LONDON—Manchester United revealed the financial impact on Thursday of its early exit from the Champions League, with earnings dropping and cash reserves being halved in the first three months of the year.

United was deposed as Premier League champions by Manchester City on Sunday and eliminated from the lucrative Champions League at the group stage in December.

The quarterly accounts show that earnings for the club owned by the American Glazer family dipped by almost 10 percent year-on-year to 20.4 million pounds ($32.3 million) and revenue dipped by six percent by 70.8 million pounds ($112.1 million).

United’s cash reserves also dropped from 50.9 million pounds (then $80 million) at the end of 2011 to 25.6 million pounds (then $41 million) by March 31. The figure had stood at 150.6 million pounds (then $238 million) at the end of 2010.

“I do think everyone at the club, from (manager) Alex (Ferguson) down, agree we underperformed in Europe this year,” United chief executive David Gill said earlier this week.

The 19-time English champions have been ranked football’s most valuable club for eight years in a row by Forbes magazine, which valued them at $2.24 billion last month.

The club remains English football’s biggest moneymaker, with enhanced sponsorship deals offsetting the drop in revenue from failing to advance further in the Champions League.

In fact, commercial revenue rose 15 percent year-on-year to 27.3 million pounds ($43.4 million) and exceeded match-day revenue, including ticket sales, in the first three months of 2012.

“We should recognize we’re a very successful club, one of the top three in terms of turnover in world football, and it generates a lot of cash to invest in players,” Gill said. “We will continue to do so and our style is both buying players and giving youth a chance.”

United continues to invest in developing Old Trafford and its training ground while spending more on its squad, with wages rising by 9 percent year-on-year to 112.4 million pounds ($178 million).

“This increase largely relates to growth in player remuneration, driven by new player acquisitions and further contractual negotiations together with increased costs and headcount arising from the continued growth in our sponsorship and commercial operations,” United’s quarterly report says.

The club’s debt, resulting from the 2005 takeover by Glazers, has been cut by 61 million pounds year-on-year to 423.3 million pounds ($673.8 million) despite incurring 18.2 million pounds ($28.8 million) in interest payments in three months.

Article source: http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/story/2012-05-17/premier-league-manchester-uniteds-cash-reserves-halved-in-trophy-less-season

By JONATHAN CLEGG

Getty Images

Didier Drogba of Chelsea scores the winning kick against Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the Champions League final shootout.

MUNICH—What started as a season of tumult and trauma finally ended in triumph here for Chelsea, as the Premier League giant-turned-underdog beat Bayern Munich on a penalty shootout to win the Champions League in a cathartic, come-from-behind victory.

The win gave Chelsea its first European Cup triumph and ended a decade of heartbreak in this competition. For Bayern, which was seeking to become the first team since 1965 to win the trophy on its home field, this was a loss as cruel as any team has had to endure in this tournament.

Didier Drogba, whose clutch goal in the 88th minute sent the game into extra time, scored the decisive penalty in the shootout in what may be the last game of his last season with Chelsea, sparking a wild outpouring of emotion.

“We have a group of players that have heart, passion and desire,” said Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea’s interim head coach. “That was the only way to achieve this trophy.”

Chelsea’s triumph marks a glorious end to a seemingly ill-fated season that brought a sixth-place finish in the English Premier League, its lowest in a decade, and the dismissal of head coach Andre Villas-Boas in March.

But this club, which has developed a remarkable knack for raising its game in the biggest moments, produced another heroic display here.

Trailing 1-0 with just two minutes to go, Chelsea refused to surrender, equalizing through Drogba’s header and setting the stage for the thrilling shootout win that will help erase the agony of the club’s previous final appearance in 2008, when Chelsea fell one kick short of the title.

Having lost one Champions League final and four semifinals in eight seasons, this was the sweetest of victories. What surely makes it even sweeter is that the odds were stacked against Chelsea from the outset.

Bayern was unquestionably the favorite headed into this final. It had history and home-field advantage on its side, while Chelsea was hamstrung by the absence of four key players, including captain John Terry, through suspension. Bayern was expected to win, possibly in a blowout.

For a while, that looked possible. Bayern knocked Chelsea around early and was quicker to find its rhythm. Mario Gomez headed an early chance over the bar and later launched a fresh-air shot when free inside the penalty area.

By the time Chelsea registered its first shot in the 34th minute, Bayern had already had nine shots of its own and struck the post, when Arjen Robben slithered through two tackles, but saw his shot deflected on to the frame of the goal off the legs of Chelsea keeper Petr Cech.

But the breakthrough wouldn’t come. Gomez couldn’t apply the finishing touch to Franck Ribery’s shot across goal and then blasted over from a promising position. Eight minutes after halftime, Bayern finally had the ball in the net but Ribery’s close-range effort was ruled offsides.

More chances came and went. Ribery fired wide. A cry for handball drew a shake of the head from the officials. Thomas Muller missed from 12 yards out.

Then, with just eight minutes remaining, came the moment this club and this city had craved. From the left side, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s cross picked out Muller, whose header skipped off the turf, struck the underside of the bar and nestled in the net.

Bayern needed only to run out the clock to clinch the championship, but with the game on the line, it inexplicably wilted, handing Chelsea a dramatic, implausible equalizer from an all-too-familiar source. With time running out, Drogba did what he seemingly always does and made a mark on a major final. From its first corner of the match, the 34-year-old striker powered a header beyond Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

“Without him, we wouldn’t be here,” said Frank Lampard, the team’s star midfielder. “He’s a hero. He scores the goals in big games.”

If that was an improbable end, the 30 minutes of extra-time continued to strain the bounds of credulity. Robben missed a penalty following Drogba’s clumsy foul on Ribery, and Ivica Olic saw a shot roll agonizingly wide before Gomez smacked a shot into the post.

By the time the shootout rolled around, logic had long since ceased to apply. Mata missed Chelsea’s first attempt to yet again give Bayern an advantage. But Olic and Schweinsteiger both missed their kicks. When Drogba swept home his shot to Neuer’s right, an English team had beaten a German one on penalties.

Write to Jonathan Clegg at Jonathan.Clegg@wsj.com

Article source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303360504577414460978099748.html

Article source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-news/2012/05/19/cardiff-city-eye-up-clash-against-premier-league-flyers-newcastle-united-91466-31005641/

FIRST Chelsea, then Tottenham, next Aston Villa then Liverpool…you wonder how many more Premier League clubs Brendan Rodgers will be linked with before the summer is out.

