010 draft. local links ian rapoport informs us that tom brady has pulled out of participating in the pro bowl with an undisclosed injury. his spot will be taken by houston's matt schaub. adam kilgore takes a look back at what has happened to the patriots defense when bill belichick changes coordinators. ian rapoport notes that for now, the patriots will hold on to floyd reese, a key member of their front office who missed out on winning the vacant seahawks gm job. ron borges thinks dean pees might find trouble in denver. he will take over a defense that improved 22 places in defensive ranking in one year under nolan. tough act to follow. albert breer hands out his own awards for the patriots and mike wright takes the most improved player honor after big fifth season. laura london links to a year by year history of bill belichick's draft picks. mike reiss looks at penn state's dl jared odrick as a possible patriots draft pick at number 22. jeff howe says statistics don't tell the whole story of tom brady's 2009 season, and looks at the good, the bad and the ugly. mike reiss notes that there were only a few players on the roster who avoided volatile ups and downs and cb leigh bodden was one of them. christopher price presents a snapshot of where the team stands at runningback: laurence maroney, fred taylor, sammy morris, kevin faulk, benjarvus green-ellis. mike reiss offers his 2009 positional review of the defensive line: ty warren, vince wilfork, jarvis green, mike wright, myron pryor, ron brace. mark farinella recalls robert kraft's press conference after firing pete carroll and sees the same declining trends in place now that led to the axe falling on carroll. mike reiss tackles a bagful of off-season topics in this week's reader mailbag. national news tedy bruschi (espnboston) bruschi thinks new england will choose an internal candidate to replace defensive coordinator dean pees. dan parr presents the pro football weekly and the professional football writers of america choices for the 2009 all-nfl team. wes welker is the only patriot selected. tim graham (espn) gailey brings discipline to laid-back bills. peter king (si) mmqb tuesday edition: four observations on bills hiring gailey as head coach. matt bowen (nat'l football post) why the bills should go after michael vick. michael lombardi (nat'l football post) diner morning news: bills take ‘raider-ish’ route. aaron wilson (nat'l football post) rex ryan almost pulls a namath, tells the n.y. daily news he would be "shocked" if the jets don't win and go to the super bowl. edward lee and kevin van valkenburg (baltimore sun) harbaugh admits flacco played hurt, despite being removed from the injury report.
   
   




2. today in sport ? as it happened | alan gardner and martin rose

   
   