It is of course testament to how well he is doing at Swansea City, a ringing endorsement of the thrilling play-off promotion he won 12 months ago and the achievement of keeping the Liberty Stadium side in the top flight – playing a brand of football the club can be proud of in the process.

But when I looked in one London-based tabloid newspaper a couple of days ago and saw Rodgers being made favourite to succeed Kenny Dalglish at Anfield, it was a choke-on-the-cornflakes moment.

I must stress, I’m a huge fan of Rodgers, not just because of his obvious managerial qualities but because of the way he goes about his job, with humility and dignity. I’ve said as much on these very pages several times.

Yet putting him top of the list for the Liverpool post took the managerial merrygoround speculation into ridiculous territory.

Why? Because, in my opinion, Rodgers isn’t yet a big enough name for a club of Liverpool’s stature. End of.

Can you imagine the unrest on the Kop if he was brought in to replace an icon like Dalglish? Rodgers would probably be given about a month, and if by then the Reds weren’t top of the Premier League and Andy Carroll leading the goalscoring charts – you’re now getting a sense of how little slack would be on offer – they’d be calling for his head in the same way they wanted Roy Hodgson’s suede on a platter after only a matter of weeks.

The point is, while Liverpool may have fallen on lean times, taking charge of them is still one of the plum jobs in British and European football.

And there are other, far loftier personalities who are surely ahead of Rodgers in the eyes of the club’s American owners.

Fabio Capello for one. How can Rodgers be considered ahead of someone like him, a multi-title winner across Europe with clubs like AC Milan and Real Madrid?

Then there’s Andre Villas-Boas. Whatever you think of the job he did at Chelsea, he’s still won titles with Porto, and the Europa League.

What about Rafa Benitez, a Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2005 and with experience of managing clubs like Inter Milan and Valencia?

What about Frank Rijkaard, who guided Barcelona to the Champions League in 2006 and has managed the Dutch national team? Or Jurgen Klopp, who has just steered Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga crown.

All these people and we haven’t even mentioned the likes of Guus Hiddink, Jurgen Klinsmann, or even Premier League bosses like Alan Pardew or, more of a long shot, Harry Redknapp.

Rodgers has done magnificently, but his CV does not yet hold a candle to the upper echelon of coaches in the European game who should be considered the genuine contenders for Liverpool.

I would say the same more or less applies to Roberto Martinez, another relatively young manager being touted as a real possibility to succeed Dalglish.

I believe the former Swansea boss has something special about him, but he does not yet have the gravitas to go somewhere like Liverpool and dictate a revival.

As far as Rodgers is concerned, you can apply all these arguments just as forcefully to the Chelsea and Spurs jobs which, for varying reasons, have been the subject of speculation this season just gone.

Villa? Perhaps the Midlands club could be considered a more realistic destination, but then you have to wonder whether someone like Rodgers would fancy a basket-case operation like they have become.

If Martin O’Neill couldn’t survive there you have to wonder whether anyone can. It’s a club that can’t – or won’t – back up its own tradition and the massive expectation of its fans with the finance to make their dreams become reality. If I was Rodgers, I wouldn’t touch Villa with a bargepole.

In fact, if I were Rodgers I’d go and lie on a beach somewhere for the next month and ignore the newspapers.

He wouldn’t be human if his head wasn’t turned by some of the talk doing the rounds, and some of the bookmakers odds.

But it’s time for some perspective regarding his future.

Football being football, and journalism being journalism, he’ll probably be unveiled at Anfield later today!

Well, you can make glib statements about nothing surprising you in this world, but frankly I’d be amazed if Rodgers ended up at one of the top Premier League clubs this summer.

My money’s on him staying put with the Swans….perhaps he should clear his desk tomorrow in that case!

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Article source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-news/2012/05/20/delme-parfitt-brendan-rodgers-not-big-enough-name-for-top-premier-league-club-91466-30999158/

“Acting on information provided, the following day officers arrested a
17-year-old boy on suspicion of theft but de-arrested him shortly after.

“It was decided the most appropriate cause of action was to use
Restorative Justice, so the boy was taken to the Etihad Stadium where he met
with security staff and resolved the matter.”

Article source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/9276991/Manchester-Citys-Premier-League-title-winning-football-stolen.html

Sat, 19 May 20:28:00 2012

Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19052012/58/premier-league-capello-chelsea-contact.html

EURO GUIDE

Are you ready for the 2012 European Championships? FOXSoccer.com covers the Euros like never before. Get the full coverage here.

Mario Balotelli has quashed talk of a move back to Italy by pledging his future to Manchester City.

The volatile attacker has been linked with a move back to Serie A following a number of high-profile incidents on and off the pitch.

The 21-year-old admits he loves his homeland but this will not tempt him away from the Etihad Stadium.

“I love Italy but I will stay at City,” said the former Inter Milan striker.

“The Premier League is the highest level for a player, and is a league I enjoy.”

Balotelli came off the bench in City’s dramatic last-day win over QPR to set up Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp winner to clinch the Premier League title.

The Italian has impressed on the pitch but often struggles to keep cool when things turn against him and he admits he must be more consistent.

RUMOR REDUX

Which big name stars could be on the move this summer? Find out the latest with Rumor Redux.

“In general, from a personal perspective, I can do better. I can and should do better,” Balotelli said.

Italy manager Cesare Prandelli has included Balotelli in his Euro 2012 squad and the striker has promised to stamp out the off-field antics and let his football do the talking.

“It is a dream come true. The European Championship, together with the World Cup, are the most important competitions, and I promise that in Poland and Ukraine I will behave,” he said.

“I cannot wait for it to start. I will give my best for the team and try to give satisfaction to the Italian people. We will be the revelation of the tournament.”

Article source: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/premierleague/story/mario-balotelli-pledges-manchester-city-future-squashes-rumors-051912

Reuters | 11:03 PM,May 19,2012

LONDON (Reuters) – West Ham United beat Blackpool 2-1 in a typically tense and scrappy Championship playoff final on Saturday thanks to an 87th-minute goal from Ricardo Vaz Te which put the Hammers back in the Premier League.
Ian Holloways Blackpool had much the better of the opening exchanges, with Matt Phillips missing two chances, but it was the London side who took the lead after Carlton Cole deftly controlled Matt Taylors pass and slotted the ball past Matt Gilks in the 34th minute.
Thomas Ince, son of former West Ham midfielder Paul and booed by the Hammers fans, equalised for Blackpool after getting on the end of a cross-field pass and squeezing past Winston Reid to guide the ball into the net.
Blackpool had the momentum, were keeping possession and soaking up West Ham pressure although they did have an escape when Gilks turned a fine Kevin Nolan volley on to the bar.
Stephen Dobbie, who won the playoff final last year with Swansea City, missed a great chance to put Blackpool ahead when he scuffed a shot wide with only Robert Green to beat.
However, with extra time looming Cole got in the way of Gilks and the loose ball fell to Vaz Te, who lashed the ball into the roof of the net to send the West Ham fans wild.
‘Blackpool were equally as good as us today. But, our finishing power in the end, its about taking your chances,’ WesHam manager Sam Allardyce told Sky Sports.
‘No more so than in a game like today. There were lots of chances for both teams and weve managed to swing it just at the death. Funnily enough its 49 games and its the first time weve won a game in the last few minutes all season.’
Both sides were relegated from the Premier League last season and West Ham, with former Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce in charge had been favourites for automatic promotion.
Allardyce suffered criticism from West Ham fans during the season and they were pipped to the top two slots by Reading and Southampton, forcing them into the playoffs where they knocked out Cardiff City in the semi-finals.
‘It was very difficult at the start to turn the club around with the relegation problem that weve had, but weve turned it around we came good right at the very end,’ Allardyce said.
(Reporting by Matt Barker, Editing by Ed Osmond)

Article source: http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/vaz-te-sends-west-ham-back-up-to-premier-league/1000876.html

Big Sam needs big plans to make West Ham a success

Ricard Vaz Te’s late strike sent the Hammers back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, but the ex-Bolton boss needs backing if he is to be a success in East London

Article source: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/05/19/3113859/kagawa-premier-league-switch-increasingly-likely-as-borussia

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre does not believe the club’s owners have alienated themselves from supporters with the dismissal of Kenny Dalglish and their trans-Atlantic style of management.

Opinion among fans is still divided over whether principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner were right to dismiss Dalglish, a club icon, on Wednesday.

That decision, plus the ongoing delay over building a new stadium or redeveloping Anfield, appears to have brought to an end Fenway Sports Group’s honeymoon period dating back to when they took over from the despised regime of Tom Hicks and George Gillett in October 2010.

Their approach for Wigan manager Roberto Martinez and failed attempt to speak to Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers have so far left supporters feeling underwhelmed by the their choice of candidates to take over at Anfield.

But Ayre insists FSG’s intention to make tough calls should not be confused with a lack of respect for fans.

“I don’t think in any way would they alienate themselves. This was such a difficult decision because it was Kenny,” he said.

“If Liverpool fans feel the owners have alienated themselves because they make tough decisions for Liverpool to restore it to greatness then that is for people to decide.

“But they have an absolute commitment to the club and the fans and when they are here they make themselves completely accessible.

“I think what you need in football is a strong will to win and a commitment to making some difficult decisions.

“We speak almost daily. They are very aware of pretty much all of what is going on but they are able to have a more dispassionate view sometimes.

“I don’t see distance as an issue.”

While Martinez and Rodgers are the two names to be made public there are a number of other candidates on FSG’s shortlist.

Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, ex-England boss Fabio Capello, Borussia Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp, Marseille’s Didier Deschamps and former Porto and Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas have all been linked.

Rodgers would have been on that list but he turned down the opportunity.

“The club is pleased to confirm that Brendan has declined the current opportunity to speak to the Anfield club about the vacant position,” said a Swansea statement.

The absence of Champions League football for a third season running is likely to be an issue for some candidates but Ayre hopes the right man sees the bigger issue.

“We will find out (the effect of not being in the Champions League) during the process I guess,” he added.

“The reason I don’t think it will have an effect is if you lined up most managers in football and asked them if Liverpool would be a great club to manage and most people would aspire to do so I think they would say ‘Yes’.

“The history of this club, the reach of this club around the world, its fanbase and everything we have achieved and want to achieve is more than enough to keep any manager we would want to go after hungry for the opportunity.”
 

Article source: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/premierleague/story/ian-ayre-managing-director-liverpool-owners-not-alienating-supporters-051912

Sat, 19 May 09:27:00 2012

Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19052012/58/premier-league-sunderland-release-9m-gordon.html

Premier League interest in Burnley striker Rodriguez hots up

10:00am Saturday 19th May 2012 in Football

By Suzanne Geldard, Burnley FC reporter

BURNLEY are bracing themselves for Premier League predators to turn up the heat in the quest for Jay Rodriguez’s signature.

Out of the clutch of top flight clubs chasing the 22-year-old’s signature, Fulham made the first move. They are now set to up the ante after having a £5million offer turned down.

Their latest bid is still expected to fall well below the Clarets’ £8million valuation of their top scorer.

But there is the sense that it is only a matter of time before an offer is accepted for the sought-after centre forward, whose stock has risen after an impressive second full season in the
Championship.

Rodriguez, who was voted into the PFA Championship team of the season by his peers – despite Burnley’s 13th placed finish – is already known to have attracted interest from Reading, Newcastle,
Norwich, Everton and Premier League newcomers Reading and Southampton, as well as Fulham.

Bolton Wanderers were monitoring the Burnley-born striker’s situation, but are now highly unlikely to be in a position to make a suitable offer, after being relegated into the Championship on the
final day of the season, and forced to slash their wage bill.

Nevertheless, the list of suitors has grown, with clubs who managed to stave off the drop also believed to be tracking England Under 21 cap Rodriguez, who ended the campaign with 21 league and cup
goals, and would surely have got more had it not been for a groin injury which ruled him out of nine of the last 11 games.

The Clarets youth team product still has a year left to run on his contract, but with the growing list of admirers it seems inevitable that he will leave the club he has served as man and boy for
11 years.

Fulham appear to be in the driving seat at the moment, but chase for Rodriguez is set to gather pace in the coming days.