   discuss the day's big issues, send us your favourite links, follow us on twitter and take a look at our 2010 sport calendar8.45am: good morning and welcome to our daily sports news blog. throughout the day we'll update this page with news, links and what's expected to happen in the hours ahead. time permitting, we'll try to wade in below the line, answering your questions and comments. ag9.15am: after coming off the bench to secure manchester united's third league cup in five years, wayne rooney has insisted that he doesn't mind the demands of being asked to win games for club and country:"i don't feel any pressure or burden really," he said. "to be honest i have probably had pressure since i was 16 so it is something you get used to and deal with in your own way."rooney is a doubt for england's friendly against egypt, however. perhaps a good excuse for him to have the week off? ag10.17am: england have just announced a provisional 30-man squad for the world twenty20 in the west indies next month. it includes five uncapped players - middlesex pace bowler steven finn, hampshire batsman michael lumb, yorkshire slow left-armer david wainwright and seamers peter trego (somerset) and chris woakes (warwickshire) - although the squad will be cut to 15 for the tournament which begins on april 30. mr10.35am: here is what we're expecting today:* an england press conference ahead of the egpyt game (1.30pm)* john toshack media day ahead of wales v sweden (1.30pm)* both ireland and brazil have pressers ahead of tomorrow's game* england have named their provisionalworld twenty20 squadmeanwhile on the site today we have:* kevin mitchell's boxing blog* columns on serie a, la liga and the bundesliga* barney ronay on what we learned from the weekend* and our football weekly podcast will be live by 5pmsi12.15pm: sid lowe's la liga blog is just making its way through the system, and the podsters have gone off to record (expect football weekly later this afternoon) ... but while you await those delights, some england (rugby and cricket) news: firstly, danny care has spoken about the disappointment of losing to ireland in the six nations, and called on his team-mates to "come back firing" for the scotland game on 13 march.in bangladesh, meanwhile, stand-in england captain, alastair cook, has thanked his lucky stars for paul collingwood:"he's our most senior player and he showed his class again in the way he saw us home from what was a potentially very tricky situation ... he took the right options again and again and has been doing that for the past 18 months or two years. it's very reassuring having him come in at no4, knowing what he can do."for england fans, is there a more soothing sight than colly out in the middle these days? ag1.10pm: the start of the third edition of the ipl is now just under two weeks away but how much you hear about it is still very much in the balance. the news media coalition has today said international agencies, such as reuters and associated press, will not cover the event unless planned restrictions are relaxed:"without changes international news agencies are bound to consider not attending this year's event to provide editorial coverage ... as many publishers the world over rely upon news agencies for news material the stance taken by the ipl can only serve to limit news and free promotional value of their event and brand."indian news broadcasters have already decided to boycott the 2010 event; and there have been similar disputes in each of the previous editions of the tournament. are you interested in following the ipl? and are lalit modi and co damaging their 'brand' by trying to control reporting so tightly?in other, lighter, ipl news, the mcc's pink ball is to be trialled by three of the league's franchises during net sessions. ag2.25pm: blogs dept. sid lowe looks at atlйtico's weekend win over valencia in his la liga round-up; and barney ronay critiques arsenal's treatment, craig bellamy and a low ebb for bbc punditry in five things we learned from the premier league.news dept. victor cattermole is still hoping to buy pompey; gary neville has said that england and united can't afford to lose wayne rooney; stoke's glenn whelan has spoken about trying to comfort aaron ramsey on the britannia pitch; and zinedine zidane has claimed he 'would rather die' than apologise for his headbutt on marco materazzi in the 2006 world cup final. phew. ag2.55pm speaking at an england press conference, wayne rooney said that he hopes to be fit to play against egypt in midweek. he also offered his opinion on the terry-bridge business, describing terry as a "great player" and adding:"there's been no difference in the team since the squad met up last night. since we've been here we've had no meetings ? it's been the same as a usual england squad."ag3.36pm: rooney shouldn't have any distractions in south africa this summer after revealing that his wife, coleen, will be staying at home. "last time we were all together in the hotel and that was a bit of a problem. my wife's just had a baby so she's not going anyway," said the manchester united forward. mr4.32pm: a couple of european blogs for you if you haven't discovered them already: there's paolo bandini on whether palermo keeper salvatore sirigu could be the heir to gianluigi buffon and raphael honigstein on how bayern have filled their rivals with a dreadful sense of deja vu.5:45pm: that's it blog-wise for the day, but we'll leave you with today's offering of the fiver and football weekly, with that shawcross tackle featuring heavily in both. thanks for your comments and see you again tomorrow.alan gardnermartin roseguardian.co.uk © guardian news & media limited 2010 | use of this content is subject to our terms & conditions | more feeds
   
   




3. lowell football: a long and winding road - lowell sun

   
   
   finding lowell high's next headmaster certainly takes priority over worrying about who will coach football. still, both elaborate processes have predictably dragged into "only in lowell" territory. the football season ended three months ago and ...
   
   




4. new england patriots links 1/14/10 - surf's up for seau and so is his nfl career

   
   
   more photos » charles krupa - ap see ya seau! good luck! too bad about the ring. browse more photos » junior seau told the crew on showtime's "inside the nfl" program that he is going to stay on his surfboard in the future, and retire from the nfl after 20 seasons.  seau will turn 41 on tuesday. cris collinsworth: well are you going to hear any more of his (bill belichick) speeches or are you finished? this is 20 years in the nfl… junior seau: cris, i’m surfing. i’m going to go surf. yeah warren, i’m not going to give you another speech. it’s all over with the speeches. whatever happens, i can say, honestly say, that that probably was my last game. collinsworth: so you’re going to retire after that one. seau: yeah, that, that’s going to be my last game. bill belichick earns usa today's coach of the decade honors. one number stands out among the many bill belichick has amassed during his hall of fame coaching career: 112. belichick won more regular-season games in the 2000s — 112, all with the new england patriots— than any other nfl coach won in any previous decade. coming closest are tom landry's 105 victories and don shula's 104 in the 1970s. so it was as a unanimous selection that belichick earned nfl coach of the decade honors from usa today. kerry byrne (cold hard football facts) dump randy moss. the truth is this: glitzy wideouts rarely have anything to do with championship success. remember the old line about tom brady? who’s his favorite receiver? the open one that was the mindset that made him one of the game’s great quarterbacks and made him deadly in critical moments and big games. it was a mindset that allowed this team to persevere in tough situations that could have caused other teams to crumble. it was a mindset that carried the team to its greatest period of success. my take? dump moss, who has one year left on a hefty deal (reported at three years for $27 million when signed in 2008) and put the money toward harvesting game-breaking defenders in free agency or the draft. team talk the new england patriots have signed six players:  te robbie agnone, dl adrian grady, wr darnell jenkins, te rob myers, dl darryl richard and qb jeff rowe.  all finished 2009 on the practice squad. ask pfw: ragin' after the ravens game.  part i and part ii.  paul perillo does his best to provide readers with some answers. patriots today: the offseason is underway. (10:28 min. video) local links ian rapoport says patriots lb junior seau is graduating for real this time. ian rapoport states that a consistent pass rush would have cured much of what ailed the pats in 2009.  only tully banta-cain's ten sacks provided a small light in a very dark tunnel. shalise manza young reports the patriots' offseason shopping list should be longer than usual.  top two items should be a pass-rushing specialist and a number three receiver. albert breer notes that with no cap, it'll be easier to cut players in 2010. adalius thomas might be the first one on the chopping block. christopher price rates the patriots' roster to see who's valuable or expendable.  part 1 (numbers 53-26), and part 2 (numbers 25-1). the boston globe looks at 14 players whose contracts expire this year, and how they performed in 2009. vote whether they should stay or go next season. mike reiss offers his 2009 positional review of running backs: laurence maroney, kevin faulk, sammy morris, fred taylor and benjarvus green-ellis. mike reiss offers his 2009 positional review of wide receivers: randy moss, wes welker, julian edelman, sam aiken, brandon tate, joey galloway, isaiah stanback and matthew slater. boston herald patriots notebook: junior seau played his last game and plans to go surfing; kevin faulk will enter free agency soon and hopes to return in 2010. jeff howe grades the patriots for the 2009 end-of-season report card.  offense struggled without josh mcdaniels and the front office whiffed too many times. jeff howe lists his top ten patriots moments of 2010. weei is feeling the draft:  cornerbacks & safeties.  time to look ahead to see who's available for the last week in april. national news bob velin (usa today) bill belichick earns coach of the decade honors. tim graham (espn) a case for the pats to dump randy moss. gregg rosenthal (profootballtalk) patriots have a tough decision on matt light. bill williamson (espn) chiefs reunite keys to patriots' glory days, with the hiring of charlie weis and romeo crennel. adam teicher (kansas city star) it's official, romeo crennel will be the chiefs' defensive coordinator. jason whitlock (kansas city star) this patriots reunion in kc is missing something; wake me when the chiefs sign tom brady, the one with two healthy knees and fearless pocket demeanor. seth wickersham (espn) you want winners? here's a formula. according to a ph.d (and patriots fan), math can help derive successful coaching hires. don banks (si) best storylines heading into nfl's divisional round. ross tucker (si) inside the nfl: forget the talk nfl's all about play. kerry j. byrne (cold hard football facts) why dome teams typically struggle in playoffs. gil brandt (nfl.com) can pro bowl defensive backs slow down prolific passers? si.com's nfl postseason predictions. tim graham (espn) al groh officially meets with dolphins for defensive coordinator opening.
   
   




5. football brawl appeal is rejected (bbc news)

   
   
   the irish football association dismisses newry city's appeal against a Ј800 fine imposed after the brawl in the irish cup game with larne.
   
   




6. german football results (ap via yahoo! sports)

   
   
   frankfurt (ap) -- results from the 23rd round of the bundesliga, the german first-division football league (home team listed first): friday's game hoffenheim 2, borussia moenchengladbach 2 saturday's games nuremberg 1, bayern munich 1 cologne 1, stuttgart 5 borussia dortmund 4, hannover 1 hamburger sv 0, eintracht frankfurt 0 mainz 0, bochum 0 sunday's games freiburg 0, hertha berlin 3 wolfsburg ...
   