Comments(18)

Gaz M

says…

10:21am Sat 19 May 12

What a surprise no dingles commenting on an important topic regarding their club ! they are all closet Rovers fans anyway!!!!!
Gaz M

i8dingles

says…

10:23am Sat 19 May 12

[quote][p][bold]Gaz M[/bold] wrote:
What a surprise no dingles commenting on an important topic regarding their club ! they are all closet Rovers fans anyway!!!!![/p][/quote]Those not posting about us are still in bed with the rest of the family
i8dingles

Rose Rouge

says…

10:24am Sat 19 May 12

Que sera sera. I just hope that we’ll be able to get somewhere near the £8m asking price (he’s certainly worth it if Connor Wickham sold for that amount last year), and that the cash can be reinvested wisely.
Rose Rouge

Coeur de Lion

says…

10:40am Sat 19 May 12

Who?
Coeur de Lion

Keep Darwen Green

says…

10:47am Sat 19 May 12

To go the same successful route as Richard Chaplow
Keep Darwen Green

hirondelles

says…

10:51am Sat 19 May 12

Gas M should know that we are all very Kean supporters!
hirondelles

ewan boyle

says…

10:54am Sat 19 May 12

[quote][p][bold]i8dingles[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Gaz M[/bold] wrote:
What a surprise no dingles commenting on an important topic regarding their club ! they are all closet Rovers fans anyway!!!!![/p][/quote]Those not posting about us are still in bed with the rest of the family[/p][/quote]Very original i8dingles.More likely we’ve got our six fingered hands together praying Keano doesn’t get the boot.
ewan boyle

Keep Darwen Green

says…

11:08am Sat 19 May 12

In fact I think Steve Kean is Richard Chaplow in a fat suit.
Keep Darwen Green

bfcthailand

says…

11:30am Sat 19 May 12

and what will 8,000,000pound buy now adays,ANSWER most or the brfc 1st team as collectivelty they are worth f**k all
bfcthailand

Gaz M

says…

11:47am Sat 19 May 12

bfcthailand a typical numbnut dingle comment, which pair of high heels you wearing tonight ladyboy!
Gaz M

givet82

says…

12:04pm Sat 19 May 12

another one going ha ha, i wonder why no half decent players wanna stay at turd moor
givet82

Reg Rover

says…

12:49pm Sat 19 May 12

KEAN TELLS LIES TO KEEP HIS JOB
Is there nothing Steve Kean will not sink to?
Under pressure Kean has told Rovers owner Mrs Anuradha Desai that he is key to keeping Junior Hoilett at Ewod Park.
Mrs Desai is anxious that Kean keeps the team together, goodness know why, they were dreadful.
There is not a ‘cat in hells’ chance of Kean keeping Hoilett. Hoilett is adamant to go and to go he will. I know that, Kean knows that, everyone knows that but Mrs Desai.
Kean will stoop to anything including lies to preserve 1.3 million per annum salary. Can know one at Venky’s see this?
His foul mouthed rant on You-Tube should have been enough in itself to sack him.
Who wants a uncouth, foul mouthed lout as manager of your football club. Apparently the deluded Mrs Desai does.
Neither I nor any of my family and friends will be sitting foot into Ewood Park whilst this lying, conniving, foul mouthed, uncouth lout is in charge.
What type of people does Mrs Desai employ in her company? What type of people does she think we are to except this man in charge of our football club; we are not poor uneducated, lower class peasants. We are intelligent hard working professional people who support our team.
Mrs Desai’s contempt for us is astounding. Our opinion’s count for nothing! Her contempt and dismissive attitude for Blackburn people borders on the worse type of racism. Even the large good and honest Indian community in Blackburn are embarrassed by her continued contempt towards us. She is dividing our multi-racial community by her arrogant attitude.
Blackburn Rovers are no more; they are a club heading for oblivion under Kean. We will plunge into the third tier of English football and out of sight forever.
I was ridiculed and abused when I forecast at the beginning of the season relegation from the Premiership was a certainty under Kean. Do not ignore me this time.
Kean has to go or it will rest in peace Blackburn Rovers.
Reg.
Footnote:
By retaining Kean Mrs Desai by association agrees with Kean’s comments that Sam Allardyce is a crook. I hope Big Sam sues the arse off both of them.
Reg Rover

Reg Rover

says…

12:50pm Sat 19 May 12

KEAN TELLS LIES TO KEEP HIS JOB
Is there nothing Steve Kean will not sink to?
Under pressure Kean has told Rovers owner Mrs Anuradha Desai that he is key to keeping Junior Hoilett at Ewod Park.
Mrs Desai is anxious that Kean keeps the team together, goodness know why, they were dreadful.
There is not a ‘cat in hells’ chance of Kean keeping Hoilett. Hoilett is adamant to go and to go he will. I know that, Kean knows that, everyone knows that but Mrs Desai.
Kean will stoop to anything including lies to preserve 1.3 million per annum salary. Can know one at Venky’s see this?
His foul mouthed rant on You-Tube should have been enough in itself to sack him.
Who wants a uncouth, foul mouthed lout as manager of your football club. Apparently the deluded Mrs Desai does.
Neither I nor any of my family and friends will be sitting foot into Ewood Park whilst this lying, conniving, foul mouthed, uncouth lout is in charge.
What type of people does Mrs Desai employ in her company? What type of people does she think we are to except this man in charge of our football club; we are not poor uneducated, lower class peasants. We are intelligent hard working professional people who support our team.
Mrs Desai’s contempt for us is astounding. Our opinion’s count for nothing! Her contempt and dismissive attitude for Blackburn people borders on the worse type of racism. Even the large good and honest Indian community in Blackburn are embarrassed by her continued contempt towards us. She is dividing our multi-racial community by her arrogant attitude.
Blackburn Rovers are no more; they are a club heading for oblivion under Kean. We will plunge into the third tier of English football and out of sight forever.
I was ridiculed and abused when I forecast at the beginning of the season relegation from the Premiership was a certainty under Kean. Do not ignore me this time.
Kean has to go or it will rest in peace Blackburn Rovers.
Reg.
Footnote:
By retaining Kean Mrs Desai by association agrees with Kean’s comments that Sam Allardyce is a crook. I hope Big Sam sues the arse off both of them.
www.regoftherovers.c
o.uk
Reg Rover

donegal claret

says…

12:51pm Sat 19 May 12

hi givet, at least we can sell quality players, brfc on the other hand could not give kean away. also less of the references to turd moor you lot will be in the s**t next season
donegal claret

burnleyglentoran

says…

1:37pm Sat 19 May 12

3 reasons why Jay WONT be goin to B*******ds next season –

1 – Jay’s a Claret, no self-respecting Burnley lad would risk infection by goin anywhere near Bol-Ewood.

2 – B*******ds couldn’t afford him.

3 – He’s going to a PREMIER LEAGUE team. And as we all know…………….
..