   




7. portuguese football results (ap via yahoo! sports)

   
   
   lisbon, portugal (ap) -- results from the 15th round of the portuguese first-division football league (home teams listed first): friday's game braga 2, nacional 0 saturday's games maritimo 0, guimaraes 1 sporting 1, leixoes 0 rio ave 0, benfica 1 sunday's games olhanense 1, pacos ferreira 1 academica 2, naval 0 fc porto 3, leiria 2 monday's game belenenses vs. setubal
   
   




8. local football player helps distribute toys (newton daily news)

   
   
   six central college football players distributed more than $900 worth of toys to the patients of blank children?s hospital in des moines on aug. 12. the funds were raised as part of a team project that included collecting pledges for a lift-a-thon staged as part of the players? strength workouts earlier in the year. those players (left to right) are: joey shoemaker, andy kneib, korey van wyk of ...
   
   




9. iu football suspends pike's zeigler after arrest (the indianapolis star)

   
   
   indiana football coach bill lynch indefinitely suspended offensive lineman dennis zeigler after the player's recent arrest. zeigler, a redshirt freshman from pike high school, faces charges of conspiracy to commit burglary, stemming from a robbery dec. 17 in bloomington. teammate cortez smith also was arrested and was suspended last week, according to the bloomington herald-times.
   
   




10. football: webb, williams lead locals named to east-west coaches all ... - allentown morning call

    
    
    all-state running backs darrius webb of freedom and andre williams of parkland headline seven local players selected to play in the 2010 psfca east/west all-star game. the game, sponsored by the pennsylvania state football coaches association, will ...
    
    




11. violence a 'disgrace to football' - bbc uk news

    
    
    the violence at tuesday's match between west ham and millwall was a "disgrace to football", the sports minister says. gerry sutcliffe said: "we have made great progress in tackling hooliganism in this country and will not tolerate a return to the ...
    
    




12. cristiano ronaldo smites villarreal to become the new god of madrid | sid lowe

    
    
    if kakб belongs to jesus, you could be forgiven for believing that the rest of real madrid's players now belong to ronaldogod moves in mysterious ways. theatrically, dramatically. beautifully, brutally. head held high, neck extended, shoulders back, spine straight, lips pursed. chest heaving. up, pause for effect, down again, air escaping his lungs, blowing sailboats to shore. a prelude, a performance, pulling the world towards him before striking with great vengeance and furious anger. the hush became awe. wonder. let there be light, preferably a spotlight ? and, lo, there was light! a flash and a thunderbolt scorched across the sky, ripping past diego lуpez. if guti boasted the "heel of god" as real madrid finally won at riazor three weeks ago, cristiano ronaldo boasted his destructive power as they defeated villarreal last night.the word of god is the word down madrid's way. iker casillas has long been saint iker, "a fallen angel" with the hands of god. as one column-writing loon put it: "the day he came to earth, light shone upon his house like at the gate of bethlehem when christ was born." when david beckham joined madrid a particularly sycophantic suitor described him as "arriving barefoot, like christ". and from the day ronaldo took the same path, these most devout zealots have had him down as a candidate for beatification, his qualities exalted, his failings excused. meanwhile, across the spanish divide, sport declared that christ's address at the sea of galilee was, in fact, "a prophecy of leo messi". but this was something else. something bigger. this was deification.last night god himself appeared before the santiago bernabйu. shiny faced, oily-haired, pouting and dressed in a madrid shirt but god nonetheless. "yesterday," opens as's match report, "cristiano was not just cristiano but the whole of christianity." marca's cover, meanwhile, declared: "god came dressed as cr9".the heel of god? bah! the hands of god? so what?! ronaldo has his creation, his omnipotence, his omnipresence. the whole package. perfect teeth. nice smell. a class act all the way. today, ronaldo is god. not because, as in richard dawkins's famous description, he's the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it, petty, unjust, unforgiving, a malevolent bully, capricious and megalomaniacal. but because last night ronaldo was omnipresent and all-powerful, the creator supreme, an irresistible force as madrid hammered villarreal 6-2 to go back within two points of barcelona, climb above them in terms of goals scored and rack up a 12th win out of 12 at home.he was god because he "made" and scored the first, tumbling over and then belting in a free-kick so good, so quick, so vicious in its sudden dip, that one radio station began a search to find it a name to go with cruyff turns and panenka penalties. because he created the third for gonzalo higuaнn, racing down the right wing to slide a perfect first-time ball across. because he laid the fifth on a plate for kakб, wriggling through the challenges to leave the brazilian one-on-one with lуpez. and because he made the sixth for xabi alonso, cutting inside from the right and getting brought down for the penalty that he ? very, very reluctantly and not without storming off the pitch in a strop at the end ? let the former liverpool midfielder take to score his first goal for the club.as one editorial inevitably put it, madrid won and convinced ? they managed to "vencer" and "convencer", which is still the task before them. alonso played superbly, marcelo terrified villarreal every time he advanced and higuaнn got two more goals to give him 14, twice as many as karim benzema. but few noticed because last night was all about cristiano ronaldo; last night, he was everywhere and everything, dashing down the line, crashing to the turf, lashing at the ball, sprinting after lost causes, resuscitating moves, utterly engrossing, utterly all-encompassing. if kakб belongs to jesus, you could be forgiven for believing that the rest of the team belongs to ronaldo.while there have been signs of madrid being a more impressive side collectively without ronaldo; while there are times when his almost pathological desire to do it all is counter-productive; while every time madrid win marca says its down to him and nothing to do with manuel pellegrini but every time they lose it's not his fault and everything to do with pellegrini; while he missed his big chance against barcelona, something that royston drenthe was tried, convicted and sentenced for but for which ronaldo was quickly forgiven; and while he did little during wednesday night's defeat in lyon, when he's this good he is irresistible. a beast.last night madrid were given a slight helping hand by jelly-headed referee muсiz fernбndez ? the first came from a free-kick which wasn't, the penalties for the second and sixth look a little generous but probably correct, and there's a hint of offside in the third ? and villarreal's defending was appalling, their back four suicidally high and so slow they're still out on the bernabйu turf making tackles now. but still, ronaldo was absolutely unbelievable; a whirlwind awarded four marks by as. out of three. just before midnight in the cold concrete corridor of the stadium, a villarreal player shook his head sadly and blew out his cheeks. "when he's playing like this," he said. "ronaldo is completely unstoppable. truly incredible.""his performance can be summed up in just one word," insisted one tomбs guasch: "Ўolй!" raising his eyebrows, the villarreal goalkeeper lуpez used as many to describe the free-kick that set madrid on their way: "whoosh!" el paнs's headline simply called him a "colossus." most, though, were using rather more words. "one day, he'll win the ball, cross it in and head it home himself," claimed el mundo. "apart from the absurd paraphernalia that accompanies his free-kicks, he was impeccable. as well as shooting, taking the free-kicks, building the plays and giving passes, cristiano ronaldo is also the one that folds up the shirts, cleans the boots and cuts the grass. the only thing left for him to do is man the ticket office," wrote roberto palomar in marca, "ronaldo did everything. his activity was such that his team-mates just get in the way."it is an uncomfortable and potentially damaging truth but this morning no one cares. and why would they? ronaldo was, el mundo, wrote: "the orchestra man, capable of doing everything a player can do in attack." for those with long memories, the remark struck a chord. the internazionale and barcelona coach helenio herrera famously once said of madrid's greatest ever player: "if pelй was the lead violinist alfredo di stйfano was the entire orchestra." the implicit comparison was the greatest compliment they could have paid him. when it comes to real madrid, no one can compete with di stйfano. not even god.talking points? and so mallorca's home run comes to an end. ten straight wins later, in front of 11,000 fans, the big champions league-chasing clash went sevilla's way. jesъs navas was brilliant again as fourth placed sevilla beat fifth placed mallorca 3-1. perhaps it was inevitable, at least in part a quirk of the fixture list. after all, until this weekend mallorca had not played sevilla, valencia, atlйtico, barcelona or madrid at home. they need to hope this isn't the start of their home form deserting them because away from son moix they are rubbish ? just one win in 12. sevilla had didier zokora sent off for telling the linesman, in english, to fornicate with his mother.? normal service is resumed at atlйtico madrid. a week after beating barcelona they were defeated by almerнa, 1-0. a tad unlucky, mind you. but the copa del rey finalists (which says it all about the tournament this season), are still only seven points off the relegation zone. and 31 points off the top.? barcelona were 4-0 winners over racing santander, with thierry henry getting his first minutes in a month ? and scoring too, albeit with the help of a dreadful wall. racing were without gonzalo colsa, pedro munitis and muhammad tchitй, all of whom had sought out cards the previous week to serve their suspension at camp nou and have a clean slate for other games. in other words, they'd given up before kick-off (as so many teams sadly do, with or without players). some are talking about that adulterating the league, which of course it does.? not as much as those clauses that prevent loan players facing their former clubs do, though. racing's on-loan henrique played against loanees barcelona, while deportivo wouldn't let xerez play with either of theirs. xerez's brief revival appears stillborn. nйstor gorosito's hair is still magic, though.? pennant watch: came on after 68 minutes and again had a few good runs. but couldn't prevent his team losing 3-1 against sporting and remaining just one point off the relegation zone.results: deportivo 2-1 xerez, barcelona 4-0 racing, mallorca 1-3 sevilla, malaga 2-1 espanyol, athletic 4-1 tenerife, osasuna 1-1 valladolid, zaragoza 1-3 sporting, almerнa 1-0 atlйtico, madrid 6-2 villarreal. (valencia play getafe tonight.)latest la liga tablecristiano ronaldoreal madridla ligaeuropean footballsid loweguardian.co.uk © guardian news & media limited 2010 | use of this content is subject to our terms & conditions | more feeds
    