WE DARED TO DREAM
THEY SENT US KEAN
burnleyglentoran

drunken donut

says…

2:00pm Sat 19 May 12

We should sell him he is clearly too good for our team, it doesn’t matter how much we get for him we won’t see any if it it will be spirited away like the parachute money.
drunken donut

burnleyglentoran

says…

2:39pm Sat 19 May 12

[quote][p][bold]drunken donut[/bold] wrote:
We should sell him he is clearly too good for our team, it doesn’t matter how much we get for him we won’t see any if it it will be spirited away like the parachute money.[/p][/quote]Dropped the “claretmeandyou” tag tetley?

Nice try…………
burnleyglentoran

drunken donut

says…

3:10pm Sat 19 May 12

[quote][p][bold]burnleyglentoran[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]drunken donut[/bold] wrote:
We should sell him he is clearly too good for our team, it doesn’t matter how much we get for him we won’t see any if it it will be spirited away like the parachute money.[/p][/quote]Dropped the “claretmeandyou
” tag tetley?

Nice try…………[/p][/quote]I was going on Burnley when they were only getting Gates of 2,500 unlike all you idiots that post stupid comments on here.
drunken donut

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Article source: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/9715880.Premier_League_interest_in_Burnley_striker_Rodriguez_hots_up/

19 May 2012
Last updated at 12:16

The ball went missing after a pitch invasion by fans following Sergio Aguero’s last minute goal

Premier League champions Manchester City had to ask for their title-winning ball back after a teenager stole it.

The 17-year-old grabbed the ball during the pitch invasion by fans after City’s victory against QPR at Eastland, last Sunday.

After examining CCTV footage, the club contacted Greater Manchester Police, who arrested the youth.

He was later de-arrested after the club opted not to press charges on condition he gave the ball back.

The win, which came after a last-ditch winner by striker Sergio Aguero, handed Manchester City a 3-2 win and their first league title in 44 years.

Fans streamed onto the pitch following the final whistle to congratulate players and to celebrate the victory.

After realising the ball was missing and studying CCTV footage of the pitch invasion, officials from the club contacted police on Thursday to report the theft.

A police spokesman said a youth was arrested on Friday but was de-arrested shortly after.

“It was decided the most appropriate cause of action was to use restorative justice, so the boy was taken to the Etihad Stadium where he met with security staff and resolved the matter,” he said.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-18129640

Fans of Blackpool and West Ham are
heading for Wembley Stadium for English soccer’s Championship
play-off final, which will secure promotion to the Premier
League and at least 90 million pounds ($145 million) for the
winner.

Both teams were relegated from the 20-team top flight last
year, and Hammers’ manager Sam Allardyce has described today’s
game as bigger than the Champions League final.

“The Champions League final is a glory game, this is about
your livelihood and your status,” Allardyce was cited by the
Press Association as saying. “The Champions League is a big
tournament but this one is about changing people’s lives.”

The playoff final is the richest soccer match in the world.
Winning it is worth at least 90 million pounds, accountant
Deloitte LLP estimates. Promoted teams benefit from at least 40
million pounds in additional revenue and minimum guaranteed
payments of 48 million pounds in the following four seasons if
they drop straight back down.

Blackpool will be making its second playoff final
appearance in three seasons. The Tangerines beat Cardiff 3-2 in
2010 to return to the top division for the first time since
1971.

“I think history shows in play-off games it’s who performs
on the day, who doesn’t freeze and who doesn’t bottle it that
generally wins it,” PA cited Blackpool striker Kevin Phillips
as saying.

Fifty-four percent of all promoted teams retained their
Premier League status the next season, according to Infostrada
Sports. The percentage rises to 63 percent for teams who finish
first in the Championship.

The winner of the play-off final will join Reading and
Southampton in the Premier League after they were automatically
promoted as the champion and runner-up in the Championship this
season.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Bob Bensch in London at
bbensch@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Christopher Elser at
celser@bloomberg.net

Article source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-05-19/blackpool-heads-to-wembley-for-playoff-final-against-west-ham

(UKPA)
–
1 hour ago 

Sam Allardyce insists the npower Championship play-off final is a bigger game than the Champions League final.

Allardyce’s West Ham side will battle for promotion to the Barclays Premier League with Blackpool, with an estimated £90million at stake for the winners.

Later in the evening Chelsea take on Bayern Munich as they bid to be crowned kings of Europe, but the Hammers boss claims the main event kicks off at 3pm at Wembley. “Saturday afternoon is bigger,” he said.

“The Champions League final is a glory game, this is about your livelihood and your status. The Champions League is a big tournament but this one is about changing people’s lives.”

Meanwhile, Ian Holloway has paid tribute to the role of Fleetwood manager Micky Mellon in Blackpool’s play-off charge.

The Seasiders’ near neighbours will play in the Football League for the first time in their history next season after storming to the Blue Square Bet Premier title, and Holloway’s Blackpool can give the Fylde coast a second promotion in as many months if they win at Wembley.

In the early months of the season, the prospect of an immediate return to the Barclays Premier League appeared unlikely as the Seasiders struggled to come to terms with the loss of key players such as DJ Campbell and Charlie Adam, and Holloway sought solace in Mellon – a former Blackpool midfielder in his playing days.

“I’d like to say we’ve earned it,” said the 49-year-old. “We lost to Burnley away and I was pretty down, then had a phone call with Micky Mellon.

“Two days later we played Leeds away and we won 5-0. If I hadn’t have had that conversation with him I’d still have been down in the dumps. I’ve never, ever wanted to feel sorry for myself, but I did then. Good gracious me, how far we’ve gone.

“The players, their reaction to what you commit to is vital and I came back in that following day talking about how we were going to pass it. We had nearly 700 passes in that game, which was phenomenal. I know they had a man short but it was brilliant.”

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Article source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iAf40GTMx6YVIe46Oy6IvbuRE-_g?docId=N0201291337405910801A

The fate of Blackburn Rovers Football Club was sealed long before a chicken draped in the team’s flag was let loose on field during the all-important game against Wigan Athletic at Rovers’s home turf at Ewood Park, Blackburn, on May 7. The stunt was pulled off by angry fans during the Barclays Premier League match as a symbol of protest against the club’s Indian poultry tycoons. It was probably wise that the chicken chiefs were nowhere in sight when the 1-0 scoreline in favour of Wigan Athletic relegated the Lancashire club from the League.

Venkateshwara Hatcheries, or Venky’s as the Pune-based VH Group is better known as, had acquired Blackburn Rovers for £23 million (Rs 195 crore) back in November 2010. The historic purchase was hailed as symbolic of India’s growing global might and came with a host of promises from the billionaire family to invest large sums in the struggling team to acquire world-class players, such as Ronaldinho, to help restore the team to its former glory as 1995 Premier League champions.

But under the new ownership of brothers Balaji and Venkatesh Rao and their sister Anuradha Desai, the principal owner of Blackburn Rovers as chair of Venky’s London Limited-the subsidiary which owns the club -the team’s fortunes took a sharp turn for the worse within months. It narrowly escaped relegation last season before suffering the ultimate, and widely feared, blow of dropping down to the Championship this season.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Manchester City, which beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 to bag the Premier League trophy at the end of the season on May 13. A similar fate of relegation back in 1996 has been long forgotten as a result of a complete turnaround under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. The title triumph vindicates his decision to plough in millions into the club to acquire big-ticket players since his reign began in 2008.

For Rovers, the ignominious end to its 11-year run in the top rung of English premiership football has sparked a long-drawn post-mortem by fans and experts. It kicked off soon after the May 7 game with a leaked email written by Rovers’s Deputy Chief Executive Paul Hunt to Desai as far back as December 2011. The senior official had warned against possible relegation unless unpopular manager Steve Kean was removed. Hunt has since been reportedly sacked, though the owners claim he left as part of cost-cutting measures.

In the prophetic email made public by Sporting Intelligence website, he wrote: “He (Kean) has lost the crowd and as a result of this evening’s game (2-1 defeat to Bolton on December 20, 2011) has lost the dressing room as well-the players no longer want to play for him… We must act now to save the club… I feel that I must now write to you to ask you to make some significant changes to save the club, perhaps from relegation but also perhaps from administration.”

Desai’s close relationship with the Kean family, especially wife Margaret, was then dredged up by Hyndburn MP Graham Jones as the reason behind her dismissive attitude towards such a stark warning of things to come. This just added to the echoes of the family’s complete lack of football expertise, reflected in a string of clearly ill-advised decisions. Sacking manager Sam Allardyce, who had led the club to a 10th-place finish in the 2009-2010 season, at a time when the team was in 13th place in the Premier League back in December 2010, is considered the first big blunder by the new owners. They then replaced him with Kean, who has struggled to win the respect and support of Blackburn Rovers fans ever since.

Kean, however, insists the team is fully behind him and that his relationship with the owners is extremely professional and above board. “She (Desai) watches every game. You’re asking me, do they know anything about football? Yes they do. I’ve had support from the owners every day,” he stressed, following the controversy surrounding Hunt’s leaked email which has failed to elicit a response from Desai so far.

India Today‘s repeated attempts to contact her have also been met with a wall of silence.

Meanwhile, calls for Venky’s to gracefully sell its stake in the team reached a crescendo, forcing company director and footie fan Balaji Rao to categorically deny any such plans. “Me, my brother Venkatesh and my sister (Desai), our entire family, have fallen in love with the club. We cannot sell it,” he said. But it is doubtful that love will be enough in this case, as major financial constraints come into play eventually. The family, which strongly believes in the potential of football to rival cricket as a sport in India over the next five years, did come onto the pitch with a hefty wallet. They reportedly paid off £10 million (Rs 85 crore) of club debt when they took over and a further £5 million (Rs 42.5 crore) interest-free loan was paid soon after. Overall, they are believed to have injected around £25 million (Rs 212 crore) on top of the figure they paid to buy the club. But this failed to prevent the downward spiral and exit of senior players, a trend likely to carry on following the club’s recent relegation.

The VH Group tried to cash in with a high-profile tour of the Rovers to play Pune XI in Mumbai in October 2011 on the back of a controversial advertisement showing the players tucking into juicy Venky’s chicken in the dressing room. The advertisement not only further divided opinion among club fans but players as well.

With Venky’s India’s third quarter net profit plunging 81 per cent year-on-year to Rs 2.93 crore, it is unlikely that the Rovers owners will be in a position to plough in the kind of extra cash that the club desperately needs following the added financial implications of relegation. They already have a dangerously high wages-to-turnover ratio of around 86 per cent and their Sky television money, annually worth at least £35 million, will also be decimated. The club’s average attendance also went down 11 per cent this season, from 24,999 to 22,332.

Given this scenario, the only element likely to grow is the protests led by the club’s diehard fans. On May 15, nearly 4,500 Rovers fans signed and emailed a ‘Kean Out’ petition directly to Desai in time for crucial talks between her and the management in India. Co-owner Venkatesh Rao admits: “It’s how they (the fans) feel and naturally they are going to do that (protest). We need to come out of this situation and the fans have every right to do what they want.”

Article source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/venkys-blackburn-rovers-fans-english-premier-league/1/189353.html

Imagine a Hail Mary pass to win a Super Bowl or a full court shot to win an NBA Championship. Now prepare yourself for a really shocking ending.

On Sunday May 13, 2012, Manchester City won the 2012 Premier League title on the final day of the season. And they won it in stunning fashion. The game was a roller coaster of emotions from start to finish. It prompted the commentators to predict a future movie about the thrilling finale.

City were playing for their first Premier League title since 1968. And three opponents stood in their way: Queens Park Rangers (QPR), Manchester United and themselves.

City entered the final game hoping to prevent United from winning their 20th Premier League title. To do that, they needed to match United’s result. United were playing Sunderland at the same time. And when Wayne Rooney put United ahead with a goal in the 20th minute, the pressure was squarely on City to win against QPR.

QPR were also motivated to win. As one of the worst teams, they were hoping to avoid relegation from the Premier League. But when Pablo Zabaleta put City ahead in the 39th minute, the home crowd at Etihad Stadium rejoiced. City had the lead at home, against one of the worst teams in the league. They had one hand on the Premier League title. The game was practically over, as City ended the half with a 1-0 lead.

City started the second half looking to cruise to victory. But the next 45 minutes created one of the most dramatic finishes in English football history. Just three minutes into the second half, City stumbled. City defender Joleon Lescott dangerously headed a ball back toward his goal. QPR striker Djibril Cisse anticipated the ball beautifully and fired it into the back of the net. City were stunned. Their fans watched in horror. The crucial mistake tipped the Premier League title to United, who were still leading in their game.

The pressure was once again on City to score a goal. There was plenty of time left. And when QPR midfielder Joey Barton was sent off for a flagrant elbow, City were in great position to take the lead.

But disaster struck again for City. QPR went ahead 2-1 on a header by Jamie Mackie in the 66th minute. City were stunned again. Their fans shed tears and showed anger. City now needed two goals to claim the Premier League title. And there were only 24 minutes and extra time left. Once again, it was surely over. But this time, United would claim the Premier League title.