    




13. angola unites as the palancas negras prepare for cup of nations d-day | jonathan wilson

    
    
    a series of injuries to key players cannot curb the sheer enthusiasm among fans of the africa cup of nation's hoststhe check-in hall at luanda's domestic airport is some kind of vision of hell. it is hot, dirty and crowded, full of touts flogging tickets for flights that may or may not be on the timetable, which is an aspiration rather than a schedule in any case. angola may be the only country in the world where it is quicker to drive than to fly.last friday, trying to negotiate a passage to cabinda, i spent two hours arguing and haggling before finally securing a ticket for a flight that, i was assured, was about to leave (as it was, the plane was still on the ground six hours later, delayed, we were told, first because the pilot was having his lunch and then because air traffic control were having their lunch, before finally being cancelled because the runway at cabinda was busy).anxiously, i rushed through security, before joining a seemingly interminable queue to have my passport checked. by the time i got to the front, i was sure i was about to miss the flight and was more than a little stressed as the official began painstakingly reading through the various stamps in my passport. "forзa palancas negras!" i muttered, half-ironically, at which he looked up, grinned, stamped every piece of paper in reach, and waved me through to the paradise that is the air-conditioned, mosquito-free departure lounge where you can eat toasties, drink coffee and wait for your flight not to leave.what that says i'm not quite sure, other than that angolan bureaucracy is a facade, designed to give the impression of order where little if any exists, but his reaction was typical. whatever the gripes about this tournament ? which, aside from usual journalist moans about access to players (so limited that the algerian press last week went on strike in protest), can be distilled to the fact that the cost of travel and hotels has put off all but a couple of thousand travelling fans ? it has been a clear success in the reaction of locals.in luanda at least, the angolan flag is everywhere, while a reference to the national team ? the palancas negras, or black-faced antelopes ? is almost guaranteed to provoke a smile and, until thursday's win over malawi, a rueful shake of the head. that victory, allied to the stuttering form of many of the favourites, has raised expectations; suddenly the focus has shifted from trying to avoid being the first hosts since tunisia in 1994 to fail to make it through the group stage to wondering just what might be possible.the noise when flбvio and manucho struck in the space of six minutes against malawi was ear-splitting, and as in mali in 2002, you begin to wonder just how far home advantage might carry them. beyond the crowds, malawi's coach kinnah phiri made an official protest to the confederation of african football on friday, claiming his side were unable to practice before the game, three times being prevented from accessing their training ground by police. caf, who have two responses to any issue ? impose disproportionate and arbitrary bans, or ignore it ? opted for the latter, placing the matter in the hands of the local organising committee which is, of course, run by angolans.with both gilberto and flбvio doubtful for today's game against algeria, though, angola's passage to the last eight is far from assured. the two were both key members of the al-ahly side which manuel josй, now the angola national team manager, took to continental dominance, and they have both excelled in this tournament. gilberto, surging forward from left-back, set up angola's second and won two penalties, one of which he converted, against mali, while flбvio has scored three headers.the theory is that a tournament needs a good performance from the home side to maintain local interest, particularly so in africa where travelling support tends to be limited, but this competition has been exceptional in the number of fans turning up at games not involving the hosts. with the exception of malawi's 3-0 win over algeria, the only game played at 2.45pm, which perhaps kept away fans who work, every stadium has been at least 80% full."there's just not that much to do in benguela," said marco, a portuguese citizen who was born in angola and is battling the bureaucracy to try to secure angolan citizenship. "the whole city's excited by the can. our only problem has been the security to get into the ground. we queued for an hour and a half to get into the first game, so we missed most of the first half."it is indicative of the importance placed on the tournament that saturday's television news led with ivory coast's victory over ghana, moved on to flбvio's knee injury, and only then went to the earthquake in haiti. it is easy to imagine the government, which saw the tournament as a way of both showcasing angola and fostering a sense of national togetherness, being delighted by the footage of delirious fans taking to the streets in cities across the country ? cabinda, luanda, benguela, huambo, soyo, sumbe, namibe, lubango.the big question, though, is what will happen should angola lose today. with the novelty worn off, and the hosts out, would the tournament still hold its allure? again, the answer probably lies in mali in 2002: this is the most exciting and positive thing to happen in angola since independence in 1975 (although even that was clouded by the imminence of civil war). at the moment, people seem happy just to be part of it.africa cup of nationsangolajonathan wilsonguardian.co.uk © guardian news & media limited 2010 | use of this content is subject to our terms & conditions | more feeds
    