For the next 24 minutes of regulation, City mounted attack after attack. But each time, QPR held. With each passing minute, City’s chances grew progressively worse. It was only a matter of time before their season would come to a brutal end. City kept fighting, but even their own players had doubts. Zabaleta thought, “We’ll score one goal and we’re still going to lose.” Then regulation ended, with QPR still leading 2-1. The referee asked for five minutes of extra time.

Two days earlier, United coach Sir Alex Ferguson stated that City would be haunted by failure on the final day. City were five minutes away from making that nightmare a reality. They had five minutes to complete either a most historic collapse or improbable comeback. It was just five minutes, a formality.

Then in the 92nd minute, late substitute Edin Dzeko headed a corner into the net. The game was tied, but City still needed one more goal to claim the title. Their fans had a shred of hope to cling to. But there were only three minutes left in the game. Three minutes to gain possession, move forward and score a goal.

Finally, destiny happened. The improbable became real. We all became witnesses. With a little over a minute left to play, City striker Sergio Aguero fired the ball into the net. Goal. City were ahead for good. Their fans watched in exultation. Tears flowed, but these were happy ones. QPR and United watched in disbelief. City used every minute of their season to win the 2012 Premier League title. The game will go down as one of the greatest finishes in Premier League history.

Congratulations to City for winning their first Premier League title in 44 years. They provided an incredible moment for City and international football fans to cherish forever.

More from Edwin Torres:

Fan perspective: Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo – who is better?

What if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi switched teams? A fan’s view

Edwin Torres has been coaching competitive youth soccer since 2001. He enjoys coaching, playing and watching the game of soccer. For more articles, follow him on Twitter @FlipPoker.

Sources:

Manchester City vs. Queens Park Rangers Television Broadcast, 05/13/2012 10:00 a.m. ET, ESPN2

ESPN Soccernet

Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/manchester-city-win-2012-premier-league-stunning-finale-160000022--sow.html

THERE was something entirely appropriate that, as the Premier League was this week dishing out its self-congratulatory awards on reaching its 20th anniversary, rumours were flying around cyberspace of Kenny Dalglish having left Liverpool FC.

After all, the end of the Anfield legend’s second coming had arrived because of his failure to halt the club’s slide from top-four contenders to losers in the unseemly scrap to be best of the rest.

The Premier League has not been good for Liverpool FC. And eighth place is not what Fenway Sports Group would have expected when they facilitated an unprecedented spending spree last summer.

The written report the American owners demanded from Kenny Dalglish, and which prompted his whistle-stop trip to Boston, would have made for interesting – if evidently not very persuasive – reading.

Principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner have already demonstrated a ruthless streak, director of football Damien Comolli last month paying the price for failing to gain value for money from more than £110m of new signings.

Peter Brukner, head of sports science, and long-serving head of communications Ian Cotton have also departed, with more to follow as the Americans continue their root-and-branch review of all aspects of the club.

Top priority, though, will be the team’s top-flight under-achievement, most notably at Anfield where not since the relegation season in 1954 have Liverpool won so few home league matches. Many followed the same pattern, with Liverpool dominating but being thwarted by the woodwork, bad luck or bad finishing.

From the New Year on, matters degenerated further with Liverpool FC losing 11 of their last 19 league games, during which a run of six losses was pierced only by derby victory over an under-strength Everton.

Indeed, only Aston Villa and relegated duo Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers earned fewer points during the second half of the season.

The turning point was the race row controversy surrounding Luis Suarez, a saga that dealt a damaging blow to the club’s image, and the fallout of which is still being felt.

On the pitch, the nine-game absence of Suarez – who also found trouble at Craven Cottage – was painfully clear, with the Uruguayan treading carefully for weeks on his return until rediscovering his form during the final two months.

By then, though, hopes of Champions League qualification had long gone, Liverpool FC finishing the season, in terms of points differential, nearer the bottom three than the top four.

Of course, Dalglish could well argue that, of the three competitions his team entered, they won one and reached the final of another.

The Scot was rewarded for the respect he so obviously showed towards the Carling Cup by leading Liverpool to victory at Wembley over Championship side Cardiff City, the Reds’ first silverware in almost six years on a debut appearance at the rebuilt national stadium.

But lifting the trophy after a tense penalty shoot-out in which they missed their first two spot-kicks underlined the league struggle that was to come.

In mitigation, Liverpool FC had done it the hard way, winning on the road at Exeter City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Stoke City, Chelsea and Manchester City before finishing the job off in the semi-final at home to Roberto Mancini’s men.

The run to the final, though, came with a significant cost, as it was during the quarter-final win at Stamford Bridge that Lucas Leiva suffered the cruciate ligament damage which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.

The Brazilian was an enormous miss in the engine room, with Dalglish unable to truly fill the substantial breach despite trying almost every combination in central midfield.

That Lucas for months afterwards had still made more tackles than any other Liverpool player during the season spoke volumes.

Wembley was reached twice more in the FA Cup, with the Anfield outfit coming from behind to secure a famous semi-final win over neighbours Everton.

The final against Chelsea, though, was one step too far, and underlined many of Liverpool FC’s problems.

Too many of the new players failed to perform and Dalglish was undermined by an inability to name a settled team or determine his best starting line-up.

The only positive from the Wembley defeat was Andy Carroll. The striker received vicious criticism – some of it justified – earlier in the season, but from January had been an improved performer having assumed greater responsibility in the absence of Suarez.

However, the same cannot be said for many of Dalglish’s other signings.

Eyebrows were raised at the vast sums paid for Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson during the transfer window, and their subsequent performances did little to lower them.

Henderson can at least contend he hasn’t always been utilised in his preferred central midfield role, but there can be no excuse – even allowing for the amount of woodwork hit and chances missed by his team-mates – for Downing’s Premier League return of no goals and no direct assists.

Charlie Adam flattered to deceive before his season-ending injury, Jose Enrique lost his way horribly after a fine first half to the campaign, Sebastian Coates has rarely been spotted and Craig Bellamy now appears on the periphery.

The malaise even affected some of the regulars with Pepe Reina, in particular, suffering a poor season by his high standards. He wasn’t alone, though.

The form of Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger were rare highlights and have meant Jamie Carragher, now in the veteran stage of his career, is no longer a first-team regular.

Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt are likely to join Fabio Aurelio through the exit and the owners will surely be contemplating cutting their losses on one or more of their under-performing signings, not least with highly-rated Raheem Sterling having made his breakthrough.