    




14. espn.com has launched many new football widgets that offer scores, stats, and news

    
    
    visit the espn widget center.
    
    




15. espn.com has launched many new football widgets that offer scores, stats, and news

    
    
    the washington redskins ended lorenzo alexander's season on wednesday, placing the defensive tackle on injured reserve and signing linebacker tyson smith.
    
    




16. vince wilfork's future with the patriots...or not

    
    
    more photos » gretchen ertl - ap browse more photos » by now, everyone knows that nose tackle vince wilfork has had a non-exclusive franchise tag slapped on him.  and, if you're not aware, the franchise tag is a way for a team to "hang on" to a player, a designation given to someone who is about to become an unrestricted free agent.  from wikipedia.org: a non-exclusive franchise player may negotiate with other nfl teams, but if he signs an offer sheet from another team, the original team has a right to match the terms of that offer, or if it does not match the offer and thus loses the player, is entitled to receive two first-round draft picks as compensation. wilfork is entitled to the average of the top 5 player's salaries at his position, a cool $7.003 million.  that's a steal.  now before you climb all over me with the "i'm out here working for a living and you're telling me 7 mill ain't enough..." (i work for a living, too), this is football.  vince has said he doesn't want albert haynesworth money.  albert signed a 7 year deal with the redskins and, if you use the low figure of 4 years and $48 million outlined in the linked article, albert is still at $12 million per year, 71% higher than vince's franchise amount. franchising is usually bad for a player and in this case, it's bad for wilfork because he doesn't get to explore the free agent market and find out what he's really worth.  given he's at the prime of his career, is healthy, and is a premier talent (many teams are exploring the 3-4 alignment), the big man, may have garnered in the double digits for a yearly salary. my sense is it's about the length of the contract more than the money.  oh, don't get me wrong - money is important.  but players at this stage of their career (successful first contract stint), want to capitalize on their success and guarantee longevity as they "slide" into the second half of their career.  who can blame them?  this sport chews them up and spits them out.  why not get what you can? the thought of vince not wearing a flying elvis is sickening to this patriots fan.  but it's a possibility.  there are teams that may be willing to part with 2 first round draft picks if the patriots decide not to match the other team's offer.  is vince worth 2 first rounders?  it depends on how much said team is looking for a 3-4 nose tackle of vince's caliber. if the above becomes reality, that vince ends up on another team, who can step up?  well, 2 names come to mind: ron brace and myron pryor.  second rounder brace was supposed to be the heir apparent, the shot across the bow in negotiations with vince.  surprisingly, sixth rounder pryor became the man to fill the middle when wilfork was out for a few games.  am i comfortable with second year man myron or ron filling vince's shoes?  i'd rather have wilfork, but those two guys, pryor in particular, proved they could handle the job when called upon to do so. like i've said for most of this season, sign the man.  guarantee him $28 million with the possibility to earn $10 million per year for 4 years and see if he bites.  i think that's reasonable.  the guaranteed money divided by 4 years is basically his franchise amount and he can make $40 million in 4 years with whatever incentives the patriots decide to throw in.  sound ok?
    
    




17. le monde-quinze personnes en garde а vue en marge de psg-om

    
    
    quinze personnes йtaient entendues, lundi, en garde а vue aprиs des affrontements entre supporteurs parisiens et avec les forces de l'ordre dimanche en marge du match de ligue 1 de football paris-sg-marseille. les gardes а vue visent essentiellement des violences commises contre des policiers, notamment des jets de projectiles, et des ports d'arme prohibйs. les gardes а vue visent essentiellement des violences commises contre des policiers, notamment des jets de projectiles, et des ports d'arme prohibйs.la victime, вgйe de 38 ans, appartenant au groupe de la tribune de boulogne, a йtй rouй de coups par d'autres supporteurs parisiens appartenant au virage d'auteuil. l'om a battu le psg 3 а 0.
    
    




18. dispute over old fitzroy logo ends up in court

    
    
    a fight to save the fitzroy football club's lion logo could go to trial in the victorian supreme court.
    
    




19. espn - espn.com

    
    
    com's graham watson writes about stories happening in college football nation as part of espn's blog network . hugh freeze, tim landis and gary bernardi were also hired. the coaches were to be formally introduced friday. young, who played 14 years in ...
    
    




20. sports of the times: in parallel worlds, rex ryan and jim caldwell each found success

    
    
    in a football context, the jets? boisterous coach, rex ryan, and the colts? low-key coach, jim caldwell, have lived in a parallel universe for years.
    
    




21. a message from wes welker to his fans

    
    
    a message from wes welker to his fans dear friends, fans, and family, i am writing you today to let you know how thankful i am for everyone's support though this trying time. your phone calls, texts, emails, and letters are greatly apprecitated. i thank god for the people that he has put in my life to help me overcome this obstacle that has been placed in front of me. your thoughts and prayers are truly felt, and with no doubt will help me to a speedy recovery. my good friend tedy bruschi text me the other day "there is no career without a comeback". although i know that it will take time to be the same player that i once was. i am ready to face that challenge, and in time i plan on coming back the player i was and much more. this is not the first time that i have faced adversity in my career, and it won't be the last. i am committed to this football team and doing everything possible to make us better. my teammates know my committment to them and i refuse to let them down. just how i know that they wouldn't let me down. they are here for me, just like i am there for them. even though i won't be on the field this post season, my heart will be with them through every snap! i will continue to keep everyone updated on my status, and i thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers. god bless, wes thank you!
    
    




22. boise state's petersen wins bear bryant coaching award - cnn sports illustrated

    
    
    houston (ap) -- boise state coach chris petersen happily concedes that alabama is college football's national champion. he's just glad his broncos are mentioned in the debate. petersen won the paul "bear" bryant award on thursday night, the second ...
    
    




23. costas to host pregame show from site of game

    
    
    bob costas will host nbc's "sunday night football" pregame show from the site of the game starting this season.
    
    




24. class group joining cats - arizona daily star

    
    
    about 100 freshmen and transfer athletes will take part in the ua's traditional first-day-of-school barbecue monday evening at mckale center. the most high-profile newcomers were long ago identified: football safety adam hall, softball pitcher kenzie ...
    
    




25. welker joins stallworth to help haiti

    
    
    welker joins stallworth to help haiti former patriot receiver donte' stallworth has called the public to arms (or tweets, as the case may be here) in an effort to help haiti. he declared earlier today that for every new person to follow him on twitter (click here to join in) by midnight, he'd donate a dollar to the relief effort. within about an hour, he had 19,104 new followers. then, later in the afternoon, he brought this to the table ... that wes welker, his old patriot teammate, has agreed to match stallworth's donation. this is obviously a great cause, and a wonderful gesture by both stallworth and welker. so hop on board, if you have a minute, and help chip in.
    
    


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