But the prospect of another summer of rumour and conjecture will not appeal to a fanbase who have grown weary of uncertainty wracking their once-proud club.

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Article source: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport-news/liverpool-fc/2012/05/19/liverpool-fc-review-of-the-season-why-lfc-won-t-be-joining-in-premier-league-anniversary-party-55578-30999964/

Delhi: This edition of IPL started on a positive note and for once it was beginning to look that IPL would shun its bad-boy image. This edition of Indian Premier League has managed to host some of the best on-field performances. High voltage clashes, last ball finishes IPL has been just-perfect.

Clearly, these incidents have failed to gain inspiration from the brilliant on-field performances that the teams have managed to put on showcase. Recent allegations of match fixing, a molestation case against on its franchise player has again put the ghastly face of IPL upfront. 

The incident of Royal Challengers Bangalore player behaving inappropriately with a woman guest is the latest incident in the series of misadventures that have played the IPL since its inception. 

Despite the high voltage clashes and some entertaining performances from the players; IPL is not the best example of sports man spirit. 

Here is look at some of the bad-boys of IPL. 

Munaf Patel 

In the match against Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indian player Mumbai Indian player Munaf Patel managed to stir the first controversy of IPL 2012 when he was seen arguing with the on-field umpire. The pacer was outwardly aggressive and argued with the umpires at length. Though decision was reversed, but the incident did not go down well with others. Munaf Patel was fined, but the damaged was done, innocent game being the victim.

Munaf Patel failed to keep himself under the wraps of calm, in the very next match he was seen hurling abuses at Kings XI Punjab batsmen, Mandeep Singh and Nitin Saini. The duo had smashed the Mumbai bowler for some splendid boundaries. 

Rohit Sharma 

Mumbai Indians team has clearly failed to seek inspiration from their team-mate Sachin Tendulkar. In one of the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indian player Rohit Sharma managed to hog the lime lights for the wrong reasons. He kicked the stump after he was smashed over the boundary by Chris Gayle to win the match. 

Ambati Rayudu-Harshal Patel 

It was Mumbai Indians third bad-bahaviour episode. This time it was Ambati Rayudu in action.  After winning the match Ambati Rayadu in his excitement got into a scuffle with Harshal Patel. Harshal Patel too reacted in an aggressive manner and charger the batsmen. However matters were brought under control by timely interventions of senior players. Both the players were fined for their behaviour. But, again the damage had been done. 

Priety Zinta 

This would go down in the history of cricket as one of the incidents. Upset by the decision of on-field umpires, Kings XI Punjab owner Priety Zinta came down on the field to challenge the decision taken by the on-field umpire. What ensued was a heated debate between the team owner and the on-field umpires. The tempers were brought down by the level headed intervention of the team member Adam Gilchrist. Not a very gentle behaviour in a gentleman’s game. 

Gautam Gambhir- Mahela Jayawardene 

In another row, passions raised when Gautam Gambhir and Mahela Jayawardene got into a fight over an umpire decision. Mahale supposedely edged a delivery to the keeper However, the batsman stood the ground and made it clear that he was under no obligation to walk and it was up to the umpire to make the decision. The other fielders had to intervene to put an end to the ugly scene. But the incident involving two of the more experienced players on the international circuit did not make for a good viewing.

Recently IPL has been in news for all the wrong reasons.

The tainted five 

Five players were suspended by BCCI for being involved in spot-fixing. The matter was brought to light by a sting operation conducted by a television news channel. The sting operation showed excerpts of players taking money, spot-fixing and revealing controversial information about franchises. 

The suspended players were TP Sudhindra (Team Hyderabad), Mohnish Mishra (Team Pune), Amit Yadav (Team Punjab), Shalabh Shrivastava (Team Punjab) and Abhinav Bali who doesn’t have an IPL contract. 

IPL’s governing council asked Ravi Sawani, head of BCCI’s new anti-corruption unit, to conduct an inquiry. 

Shahrukh Khan

The spat between SRK-MCA was blown out of proportions, but the incident clealry highlights the atmosphere in which IPL thrives. 

Shahrukh Khan the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders team seen in an ugly spat with the stadium officials after the security guard allegedly physically push the actor’s daughter. 

The spat led the stadium officials to recommend a life-ban on the entry of the star in the Wankhede Stadium. 

Luke Pomersbach 

In a shocking incident, Royal Challengers Bangalore player Luke Pomersbach was arrested on Friday for allegedly molesting a woman in a five-star Delhi hotel on Thursday night. The Bangalore player bashed up the victims fiancé and behaved in an inappropriate manner with the woman. The incident happened at the IPL party in the Maurya Sheraton Hotel, Delhi, on Friday.

Article source: http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/SPO-indian-premier-league-and-its-bad-boys-3290369.html?IPL=

LONDON (AP) -Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers rejected an approach from Liverpool on Friday to discuss replacing the fired Kenny Dalglish at the Premier League rival.

The American-owned club is planning to interview several managers before making an appointment, having already been granted permission by Wigan on Thursday to speak to Roberto Martinez.

Rodgers will not be speaking to Liverpool after pledging to stick with Swansea, which beat Liverpool on the last day of an impressive debut Premier League campaign on Sunday.

“An approach from Liverpool FC to speak to manager Brendan Rodgers was officially received by chairman Huw Jenkins this morning,” Swansea said Friday. “The club is pleased to confirm that Brendan has declined the current opportunity to speak to the Anfield club about the vacant position.”

Agreeing to be interviewed by Liverpool and then being rejected by the Premier League rival could have made it tough for Rodgers to return to the Swansea job.

Rodgers steered Swansea to an 11th-place finish, just five points behind eighth-place Liverpool and was lauded for their slick, passing football.

“The Swansea manager is currently working hard to strengthen the squad in readiness for the new Barclays Premier League campaign,” the south Wales club said.

Dalglish was fired on Wednesday after Liverpool failed to challenge for a place in the Premier League’s top four and a return to the lucrative Champions League.

The Boston Red Sox ownership group, which runs Liverpool, is overhauling the senior management at the 18-time English champions.

Dalglish is the latest senior figure to leave Anfield in recent weeks, following the exit of the director of football, head of sports medicine and communications chief.

“We may have lost our way a little in terms of performances but it is still one of the biggest football clubs in the world,” Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said Thursday. “I still think this is one of the biggest jobs in world football.”

Article source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/05/18/2080.ap.soc.liverpool.future.2nd.ld.writethru.317/index.html